0:00:03 > 0:00:07Britain has some of the finest gardens anywhere in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08For me, it's about getting in
0:00:08 > 0:00:11amongst the wonderful plants that flourish
0:00:11 > 0:00:15in this country and sharing the passion of the people who tend them.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20However, there is another way to enjoy a garden.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And that's to get up above it.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I love ballooning because you get to see the world below
0:00:33 > 0:00:35in a whole new light.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39From up here, you get a real sense of how the garden sits
0:00:39 > 0:00:43in the landscape, how the terrain and the climate have shaped it.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And I want you to share that experience with me.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It's so early in the morning that I reckon most people round
0:01:10 > 0:01:12here are still asleep.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16But I can't resist picking up a few souvenir snaps!
0:01:26 > 0:01:30I'm heading to a county with some of the most stunning landscapes
0:01:30 > 0:01:32anywhere in the UK.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Today, we're in Northumberland,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41England's most northerly county.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45To the west lies Cumbria, with its gentle fells and its hillsides.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47And to the north, the Scottish borders.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Northumberland is Britain's most sparsely populated county,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57but it has huge historical importance.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Over the years, Vikings invaded it, shipbuilding brought
0:02:02 > 0:02:06prosperity to it, and two nations fought bitterly over it.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11The history of the county is full of stories of battles
0:02:11 > 0:02:13between the English and the Scots.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15But I'm here for its gardens.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22Today, I'm visiting two gardens that in their time both saw dreams
0:02:22 > 0:02:23come true.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27One, where a Victorian inventor was inspired by nature
0:02:27 > 0:02:29and changed the world.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33It's the simplicity of turning water into light.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37And the second, where one man's longing for a country retreat
0:02:37 > 0:02:41led to the creation of this tiny masterpiece.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- Couldn't be nicer, could it? - Not on a day like today.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And along the way, I'll be meeting the people lucky enough to look
0:02:47 > 0:02:50after these two very special places.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52SHE LAUGHS
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Whoof!
0:02:55 > 0:02:58The first garden I'm dropping in on is not just a wonder
0:02:58 > 0:02:59of the gardening world,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03it's pretty significant in the history of science, too.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Nearly 150 years ago what happened in this house, Cragside,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16transformed the way we power our homes.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22And the secret lies in the water that flows through the estate.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Because this was once the home of a very remarkable man indeed.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33From the air, you can see how large the estate of Cragside is.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The hillsides are planted with conifers and rhododendrons.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It has one of the largest rock gardens in Europe.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44And the formal terraces are planted with stunning Victorian bedding.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47And I can't wait to get down there.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Of all the gardens I've visited,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Cragside is one of the most dramatic.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58It's remote - over 30 miles from the nearest city, Newcastle.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Its nearest town is Rothbury
0:04:00 > 0:04:05and the house itself is nestled deep in a setting of forests and lakes.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13But although this countryside looks natural,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17it's actually a completely artificial landscape.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29Cragside, a Victorian period piece that zings with colour and history.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Beautiful colours smeared across the landscape on a hill
0:04:33 > 0:04:38and fantastic trees, maintaining traditions of the long-gone.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41But not in this garden.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46History, colour, and zing to excite any garden visitor.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Cragside was the home of Victorian industrialist
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and inventor William Armstrong.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Armstrong was born in Newcastle in 1810.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02After an early career as a solicitor,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04he followed his childhood dream
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and became an inventor.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12He came up with a design for the world's first hydraulic crane
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and developed an improved battlefield gun.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19He set up a factory employing thousands and, in the process,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22became one of the wealthiest men in the north of England.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28In an age of industrial innovation, Armstrong was a giant character,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32becoming the first engineer to take a seat in the House of Lords.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38He bought the land here to create a country retreat,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40and he and his wife, Margaret,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43commissioned this unconventional mansion.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53And they set about creating an equally extraordinary garden.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55It covers four square kilometres
0:05:55 > 0:06:00and truly emphasises the drama of Cragside's location.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04There are the outsized boulders of the rock garden and
0:06:04 > 0:06:08the steep valley of rhododendrons.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12And a formal garden with terraces, beds, and borders.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18There's also a pinetum, or conifer collection, which contains
0:06:18 > 0:06:25trees from around the world, some of them over 140 years old.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28It's said that Lord and Lady Armstrong planted
0:06:28 > 0:06:32over seven million trees in the estate.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37Mind you, they did have 150 gardeners to help them.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Today, I'm going to add one more tree to the collection.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45I'm heading down to the pinetum to help plant Cragside's latest
0:06:45 > 0:06:48addition, a South African mountain cypress.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55I'm meeting Dale Stephens, who's worked here for 22 years
