Castle links to tree tradition
Windsor: Outdoor exhibition explores Christmas
A new Christmas outdoor exhibition has opened to bring some festive cheer to Windsor.
The Twelve Days of Christmas exhibition features 12 objects which celebrate the festive season and the town’s links to it.
The exhibit, put together by the Windsor and Royal Borough museum features a bauble which was given to a school girl by Queen Victoria and an illustration of the Queen and Prince Albert celebrating Christmas.
Louisa Knight, museum, arts and local studies officer said: “For the exhibition we thought about the original lyrics from the Twelve
Days of Christmas and how those related to our collection.”
The first known
Christmas tree in the UK was erected at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor, by Queen Charlotte, the German-born wife of George III, for a party she held on Christmas Day 1800, for the children of the leading families in Windsor.
The Christmas tree became a central part of festive decorations in the UK after 1848, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert started a tradition of bringing a tree into Windsor Castle on Christmas Eve,
which they and their family would decorate.
Louisa added: “From 1840s Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made Christmas into what we know today, celebrating around the tree and having a big Christmas meal with pudding.”
The bauble was donated to the museum a few years ago and was given to a Windsor school girl in 1899. It was donated by her great-great grandchild and also features in a new YouTube video produced by the museum.
There is also the chance to scan a QR code at the exhibition and see an original performance of the 12 Days of Christmas as part of the Windsor Living Advent from 2018.
The exhibition can be viewed on the Corn Exchange, outside Windsor Guildhall until January 6. People have been reminded to follow tier 4 guidelines and only visit the exhibition if you can get there without travelling out of the area. The museum has also urged people to keep to stick to social distancing guidelines outside the Guildhall.
Visit Windsor and Royal Borough museum’s YouTube channel to find out more about the bauble.