Best English Heritage properties to visit this Christmas
When the Christmas countdown begins, you can always find an English Heritage site that will put you in the festive spirit. Peruse its festive calendar* and you'll find a portfolio of historic properties hosting everything from dazzling Christmas illuminations and atmospheric carol concerts to immersive light trails inspired by classic children's stories.
Add into the mix a scattering of festive workshops, Christmas markets and the chance to visit Father Christmas in his grotto, and you have a jolly good dose of festive cheer.
Here are some of the best English Heritage* properties to visit this Christmas. Entry prices quoted are for adults, non-members and Father Christmas visits are priced per child. Members get free entry to properties.
Join English Heritage: see the latest offers on English Heritage memberships* for all to explore its extensive collection of properties and gardens all year round.
Audley End House & Gardens, Essex
With its ornate Jacobean rooms and some 100 acres of manicured grounds, Audley End House & Gardens* is touted as one of England's greatest mansions.
For Christmas, the building's early 17th-century interiors take you on a time-travel journey with its Christmas past and present theme. Among the various festive activities and events taking place, from carols concerts to wreath-making, there will be a pop-up Christmas market, which will see more than 40 stalls selling artisanal products across its historic service wing, kitchens, laundry and dairy rooms.
You can also book a time slot to meet Father Christmas, with seasonal storytelling and a present included.
Brodsworth Hall & Gardens, South Yorkshire
The Italianate mansion known as Brodsworth Hall & Gardens* is renowned for its faded grandeur, with its time-worn rooms remaining largely unchanged since its 19th-century heyday.
Take a Christmas jaunt here to see its mahogany-furnished rooms dressed for the season, imagining how generations of the Thellusson family might have celebrated the festivities beneath its glittering chandeliers.
Book to see Father Christmas or get yourself onto one of its Christmas wreath-making workshops where you'll use materials from the hall's own topiary-filled gardens.
Osborne House, Isle of Wight
With twinkling Christmas trees and baubles to match its regal red carpets, Queen Victoria's former holiday home of Osborne House* feels particularly grand at Christmas.
This 19th-century seaside mansion resembles the Renaissance palazzo style that the Queen's husband, Prince Albert, was inspired by from his travels.
And over weekends this Christmas, you can explore its pretty grounds, see its opulent, festooned interiors, and add your Christmas wish to Father Christmas to a tree. Make your visit even sweeter at the café which will be dishing up a special Christmas afternoon tea.
Kenwood, Greater London
A crisp Christmassy walk across London's Hampstead Heath is even more enchanting when you factor in a stop at Kenwood*, a 17th-century house situated on the park's northern edge.
This year, the house showcases its Neverland at Kenwood*, an immersive outdoor light trail which invites guests to follow Tinkerbell past the Lost Boys' secret tree trunk, the misty waters of Crocodile Creek and other memorable features of JM Barrie's classic story.
A stand-out feature of the trail will be a glowing galleon, which you'll be able to walk through, and there will be stalls where you can pick up warming winter drinks and street food.
Wrest Park, Bedfordshire
Wrap up warm and combine the festivities with a bracing winter walk at Wrest Park* where a special Find the Flock* outdoor trail invites visitors to track down twelve super-sized Shaun the Sheep sculptures.
Inside the French chateau-style house, built by the 19th-century aristocratic de Greys family, you can marvel at the nature-themed Christmas decorations while little ones can discuss important business with Father Christmas in his grotto.
Make a holiday of it and stay in the characterful Gardener's House, a cottage that, as the name suggests, was originally built for the property's head gardener and is set beside the historic gardens.
Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire
Those keen to enjoy an immersive light spectacle this season should head to Bolsover Castle*, whose two-day Bright Winter Nights* event sees a series of large-scale light projections cast across the landmark's historic walls.
Adjoining the 11th-century castle ruins is the well-preserved Bolsover Little Castle, the so-called pleasure palace of the 17th-century poet and courtier Sir William Cavendish, where a richly decorated Star Chamber will welcome in the youngest guests to have their photo taken with Father Christmas.
If you're keen to belt out a carol or two, book Bolsover's Christmas carol concert, which welcomes visitors of all ages to sing their heart out beside the property's historic riding school.
Apsley House, London
It's not officially Christmas until you've swayed along to a verse of Good King Wenceslas. And where better to do it than in one of London's most famous aristocratic townhouses? On 5 December, the 18th-century Apsley House*, former home of the Duke of Wellington, opens its doors at Hyde Park Corner for an evening of Christmas carols.
After a festive welcome tipple, guests will be seated for a memorable festival performance by The Royal Holloway Choir with the chance to sing along to some group carols, too.
During the interval, you can peruse some of the property's gilded rooms, known for their artwork by prestigious Flemish painters, which will look even more magical with the Christmas dress-up. You could pair your visit with a stroll through central London, admiring the West End's brilliant lights.
Climate in England
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °C |  7 |
7 |
 10 |
 13 |
 17 |
 20 |
 22 |
22 |
19 |
15 |
10 |
8 |
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall |  16 |
 12 |
 14 |
14 |
13 |
11 |
10 |
12 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
14 |
The above guide shows the climate in London. Find out more about conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in England.
Become a member: enjoy everything English Heritage properties have to offer with the latest deals on memberships. Looking for a great gift? Membership also makes a brilliant Christmas present.
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