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and has been in charge of the garden since 2014.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Hi, Dale, how are you?- Hi, Christine. I'm very well, thank you.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- I'm in a super setting for it. - It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:07:06 > 0:07:07- Yeah.- It's wonderful.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- So, shall we drop this in? - Yeah, let's just get this in.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I'll just dig a small hole.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15So, how did you get into gardening?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Basically, just spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22They had a small holding of 2.5 acres.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- It had pigs and...- Right.- ..a veg patch and all that kind of thing.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Yeah.- So I got the bug, really,
0:07:27 > 0:07:32and then I saw a little ad that was advertised to come and do training
0:07:32 > 0:07:34- at Cragside.- Yeah.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38So I was on that placement for 11 months and then, luckily,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41a job came up. So I've been here 22 years now.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- Goodness! Right.- And gradually worked my way up from, basically,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47- apprentice right through to... - Excellent.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49..what is the head gardener's position at the moment.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51- Great.- It's a fantastic, fantastic place.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52- I love it.- Absolutely.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55So what makes Cragside so special to you?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Look around, really. It's a fantastic spot.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Atmospheric. As a horticulturalist, you get to play around with trees,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03plants, shrubs, you name it, things that are unusual,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- things you never see elsewhere.- Yeah.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08And just working in this, it's just absolutely to die for, you know?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11It really is. It's one of them places,
0:08:11 > 0:08:12you know you've made it when you get here.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16'This sapling won't become one of the giants of the pinetum,
0:08:16 > 0:08:21'but will grow into a pretty, medium-sized evergreen tree.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- Are you happy with that depth? - Perfect.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Absolutely perfect. So...
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Would you like to get some of that muck in there?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Do you have a favourite place in the garden?
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Not one particular, no.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It's a combination, little bit of everything.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35I like the pinetum that we're in at the moment.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I like the rock garden. And I also like the formal garden.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Again, every bit has its own little idiosyncrasies,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45you know, so it's quite nice to manage them in that sort of way.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47- Yeah.- We've only got a small team of gardeners.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49There's four of us full-time
0:08:49 > 0:08:51to look after approximately 40 acres.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53And how many volunteers?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Ten volunteers, three garden guides,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58one trainee, and one seasonal gardener.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59Right. So they're busy.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01To put it in perspective,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03the rock garden is 4.5 acres.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- One person looks after 4.5 acres. - And you work hard.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07You do, yes, that's right.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Talking about hard work, come on, let's go
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- and put some more things in. - Come on, then.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Like lots of couples,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Lord and Lady Armstrong split their gardening duties.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20She was in charge of the plants
0:09:20 > 0:09:22and he looked after the hard landscaping.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24In the grounds of the estate,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27he dammed several rivers, creating five lakes.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31All this water was to prove the inspiration for his greatest
0:09:31 > 0:09:36achievement, generating the power to make Cragside the first house
0:09:36 > 0:09:38to be lit by electricity.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Andrew Sawyer has worked at Cragside for over 30 years.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Better than anyone, he knows the story of how Lord Armstrong's vision
0:09:48 > 0:09:51changed the modern world.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55His great dream really was water power, and that was
0:09:55 > 0:09:59the essence of everything he did right from the start.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03By the time he bought Cragside, Armstrong had made a fortune
0:10:03 > 0:10:08from water power by inventing the world's first hydraulic crane.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13It revolutionised every ship dock, every railway.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17It meant that men weren't lifting things physically.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20It was all done by the power of water.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25After this success, his ambitions for using water power grew.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29He'd used every bit of technology that he'd both developed
0:10:29 > 0:10:33as an engineer and what was available at the time.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37He used this lake here at Tumbleton to run
0:10:37 > 0:10:38a hydraulic engine,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43which pumped 5,000 gallons of water to the house each day,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47which gave him the ability to run a passenger lift in the house
0:10:47 > 0:10:50so he didn't even have to walk up the stairs to go to bed.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53He even turned the meat in front of the kitchen fire
0:10:53 > 0:10:55with a water-powered rotisserie.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58He had an enclosed boiler system,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01which meant he had hot and cold water throughout the house.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06It really was the standard of living that we have today
0:11:06 > 0:11:08almost a century and a half ago.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14It was a bit like someone wanting all the latest gadgets today,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and Armstrong had the money to buy every modern convenience.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22And when he heard his friend Joseph Swan had invented
0:11:22 > 0:11:26an electric light bulb, he had to have that for Cragside, too.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31And so he invented the first-ever domestic hydroelectric generator,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35once again powered by water from the estate.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39This is Lord Armstrong's original hydroelectric system.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42The water comes from the top lakes in the big blue pipe
0:11:42 > 0:11:47into the turbine. Water revolves the turbine
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and turns the shaft
0:11:49 > 0:11:53that then revolves the generators
