It dates from 1884 and was designed by William Lethaby (chief assistant to the house’s main architect, Richard Norman Shaw). Lethaby later became a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. The fireplace is Classical Renaissance in style, extravagantly carved with Ionic columns, cherubs/putti, angels, and intricate swags of fruit and other motifs inspired by Italian classical architecture.

It was carved in London, shipped in pieces to the port of Amble on the Northumberland coast, transported by horse and cart to Cragside, and reassembled on site. Because of its immense weight and first-floor location, it is pinned deep into the underlying crag with steel girders.

The Drawing Room itself was created as a deliberate showpiece (in contrast to the more comfortable, homely rooms elsewhere in the house) for entertaining important guests, including clients of William Armstrong’s armaments and engineering businesses. Notable visitors included the Prince and Princess of Wales (the future Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) in 1884, shortly after the room’s completion, as well as the Shah of Persia and other foreign dignitaries. The room features an elliptical glass ceiling (allowing parties by moonlight), elaborate plasterwork, and a large original chenille/Axminster carpet.

Cragside, the Victorian Tudor Revival home of industrialist, inventor, and philanthropist William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong (founder of Armstrong Whitworth), is famous as the first house in the world lit by hydroelectric power. It is a Grade I listed building owned by the National Trust and open to the public.

In recent years the fireplace suffered from salt efflorescence caused by moisture penetrating the building (linked to heavier rainfall overwhelming the original Victorian drainage). This risked causing the marble and plaster to crumble. Urgent conservation work began around 2021, involving stabilisation with specialised lime-based treatments (such as nano-limes or calcium hydroxide solutions) while the sources of water ingress were investigated and addressed. Funding included support from the Wolfson Foundation, the Culture Recovery Fund (via Historic England), and private donors. The work aimed to preserve this dramatic centrepiece for the long term.

The fireplace is widely regarded as spectacular and one of the house’s great highlights (sometimes described as one of the largest or most extravagant inglenooks of its kind), though opinions on its ornate Victorian style vary from admiring to finding it flamboyant.

Before becoming Hollywood’s quintessential “ideal wife” opposite William Powell in The Thin Man (1934), Loy was consistently typecast in late silent films and early talkies as an exotic, dangerous, or mystical temptress—an image reflected in this bohemian, rustic costume and theatrical pose.

During this pre-Code era of cinema, studio executives frequently cast her in exotic, “exotic-vamp” roles, a theme that Muray’s atmospheric lighting and styling beautifully captured. He was one of the era’s premier fashion and celebrity photographers, celebrated for his striking use of geometry, deep shadows, and theatrical staging.

Harrold began her professional career on the NBC daytime soap The Doctors (1976–1977), portraying Nola Dancy Aldrich. She quickly became a familiar television face, appearing in series such as Starsky & Hutch and The Rockford Files, where she played Dr. Megan Dougherty, a blind psychologist who develops a romantic relationship with Jim Rockford. Those episodes remain among her most memorable television performances.

Harrold’s film career took off in 1979 with the horror film Nightwing, but her breakthrough came the following year as Dotty in The Hunter (1980), the final film starring Steve McQueen. She followed with several notable starring roles: Modern Romance (1981), The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981), The Sender (1982), Yes, Giorgio (1982), Into the Night (1985), and Raw Deal (1986). Although she never became a major box-office superstar, Harrold was respected as a dependable leading actress capable of handling drama, romance, thrillers, horror, and action.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Harrold remained active on television. She starred in MacGruder and Loud (1985), The Bronx Zoo (1987–1988), I’ll Fly Away (1991–1993), The Larry Sanders Show, where she played Francine Sanders. Later, she made guest appearances on series including Chicago Hope, The Practice, Judging Amy, CSI: NY, Desperate Housewives, and Greek.

Rather than remain in the entertainment industry, Harrold pursued graduate studies at Antioch University Los Angeles, earning a master’s degree. She became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California and established a private counseling practice in Los Angeles, helping individuals and couples. She retired from acting around 2011 to focus on this new profession.