Thousands of trees lost at National Trust site

Thousands of trees, including some that were part of a historical collection, have been toppled at a National Trust site during Storm Éowyn.

Staff at Cragside in Northumberland have been clearing hundreds of large trees destroyed during the storm and fear there are thousands more still to be found deeper in the grounds.

Among the casualties was a 150-year-old Douglas fir which fell into Debdon Burn and created a dam.

Cragside's visitor operations and experience manager, Steve Howard, said it was a sad sight to see a "tree of that magnitude lying down in a heap and broken up".

"If it could tell the stories of what it has seen and heard over the years, I think we would all sit around and listen," he said.

Staff at the site spent more than two days working to remove the 45m (148ft) tree.

A noble fir tree, which was part of the original collection, also blew down and damaged a footbridge.

Cragside trees have suffered significant damaged in recent years, with about 22,000 being blown down in Storm Arwen in November 2021.

The estate includes the Victorian home of Lord William and Lady Margaret Armstrong.

Lord Armstrong built Newcastle's Swing Bridge and his hydraulic water pump can still be seen at Cragside.

The estate was closed for four days following Storm Éowyn but has now partially reopened.

Tumbleton Lake, Ladies Walk, the rock garden and the Iron Bridge are all open to visitors.

Trees still need to be cleared on Carriage Drive, meaning the upper estate and Cragside House remain closed. However, no buildings were damaged.

Wallington, another National Trust estate, suffered similar destruction and lost some of its 200-year-old beeches.

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