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and then the electricity is sent up to the house.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Turbines would have been used for all kinds of things,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03but he connected the dynamo to the water turbine
0:12:03 > 0:12:05to produce hydroelectricity.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It's the simplicity of turning water into light.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13In time, the house switched to mains power, but visitors were always
0:12:13 > 0:12:16asking if the house was still lit by hydroelectricity.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26In January, 2014, Andrew could finally answer, "Yes,"
0:12:26 > 0:12:30when this wonderful Archimedes screw was installed.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Once again, power was being generated from water at Cragside.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38It's a modern way of producing hydropower
0:12:38 > 0:12:40which still lights the house,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44which means we can still have our proudest boast -
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Cragside was the first house in the world
0:12:47 > 0:12:50to be lit by hydroelectricity, and it still is.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59The Debden Burn that Armstrong dammed to create his lakes still
0:12:59 > 0:13:01tumbles through the grounds close to the house.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05It's spanned by this beautiful footbridge, the Iron Bridge.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10From here, the path winds up to Cragside's formal gardens.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19This is where Lord and Lady Armstrong worked together
0:13:19 > 0:13:21to transform a series of fields
0:13:21 > 0:13:25overlooking the valley into these three glorious terraces.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29In Armstrong's day, the top terrace would all have been glasshouses.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Now, only the walls remain,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37enclosing the estate's two fern collections.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40The clock on the tower would have rung at the beginning
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and end of the estate workers' day.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47On the middle terrace is the orchard house,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49home to exotic fruit trees in pots -
0:13:49 > 0:13:52peaches and apricots, lemons and limes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Each pot sits on a turntable, which Armstrong designed
0:13:56 > 0:14:00so the trees can revolve to catch as much sunlight as possible.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03At the foot of the garden,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07the lower terrace takes the form of an Italian-style loggia,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10also designed by Armstrong.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13The pool and fountain have been recently restored to the garden
0:14:13 > 0:14:17as they would have been when Lord and Lady Armstrong lived here.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28The entire formal garden is famed for its colourful flower borders.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Here, the new Archimedes screw is being celebrated
0:14:39 > 0:14:41in a fabulously colourful way.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Oh, hey, traditional carpet bedding.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47You know, you don't often see it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50No, this is one of our feature beds - keeping the skills alive,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52cos obviously, this kind of thing is a dying art.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57- Yeah. Do you want a hand trimming, then?- Yes, if you don't mind.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58I've been doing this...
0:14:58 > 0:15:01The Parks Department. We'll have a go at this, yeah.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02If I work down here...
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Yeah, if you work down there, Christine, that would be fantastic.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09- So, basically, what we want is... - Just trimming over.- Yep,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12just keep it nice and flat, keep the edges nice and crisp.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14That would be brilliant.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Carpet bedding first became popular in the 19th century.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29It was wildly fashionable in the new municipal gardens springing
0:15:29 > 0:15:32up around the country.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35The best plants for carpet bedding are low growing, slow growing,
0:15:35 > 0:15:40and colourful - echeveria and sedum are popular choices.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46When I first started working in Clitheroe's Parks Department,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50one of my first jobs was keeping bedding neat.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I used to spend hours and hours and hours doing this.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58But it's not often you see such an intricate display.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02How did these carpet beds fit into the overall garden?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04It was the fad, it was the phase, that's what they wanted.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06It's all about celebrating something.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09That's what carpet bedding's about - it's to celebrate,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11in a planting design,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13to celebrate something -
0:16:13 > 0:16:16anniversary, coronation...
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Because it was a showpiece that had to be absolutely pristine
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and perfect.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25And certainly in Armstrong's day, if it wasn't perfect,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27the head gardener would have come down
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- on someone like a tonne of bricks, I would imagine.- Yeah!
0:16:29 > 0:16:35Every year, Dale and his team put over 20,000 individual plants
0:16:35 > 0:16:36into these beds.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Each year, they work to a different design,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42taking six weeks to plant it up.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Do you raise the plants yourself?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Yes. Yes, we do. It works out a lot cheaper for us to do that.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49All the succulents, all these echeverias
0:16:49 > 0:16:52are all kept behind the scenes, and they go to bed for the winter.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55So that you're maintaining not only planting out,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- but the actual plant raising and...- Yes.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59That's nice, actually.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02To buy the plants in for these two beds,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- you're looking at somewhere in the region of £35,000.- Yeah.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08And that's why it's not done that often these days, because
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- the vast cost is enormous. - Yes, it's a huge cost.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15The skills are disappearing from the old parks departments,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and it's nice that we're trying to keep that alive,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21nice that the National Trust is trying to keep that alive,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and the skills that they're trying to promote as well.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Right. Well, I think we could do with a cup of tea, couldn't we?
