Nostell Priory
Kiplin Hall
If, like me, you grew up in the 1970s, or have a fondness for the decade that fashion supposedly forgot, then this just might be the festive exhibition for you.
Kiplin Hall, near Richmond, has gone all kitsch this year with A Retro Christmas! which features everything from foil decorations and macramé baubles to popular toys from the era, all of which are used to decorate the hall’s historic rooms.
There’s also a chance to catch some of the fashions of the day on the Long Gallery catwalk, while the tea room menu serves up some nostalgic flavours.
Curator, Alice Rose, hopes the displays will trigger happy memories for people.
“Described as the decade that made modern life, the 1970s were a really interesting time. This event is very much a celebration, intended as a tonic after a very strange couple of years. The toys and decorations on display are intended to bring back fond memories for people from their own lives,” she says.
“By exploring a more recent and recognisable period, we are able to stimulate people’s own memories, starting conversations about days gone by and how much life has changed.”
It’s not just a misty-eyed look back through rose-tinted glasses, with issues such as the winter of discontent, power cuts and the three-day week all explored.
But there is plenty to lift the spirits, like the disco ball trail in the gardens and a raffle to win items from the displays including a reproduction Chopper bike and space hopper. Happy days ....
■ The exhibition runs until Dec 12 when the hall and gardens close for winter. For information and ticket prices, go to www.kiplinhall.co.uk/
This year’s festive theme at this Palladian treasure, on the Doncaster road, near Wakefield, is a simple one – namely “celebrate nature”.
Natural materials have been used to spruce up the house and courtyard, and starting from this weekend, and continuing until Christmas Eve, families will be able to join Percy the Park Keeper’s Winter Wander Trail.
Meanwhile, in the house itself a Christmas dinner party is brought to life, featuring decorated trees, festive greenery in the hearths and seasonal floral arrangements.
The house is open seven days a week during the festive period. ■ Christmas at Nostell runs until Dec 24. For more details, visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ nostell
Chatsworth House
For many people when the festive decorations go up at Chatsworth House it’s a surefire sign that Christmas is on its way.
This year, the Derbyshire estate marks 20 years since it first opened for the festive season.
Back in 2001, the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in February that year had a devastating impact on the countryside and rural communities.
At the time, Chatsworth normally closed from October until Easter, but the 11th Duke of Devonshire decided to keep the house open in the hope that it would help the local economy. What was originally intended as a one-off event attracted thousands of visitors and has become the biggest event in the calendar for the estate.
This year’s standout feature is a snow installation in the Inner Court, while rooms on the Christmas route for visitors evoke seasons past from the traditions of the Victorian era and the world of Charles Dickens.
Meanwhile, the chapel features the sound of festive music and in a nod to contemporary ideas of Christmas there is an inventive use of recycled materials to illustrate the potential of sustainable decorating.
■ Christmas at Chatsworth runs until Jan 9. For more details, go to www.chatsworth.org/