Hi there everyone 😀
I bet you thought we would have had enough of Christmas Charm and Historic Halls by now … but we did sneak a couple more in on a few days away in North Wales with mum back in December.
We pass Attingham on the way to our lodge so it’s a really easy place to call into and, as mum had never been, we thought it was worth a visit. We did visit at Christmas time a few years ago so it would be interesting to see how different it would be this time.
It was a nice bright day and we spotted the first of many Christmas trees in the main courtyard …
… before walking up to the main house …
This year the theme of the event was based around activities that used to take place in the house at its heyday. I can’t quite remember what they all depicted but will do my best … starting with card writing …
There was often a tipple to be had at Christmas time and the decorations on this tree include big baubles made from champagne corks and, if you look closely, you can even see glasses of sherry …
I can’t quite remember the significance of this one but it could relate to the fact that Attingham was used as an auxiliary hospital for the wounded in WW1 …
This one definitely reflects the posh balls that used to be held …
And this one is all about present giving … and opening …
… and the very traditional … definitely bringing back memories of 70s childhood Christmases …
There was hunting on the estate …
… and lots of cleaning going on behind the scenes …
There was also plenty of making do and mending going on …
The dining room was set for a feast …
… and the wine cellar was looking festive too …
Even the boot room had its own themed tree …
Finally we got to see the Christmas preparations well under way in the kitchen …
Though sadly we didn’t have time to wait to see if there were any samples on offer as it was time to continue our journey on to North Wales …
… though there was time for a quick visit to the cafe and a wander round the shop 😜
We’d all loved our visit … especially the way the trees had been decorated to reflect the activities that used to take place in the house. It was so different to how it had been on our previous visit and made for a really interesting reflection of life in a country house at Christmas time. Can’t wait to see what they do for 2026 😀
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
What a lovely house - not too big - and what inspiring decorations. I particularly liked the ivy corridor. This is such a good way to record things for yourself in future (as well as passing on information for others). x
ReplyDeleteI must admit my blog is a bit like a diary for me … mainly a travel diary at the moment it seems but yes … if anyone is looking to see what the National Trust do for Christmas it will be a good place to look x
Deleteonce again I am astounded by the amount of planning, work and effort put into these decorations. Really impressive indeed!
ReplyDeleteThere must be so much research too. It makes it so much more interesting when every tree or room tell a story … rather than just lots of pretty decorations. X
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