0:17:27 > 0:17:28I certainly think so, yes, yes.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- Well, we'll come back to this later. - Absolutely, I quite agree.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Brew time.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Dale and his colleagues are keeping the art of carpet bedding
0:17:37 > 0:17:39alive in the hills above Rothbury.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44But 30 miles from here, on the outskirts of Newcastle,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49sits a garden that's reviving uses for plants dating back 3,000 years.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52This is Dilston Physic Garden.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54The brains behind the garden is Elaine Perry.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59She's not a gardener or a botanist,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02she's comes from a very different branch of science.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07She's a professor based at Newcastle University
0:18:07 > 0:18:11with a particular interest in conditions, like Alzheimer's,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13associated with memory loss.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18It became clear that we certainly weren't going to get a cure
0:18:18 > 0:18:21for Alzheimer's disease just like that.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And I started to wonder if perhaps the plant world
0:18:24 > 0:18:25had something to offer.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29So we looked back hundreds of years through the archives
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and found that yes, indeed, there were plants
0:18:32 > 0:18:34that were said to improve the memory -
0:18:34 > 0:18:36plants like sage and lemon balm.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And of course what's really exciting is that when you then take a look
0:18:40 > 0:18:41at that information
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and look at, for example, what chemicals the plants contain
0:18:45 > 0:18:46and what effects they have
0:18:46 > 0:18:48on, you know, laboratory tests,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51you find that all that information that has been passed down
0:18:51 > 0:18:53is actually verified in terms of modern science.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Elaine needed a garden to grow plants for her experiments,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and the Dilston Physic Garden was born.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The first physic gardens were founded in medieval times.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09Elaine's garden follows a tradition stretching back over 500 years
0:19:09 > 0:19:11when, instead of popping pills,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14people would've found remedies in gardens and hedgerows.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19So your doctor was using plants,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22the old ladies in the village were using plants, the grandmothers
0:19:22 > 0:19:23were using plants.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It was knowledge that was passed down from generations.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28And people, in a way, self medicated. They knew the plants,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31they knew how to prepare the extracts,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34when to take it, how much to take.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38There are over 800 different species of plants grown here now,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and a team of volunteers helps maintain the garden.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45They use the plants to make a range of products including herbal
0:19:45 > 0:19:47soaps and ointments.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50One of the volunteers, Dennis,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54is already feeling the benefit of what he's learned.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58I have got a problem with oesophageal acid reflux,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02and it's through Elaine that I've learnt about
0:20:02 > 0:20:06the wonderful healing properties of the herbs.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I'm taking conventional medicine, as well.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10This is not a substitute.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13But it is having a beneficial effect,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17reducing the acidity and the soreness,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20which it can be a very serious medical condition.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It's estimated that, in some countries, 80% of people
0:20:25 > 0:20:30rely on herbal remedies as their first source of treatment.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Perhaps in the future, Elaine's work with the plants in this garden
0:20:33 > 0:20:38will help prevent some of the world's most distressing diseases.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42But it's not just plants themselves that have therapeutic powers.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Many people believe that gardening itself improves memory
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and can even help depression.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55And that's great news for tens of thousands of people
0:20:55 > 0:20:59who spend their time volunteering in the great houses and gardens
0:20:59 > 0:21:00around the UK.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05One of Cragside's volunteers is Jennifer Horner.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08She first caught the plant bug when she was a student,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13but in 1980, she moved from her native Newcastle to Switzerland.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19The house that we lived in in Switzerland was a beautiful house.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22It had quite a big garden around it,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26but it was on top of a hill at about 800 metres,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30which is probably about as high as Cheviot is here.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34And in summer, it was a beautiful alpine meadow, if you allowed it.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36But in winter, it was just a bog
0:21:36 > 0:21:39covered with permafrost or snow.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Trying to plant anything, it was just a waste of time,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45so it was all very frustrating.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51After 27 years, Jennifer came back home to Northumberland,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and at last, she could make her dream come true
0:21:54 > 0:21:55and have a proper garden.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I would go to a nursery or into friends' gardens
0:22:00 > 0:22:02and just look at plants.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04I would look at plants every day if I had the chance.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07I look at the plants and say, "Do I like you?"
0:22:07 > 0:22:10And if I like the plant, would it work in my garden?
0:22:10 > 0:22:14And if it did, then I would go and search for that particular plant.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I liked alpines, so I had to collect alpines.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20And I like fuchsias, so I've got lots of different fuchsias.
0:22:20 > 0:22:26And then the tree was shady, so I thought, "Well, ferns will go there."
0:22:26 > 0:22:30And so I started collecting ferns to put different shapes and sizes
0:22:30 > 0:22:32and colours to plant under the tree.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36There's probably about 200 different plants in the garden,
0:22:36 > 0:22:37that was at the last count.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And I know there are at least 90 pots,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43cos my husband has to water them.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49But even 200 plants weren't enough for Jennifer - she wanted more!
