Christmas Charm & Historic Halls #4 :: Nunnington Hall NT

Hi there everyone 😀

We are currently in Wales, where, at the time of writing, the temperatures were low and there was the chance of snow forecast over the next few days. We were fine though … nice and toasty in the lodge and awaiting the arrival of our guests for the New Year.

Back at the end of the November, when we were up in Yorkshire for the week with Jackie and Phil, we took in our fourth National Trust visit of the month … this time to Nunnington Hall …

Whilst we had visited before it was new to Jackie and Phil and we had never been at Christmas time. The theme this year was created in collaboration with local charities, social groups, schools, and community members, with groups being invited organisations to decorate Christmas trees around the theme of 'caring for nature'.

Each tree was to feature eco-friendly decorations made from natural or recycled materials, reflecting a shared commitment to the environment. Around 20 trees were displayed throughout the Hall, each telling a unique story of community spirit and care for the planet.

We weren’t quite sure what to expect and hoped it wouldn’t feel too ‘amateurish’ but we were all very pleasantly surprised. The trees were fabulous, lots of them … and all on theme … but really professionally done and looking beautiful. There was also a really lovely sense of community about the whole event.

Before we actually headed in the hall we had a bit of a wander around the garden … 

… quickly realising we’d forgotten to tell Jackie about the peacocks, which are not her favourite bird by any stretch of the imagination. We needn’t have worried, they were well out of the way …

Whilst rain was threatened it was quite bright and the sun did put in a bit of an appearance …

It’s not a huge garden, and the time of year meant that there was not as much to see as at other times but there were still a few interesting spots to catch the eye …

We paused for a photo before heading inside …

… where we were greeted with a tot of sherry and our first tree …

… to be followed by many more … all beautifully decorated, with the environment in mind …

Throughout the hall there were also lots of displays of knitted mice depicting the tale of A Christmas Carol.

On the top floor was the most fabulous exhibition of artwork celebrating UK woodlands. There were some truly stunning pictures.

We had intended to perhaps then head into the tea room for a quick refreshment stop but it was just so busy that we ended up heading into Helmsley on the way back instead … where the threatened precipitation made its appearance in bucket loads …

We’d had a lovely day. Nunnington had been a real treat and that was not the last of our Christmas trees for 2025 by far 😀

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