Cragside
Rothbury · NE65
Amenities
Summary
A Victorian Tudor Revival country house near Rothbury in Northumberland, the first house in the world lit by hydroelectric power, managed by the National Trust, used as a filming location for The Current War (2017) and chosen by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) as the visual basis for Lockwood Manor.
About this location
Cragside stands on the edge of a moorland crag above the River Coquet near Rothbury in Northumberland. The house was built from 1862 for William Armstrong, the Newcastle armaments manufacturer and inventor who founded Armstrong Whitworth and developed the Armstrong gun and the hydraulic crane. Armstrong began with a modest shooting box on the crag, which he expanded over the following decades with architect Richard Norman Shaw into a large and complex Tudor Revival house. The final result — a rambling, asymmetric structure of gabled wings, bay windows, stone walls, and tall chimneys, set dramatically on its crag above a rocky gorge — is one of Shaw’s most significant achievements and a defining example of the Old English style.
Armstrong’s engineering ingenuity extended throughout the estate. In 1880 he installed hydroelectric lighting powered by a turbine in the making Cragside the first house in the world to use hydroelectric power for domestic lighting. The estate also contained a hydraulic lift, a hydraulic rotisserie, a water-powered laundry and sawmill, and a hydraulic ram to pump water to an upper reservoir. Armstrong built a series of dams in the to create lakes that powered these systems, and planted millions of trees across what had been open moorland to create one of the largest Victorian rock gardens in Europe.
Armstrong was the first scientist or engineer to be elevated to the peerage, becoming Baron Armstrong in 1887. After the last Armstrong died without heirs, Cragside passed to the National Trust in 1977. The estate covers approximately 1,000 acres.
The Current War (2017, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison and Michael Shannon as George Westinghouse, about the competition between Edison and Westinghouse over electrical power systems) filmed at Cragside, using its Victorian interiors and the estate’s association with electrical innovation. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018, director J.A. Bayona, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard) used Cragside as the principal visual reference and basis for the design of Lockwood Manor, the great Victorian country house at the centre of the film’s second act.
Access notes
- Parking
- On-site parking available — confirm crew-vehicle capacity with the venue.
- Loading access
- Loading access not listed. Confirm access points, door widths, and lift availability with the venue before the day.
- Public transit
- Rothbury has mainline rail and regional bus connections. Check the nearest station and allow for equipment on-foot from transit.
Ask us about this location
Quick question before you enquire upstream? We often know day-rate ranges, permit lead times, or a direct-to-owner shortcut not shown on the source page.
On the map
Rothbury — drag to pan, scroll to zoom.
Access process
National Trust
The National Trust has a central commercial filming and photography team that handles enquiries across all 500+ properties. Location fees fund conservation.
- Lead time
- 8 weeks minimum; 3+ months for major interiors.
- Fees
- Day rates set per property and per shoot scale — typically £500–£5,000+ for full crew access. Student and charitable reductions available.
- Crew size capped per property. Large shoots need dedicated agreement.
- No flash photography on historic interiors. No damage to fabric of any kind.
- Standard insurance requirement: £5m public liability minimum.
FAQ
- Do I need a permit to film at Cragside?
- Yes — filming on or around Cragside typically requires a permit. Allow roughly 5–10 working days lead time for most UK councils. Interior shoots on private property may also need owner consent.
- Is parking available at Cragside?
- On-site parking is available at Cragside. Capacity varies — confirm crew-vehicle numbers with the venue before the day.
- How much does it cost to film at Cragside?
- Cragside sits in the ££ band. Typical UK film-location day rates range from under £200 for simple interior shoots to well over £1,000 for period properties and landmark venues. Confirm with the venue directly.
- What crew size is suitable for Cragside?
- Cragside can accommodate a large crew of 15+ including feature-film unit requirements, trucks, and extras.
- Has anything been filmed at Cragside before?
- Cragside appears on Filmshoot's UK location index because it has a documented track record or strong characteristics for film and photography. Specific production credits aren't displayed unless publicly confirmed by the venue — ask the venue directly or check ScreenSkills and IMDb Locations for verified credits.
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