0:22:49 > 0:22:52It was just one day I was visiting Cragside with a friend
0:22:52 > 0:22:55and one of the gardeners was working there, and I went up to her
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and I said, "Do you have volunteers in the garden?"
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And she kind of went, "Oh, yes!"
0:23:00 > 0:23:03And that was it. It's just fantastic
0:23:03 > 0:23:05because I've now got two gardens.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07I've got my garden at home
0:23:07 > 0:23:10and then I can enjoy the bigger garden at Cragside.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13It's a bit like a dream come true.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It's the icing on the cake to my retirement.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23At Cragside, Jennifer's taken on a project of her own - employing
0:23:23 > 0:23:27her love of ferns in reviving the two ferneries in the formal garden.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Ferns were the huge craze with Victorians.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38You could buy special glass cabinets to show them off,
0:23:38 > 0:23:43while the rich could build grottos to house their collections.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47The basic structure of the fern hasn't evolved much
0:23:47 > 0:23:49for over 140 million years -
0:23:49 > 0:23:52they're one of nature's greatest success stories.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Ferns don't only grow well in shady areas.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00There's a fern for most situations, including sunny spots.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05In Armstrong's time, there were two ferneries at Cragside.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10But as ferns fell out of fashion, so they fell into disrepair.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I've arranged to meet Jennifer in one of them,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16where she's been replanting.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17- Hi, Jennifer.- Hiya.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- Nice to see you.- And you. What are you doing?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23I'm planting this fern in this crevice here.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It's a bare spot in the fernery.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27- It'll look lovely in there. - Yeah, I think it will.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30How long have you known about Cragside?
0:24:30 > 0:24:35Well, Cragside itself I've known about since about the 1980s,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37but I'd heard of Armstrong when I was a child.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39How did you get involved with the ferns, then?
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- I got involved with the ferns because it was a bit neglected.- OK.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45And it was a bid sad.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49And my garden at home has an area where the only thing that we grow are
0:24:49 > 0:24:52ferns, so I just started collecting loads and loads of different ferns,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56- and I knew about the ferns that could grow in different places.- Mm.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00So I just gradually sort of winkled my way in, I suppose.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Excellent. And what fascinates you about the place?
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Cragside is... Well, one of the visitors came
0:25:07 > 0:25:08by me the other day and they said,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11"This is the most amazing place,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15"it's full of corners. And round every corner,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17"is something different." And it's true.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- You could just come to Cragside and visit the garden.- Mm.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23And that's got lots of corners with lots of different things.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Or you go into the estate, drive around
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and there's all sorts of amazing walks
0:25:29 > 0:25:30and drives and lakes.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33And then you go in the house and, well, it's full
0:25:33 > 0:25:36of Armstrong's amazing inventions.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38So, a really fascinating man.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Chuck that last bit off. - Yeah, chuck it in.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- And then...- It needs a bit of water, doesn't it?- It does.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49- Well, we can get that. So let's go and get some more plants.- Okey-doke.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Jennifer's one of a team of ten volunteers working in the garden
0:25:59 > 0:26:00at Cragside.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04But whether volunteer or full-time staff, it's clear that everyone
0:26:04 > 0:26:09associated with the garden really loves this very special place.
0:26:11 > 0:26:17What surprises me about this garden is how it oozes history.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- You know, I mean, horticultural history...- Yes.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- ..you were commenting on earlier. - Yes, absolutely.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26The history goes all the way back through from 1870,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28just carrying that theme on, obviously.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Lady Armstrong was the horticulturalist.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Armstrong was the man who put this kind of thing in,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35these giant lumps of stone.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39These metal frames, that was his thing, the engineering side of it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Lady Armstrong was the gardener, basically.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44But these aren't just stanchions, are they?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46No, no, these are drain pipes as well, dual purpose.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Detriment to the building because they freeze in winter
0:26:49 > 0:26:50and blow the building,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53but, yeah, there's sort of gutters along the top and it all runs down
0:26:53 > 0:26:56into these, runs down underneath and then
0:26:56 > 0:26:59the hollow underneath here, the big tunnel runs out,
0:26:59 > 0:27:00right the way out into the parkland.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03And it just takes the water away from this terrace,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- takes the water away from the border behind.- Right.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10It was all thought out long before the pretty bits went in.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13But, Jennifer, you've been saying how fascinated you are
0:27:13 > 0:27:16with all the inventions he got up to.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Well, yes, I have been fascinated, especially
0:27:18 > 0:27:21when I first learned about Cragside and visited the house
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and saw all the amazing things inside of the house.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29The equipment for the kitchen and...the lift!
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Can you imagine working in a house in those days and having a lift...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- I know!- ..to get up and down stairs with?
