Our very own grand designs

Wouldn't it have been nice to have been rich enough to afford an extension to your grand house simply because you were entertaining royalty? The owner of Cragside House in the 19th century did just that and because he was the Tyneside industrialist Sir William Armstrong he was inventive enough to equip his house with all the mod cons. Visit this "palace of a modern magician" and see just what he did do.

It would also be nice to be rich enough to afford a two year honeymoon. In the 19th century Sir Charles Monck was more than rich enough to treat his new bride to two years travel through Europe. He still had sufficient cash left to build her a new home on their return. Belsay Hall's elegant rooms are empty of furnishings and allow the bones of the architecture to be fully appreciated whilst providing the perfect backdrop for Belsay's regular programme of innovative contemporary art installations.

Then what do you do if the construction of your home results in a big hole in the ground where the stone came from? Sir Charles turned that into Belsay's own very special quarry garden where sinuous paths reveal something new at each turn.

What is a grand house without a grand garden to go with it? At elegant Wallington Hall you simply need to lift the latch of a gate to step into one of the prettiest walled gardens in North East England.