The Magic of Christmas at Chatsworth

Chatsworth House South Facade became an animated Advent calendar in 2023

In those in-between days between Christmas and New Year when the festivities get a little stale and cabin fever begins to set in, why not spend a day at Chatsworth House?

Stately Homes have been opening their doors to visitors over Christmas for a number of years now in the UK to use the festivities as a hook to generate further interest by those not particularly interested in the homes; but like all things Stately Homes, no one else does Christmas quite as well as Chatsworth House.

The estate of Chatsworth was acquired for the Cavendish family as far back as the Reformation in Henry VIII's time (1549) and the original house remained unchanged until the late 17th century, when Palladian architecture, recalling that of ancient Rome, began to become fashionable in England. The 4th Earl of Devonshire rebuilt the iconic South facade (above), adding additional rooms to the process, including the magnificent State Apartment.

The Duke apparently had the remodelling bug (it was not confined to the 21st Century!), so he began remodelling the rest of the house, including the East Front, including the Painted Hall, and a long gallery (which is now the Library) . The Duke then went onto to build the North Front and in 1702 a Canal Pond was dug where once there had been a hill. He also had the West Front rebuilt, completing the new house just before he died in 1707. He also commissioned the Cascade: a series of cascading waterfalls which each make a different note. The Cascade was designed by Frenchman Grillet and the temple at the top by Thomas Archer:

The Cascade illuminated for Christmas

Christmas at Chatsworth is a day out given there is so much going on in this extensive estate (Chatsworth House is the second largest Stately Home after Buckingham Palace, although the grounds here are more extensive). Last year's theme was 'The Palace of Advent' on which these photos are based. The theme for Christmas 2024 is 'A Christmas Feast'.

On this culinary theme, I started my day on the Chatsworth Estate with a Christmas afternoon tea at Cavendish Hotel . The Cavendish Hotel is an old coaching inn situated in the village of Baslow in the Chatsworth estate, and is about a 5 minute drive to the House.

The dining room at the Cavendish Hotel

I was very impressed with afternoon tea at the Cavendish Hotel, which was an excellent choice given the cafés over at the House itself are much busier. The afternoon tea was suitably festive and proved to be a meal in itself! All this was to be walked off much later on round the gardens of Chatsworth:

The festive afternoon tea at the Cavendish Hotel was excellent and a calm oasis before the busy Chatsworth House

As with house, you do need to book in advance over Christmastime. Over at the house things are very organised. If you are driving and have booked parking, marshals direct you to available parking slots. eTickets are issued via email with a QR code which are scanned upon arrival at the house (they build an indoor tent for the queue into the house in a open courtyard).

Chatworth's Christmas decorations are a blend of the traditional and the modern. Given the ornate nature of the house itself, equally ornate trees would look too much, so the trees tend to be plain but themed, using real Christmas trees.

Chatsworth's Painted Hall decorated for Christmas

That isn't to say there isn't plenty to keep youngsters (and the young at heart!) entertained. There are animated projections of elves at various points in the house; a toy train; modern festive sculptures which have a sense of fun about them.

The young and young at heart will not be disappointed with Christmas at Chatsworth

Toy Train at Chatsworth House

There are also traditional decorations on display too, including collections of ornate Christmas brooches and keys:

Antique Christmas brooches on display at Chatworth House

Antique collection of keys on display at Chatsworth House. Was this the aristocrats' way of hiding from troublesome guests over Christmas?

Mince Pie anyone?

The decorations in the house really were outstanding, with something for everyone (traditionalists, modernists, the young and young at heart). with numbers also to be found representing the 24 days of Advent, interspersed amongst the displays (some easy to find and some not so easy).

Modern Dove Sculptures

Traditional decorations in the Great Dining Room

Where the house really excelled though was in its outdoor lighting, which comes on around dusk (around 4pm in late December). I have seen many Christmas displays in both the UK and the US but this really was something special. The forest behind the house was illuminated in changing-colour displays. There were illuminated scupltures, with ambient music. The famous Cascade was completely lit, including the waterfall and neighbouring trees. The Case was lit, with trees inside also illuminated. The Great Oak Tree behind the house was floodlit as well

Animated projections and floodlighting, along with ambient music combine to great effect

Walkway behind the House illuminated as part of Chatsworth's Christmas illuminations

Behind the House, the entire forest had been lit in ever-changing colours

The Case (the House's Conservatory) also lit for Christmas along with the Great Oak Tree (left).

However, the pièce de résistance had to be the animated Advent display projected onto the Southern façade of the house with its 15 minute display played out with a musical soundtrack. Clearly the architect involved in the remodelling of Chatsworth House loved Christmas, as the south facade has exactly 24 windows! Each window opened, revalling the contents of each room as they trickled out across the house (musical notes from the music room; food from the kitchen; partygoers from the Great Dining Room; toys from the games room, etc). accompanied by suitable music. Other displays were festive themes, such as snowflakes or the Three Kings travelling to Bethlehem.

Christmas Trees emerge in front of Chatsworth House's southern facade

There is so much to see at Chatsworth that you can easily spend an entire day here (I arrived at noon and left just before 7pm) and it is a highly recommended Christmas actiivity, along with afternoon tea at the Cavendish Hotel.

Christmas at Chatsworth: A Christmas Feast runs until Sunday 5th January. Tickets must be booked in advance here: Christmas afternoon tea at the Cavendish Hotel must also be booked in advance here More photographs of this amazing festive visit to Chatsworth House can be found over on Instagram. (all photographs from last year's 2023 display).

The Three Kings make their way to Bethlehem via Chatsworth House!

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.