0:27:34 > 0:27:38And the fact that the house was one of the first to be electrified.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41And that's given me some food for thought.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49In every wonderful garden I've visited during my balloon tour,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51I've left behind a little thank you.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53For my gift to Cragside,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I'm thinking something with an industrial edge.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Stephen Lunn is a local blacksmith turned artist,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02and he knows the garden well.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06When my children were growing up, that was...
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Our weekend event was to go to Cragside.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11We're a bit bad because we didn't go round the house.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14We actually adored the trees and the grounds.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18And I cannot believe how them trees just grow so well.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23It's inspired myself, actually, to plant my own tree arboretum.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27And some of my trees are from seeds from Cragside itself.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32It's not just Cragside's trees that's inspired him.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Lord Armstrong was an inventor and I feel I'm an inventor as well.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37I invent designs.
0:28:37 > 0:28:42So I feel quite an affinity to Lord Armstrong and his grounds and garden.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Except mine's very small scale
0:28:44 > 0:28:48and his was absolutely grand, amazing scale.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Stephen's love of Cragside and his admiration for Lord Armstrong's
0:29:01 > 0:29:05inventiveness make him the perfect person to create something
0:29:05 > 0:29:09distinctive to donate to the garden as a souvenir of my visit.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17I'm going to leave the actual design up to him, but whatever it is,
0:29:17 > 0:29:21I'm sure it'll be worthy of Cragside and its first owner.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Meanwhile, I'm getting back in my trusty basket
0:29:30 > 0:29:33and heading off on the next stage of my Northumberland adventure.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41About 40 miles north of Cragside, very close to the Scottish border,
0:29:41 > 0:29:46sits Holy Island. The island is cut off twice a day by the North Sea.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49The timing has to be right to visit, but when you do,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52you see a rather spectacular garden
0:29:52 > 0:29:53and a fascinating castle.
0:29:53 > 0:29:59But I'm there to see it's beautiful, tiny, little special garden.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09This is the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Just three miles long by a mile and a half wide,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16the island was first settled by monks in 635.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21Nowadays, over 600,00 visitors a year come to the island,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23over the causeway or by boat.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28They visit for bird-watching or to enjoy the beauty of the landscape.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30But I'm here to visit the castle
0:30:30 > 0:30:34and find out more about its special little garden.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47Lindisfarne Castle dates back to 1550.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52In 1902, the owner of Country Life magazine, Edward Hudson, asked his
0:30:52 > 0:30:57friend, the architect Edwin Lutyens, to transform it into a holiday home.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Lutyens often worked with self-taught garden designer
0:31:02 > 0:31:03Gertrude Jekyll.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06He'd designed her house, Munstead Wood,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09and they were great friends as well as collaborators.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14But when they came to work together on Lindisfarne,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17the costs for renovating the castle itself spiralled.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21The plans to surround it with an ambitious garden of lakes
0:31:21 > 0:31:23and parkland were scaled back.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Lutyens and Jekyll ended up making a garden in what had been
0:31:29 > 0:31:31the castle's vegetable plot.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35But in this case, small really is beautiful.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39I've arranged to meet the lucky person
0:31:39 > 0:31:42who's in charge of looking after this tiny gem.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Her name is Carol McLeod.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- Hi, Carol.- Hi, Christine. - Nice to meet you.- And you.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- God, you've got a lovely job here, haven't you?- I have, thank you.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57So, what do you know about Lutyens and Jekyll
0:31:57 > 0:31:58and this garden?
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Lutyens and Jekyll visited the castle,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03they were invited by Hudson,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06who was the owner of Country Life magazine.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10And Jekyll had written articles for Country Life magazine.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13So, did they work together in this garden?
0:32:13 > 0:32:16They did work together. Lutyens designed the paths and the beds.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- Right.- He also reduced the wall.- OK.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22He moved the gate from the north wall,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24so that you could come across the field.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27And then Jekyll, her magic planting touches.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28She did.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Jekyll had studied at art school
0:32:30 > 0:32:35and used sweeps of colour like brushstrokes in her planting plans.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Texture was also incredibly important to her,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45and she often used plants like this stachys.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Here, it sits in perfect harmony against the grey of the pathways
0:32:49 > 0:32:51Lutyens designed.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58How on earth did you end up working somewhere as beautiful as this?
0:32:58 > 0:32:59It's amazing, isn't it?
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- Beautiful here.- It's beau...! I mean, how did you end up here?
0:33:02 > 0:33:06I came here from Hertfordshire, where I had been working,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09and I wanted to come back to the area.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11I couldn't find a job
0:33:11 > 0:33:15and I volunteered in the garden.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17- From there, I've landed this job. - Wow!
0:33:17 > 0:33:20And did you have any gardening experience before that?
0:33:20 > 0:33:22No, just gardening at home.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26I trained as a photographer. My background there was portraits
0:33:26 > 0:33:28of maternity and newborns.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32- Wow!- So I had to learn a lot of patience working
0:33:32 > 0:33:35with newborn babies, and it comes in handy for this job.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39I can say, that now makes a tremendous amount of sense.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Caring, sensitive, loving,
0:33:43 > 0:33:44capturing moments.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- And that's exactly what you do in this garden.- That's right.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49This can't be an easy site to garden, can it?
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- What are the challenges? - Obviously, being on an island
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and surrounded by the North Sea,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58the wind can be a major challenge on this garden.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01The plants come in when they are very, very young.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05They're hardened off so they can withstand the winds when they come
0:34:05 > 0:34:08into the garden when they're very young seedlings.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13And from there, they should be strong enough to grow in these conditions.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Have you got any plans to move this garden on?
0:34:22 > 0:34:25No, we stick to the Jekyll plan.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28This was Jekyll's creation and all we're doing is keeping
0:34:28 > 0:34:32her plants as they were and how she created them in her mind.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Cos she never ever saw the garden planted,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38- so...- Right! - It's lovely for people to see
0:34:38 > 0:34:41what she had in her mind.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44So how come Jekyll never saw it planted up?
0:34:44 > 0:34:48Jekyll was quite elderly when she visited here, and she only came once.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51She lived down in Surrey, so it was quite a long way for her to come.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53I'll say, in them days.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58But what does this garden and your role mean to you now?
0:34:58 > 0:35:01It's wonderful to create the garden every year.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03There's always lots of planning involved.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05And it gives great pleasure when people come in
0:35:05 > 0:35:09and are just stunned by the vibrancy of the colours of the plants.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12- It's all here...- That's right. - ..in a nice little envelope,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14sitting on Holy Island.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- Couldn't be nicer, could it? - Not on a day like today.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Now, it has to be said that not all of Jekyll's planting schemes
0:35:35 > 0:35:36went so well to plan.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Back at the castle, I'm meeting Nick Lewis,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41the curator of the building, who's going to show me
0:35:41 > 0:35:45how even a renowned plantswoman sometimes got things wrong.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- I believe you're having problems with this, Nick.- Yeah,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53this is red valerian, which was part of the planting scheme
0:35:53 > 0:35:55carried out by Gertrude Jekyll.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58And it can cause the crag to become unstable.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Right. But how on earth was it planted?
0:36:00 > 0:36:03She was not able to reach some places, so she used a shotgun
0:36:03 > 0:36:05and loaded it with seeds
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- and marched around...- Whoof!
0:36:08 > 0:36:10- ..blazing away, yeah.- Wow!
0:36:10 > 0:36:14She also used a young boy in a wicker basket, who she dangled off
0:36:14 > 0:36:17the batteries here to the more hard to reach places.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20But this red valerian in particular is...
0:36:20 > 0:36:21has caused us some problems recently.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24And when we've been doing surveys of the natural rock crag,
0:36:24 > 0:36:25- which is this thing...- Yeah.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29..the roots are burrowing their way down into natural crevices...
0:36:29 > 0:36:32- And busting it.- ..as they're opening up, yeah, with frost and ice.- Yeah.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35And we are getting quite substantial areas
0:36:35 > 0:36:36where the rock is unstable.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39It is causing us a lot of concern.
0:36:39 > 0:36:40So, how do you deal with it?
0:36:40 > 0:36:45Because we're in a particularly significant part of the world -
0:36:45 > 0:36:48the area we're standing in around the castle is Grade II listed park -
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- we have contractors who have sailed down...- OK.- ..and they treat
0:36:51 > 0:36:55- individual plants with just an off-the-shelf weed killer.- Right.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57And that happens every sort of four or five years.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59And it is a way of keeping down growth
0:36:59 > 0:37:01so it allows this to stay as a feature
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- and be true to what Gertrude intended.- Yeah.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Even though it is causing some problem, we try to balance the two.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Shooting seeds into the rock was a bit eccentric.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14But there's now a technique for spreading seeds that's not
0:37:14 > 0:37:17a million miles away from Jekyll's shotgun method.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21It's called hydroseeding.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24A mixture of earth and seeds is sprayed onto steep slopes,
0:37:24 > 0:37:25like this one.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29It's really come into its own on a site close to Newcastle.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38This amazing woman is Northumberlandia.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46In 2010, the owners of this opencast coal mine
0:37:46 > 0:37:49commissioned landscape architect Charles Jencks to design
0:37:49 > 0:37:53a public park, making use of the earth dug out to create the mine.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01She's the biggest woman in the world - seven times
0:38:01 > 0:38:03the size of a football pitch!
0:38:03 > 0:38:05She's now looked after by the Land Trust
0:38:05 > 0:38:08and the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12And Dan is one of their wildlife rangers.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18Northumberlandia is an art park, it's a reclining human figure,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20it's a lady lying on her back
0:38:20 > 0:38:24and pointing one way and offering an open hand of friendship and welcome
0:38:24 > 0:38:25with the left hand.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28The lady was created with spoil from the surface mine.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31There's a million and a half tonnes that have gone into the land form.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35And it was created with 900 millimetre high stone blocks.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39And then covered with top soil to create the gradient and the slopes.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43And then blasted with grass seed and some wild flowers as well.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50The grassy banks aren't the only feature that Dan
0:38:50 > 0:38:51and his team look after.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Northumberlandia is surrounded by water and they need to keep these
0:38:55 > 0:38:57plants in check.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00They're called typha - or more commonly, bull rushes.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Without attention, they can be very invasive.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09The idea with these ponds around the lady is
0:39:09 > 0:39:12that they're reflection ponds, so on a day like today,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14you see the reflection of the land form in the ponds.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17And pond-edge vegetation is good for wildlife,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20but we need to stop it from spoiling the definition of the pond edges,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23so we'll just take a little bit of it out today
0:39:23 > 0:39:25and we'll allow some of it to continue to grow
0:39:25 > 0:39:28to provide home for invertebrates and other wildlife.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Northumberlandia hasn't just regenerated the countryside,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37she's changed the lives of some people who work here.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Wayne started here as a volunteer and is now an assistant ranger.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46I'm the site warden and I meet and greet the visitors
0:39:46 > 0:39:48and give them information about the site
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and about Northumberlandia,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52check that everything's OK
0:39:52 > 0:39:54and that it's clean and tidy for visitors.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57I came here as a volunteer,
0:39:57 > 0:39:59but ended up with a full-time job.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04Just meeting different people every day, it's just fantastic.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06As well as maintaining the ponds,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10the whole site is maintained with the idea of keeping nature
0:40:10 > 0:40:11in balance.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15We don't carry out a lot of manicuring kind of work
0:40:15 > 0:40:16and cutting grass.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19The grass on the lady is cut once a year, in July, and the surrounding
0:40:19 > 0:40:21areas we manage as a meadow,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24so that's cut later in the season, kind of middle of August.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27So again, you get invertebrates on the wild flowers
0:40:27 > 0:40:29and then bird species associated with it,
0:40:29 > 0:40:30and that kind of keeps the interest,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32the wildlife interest, of the site going.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36It's not only animals and birds that enjoy the site.
0:40:36 > 0:40:43It's estimated that in 2012, the year she opened, 100,000 people
0:40:43 > 0:40:49came to walk on Northumberlandia and enjoy these spectacular views.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52The vast majority of visitors are absolutely astounded by the place,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54especially when you see the land form for the first time
0:40:54 > 0:40:57and kind of have a walk round it. It's got its own atmosphere.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59It's a really unique place.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01And most people seem to appreciate that really well.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I'm finishing my trip to Northumberland at Cragside.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11It's a unique place with links to the industry of the North East,
0:41:11 > 0:41:15created by Victorian engineering genius Lord Armstrong.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22I want to leave a souvenir of my visit with the fantastic
0:41:22 > 0:41:24people who look after this place.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27Estate workers and their friends and family have
0:41:27 > 0:41:31gathered in the formal garden to see the artwork I've had made,
0:41:31 > 0:41:36by the artist and blacksmith Stephen Lunn to celebrate Cragside.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39I've asked Jennifer, who told me about her volunteering here,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42to accept it on behalf of them all.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Do you know what's been really nice about today?
0:41:46 > 0:41:52Is how much Armstrong is alive and kicking in this garden.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55And as a little gesture, as a tribute, just to show
0:41:55 > 0:42:00the influence this man has had on gardens and the county,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03we thought that we might like to leave you
0:42:03 > 0:42:10just a little tribute to the genius of the man.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11Now...
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Created by a local blacksmith.
0:42:17 > 0:42:24And the curves are to represent the turbines.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27The swish and flow of water.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- And the sparks of hydroelectricity. - Wow.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33So, Armstrong alive and kicking,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36sitting amongst his countryside,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39in his garden. So, I hope for many, many years to come,
0:42:39 > 0:42:44you'll look at this and remember a truly amazing bloke.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49So, what do you think, Jen?
0:42:49 > 0:42:51I think it's absolutely amazing.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Splendid, I've had a lovely day, so thank you all very much.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02This work of craftsmanship will stay here in the formal garden,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05a great reminder of a man who dreamed of energy
0:43:05 > 0:43:07generated from water.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12It's time for me to leave Northumberland,
0:43:12 > 0:43:13but I'm taking away with me
0:43:13 > 0:43:18fabulous memories of people who've had a dream and made it come true.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22They've created tiny gardens and huge landscapes.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25They've found medicine in plants and power in water.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31And all in a part of the country with views as spectacular
0:43:31 > 0:43:33as its achievements.