As Storm Claudia brought strong winds and heavy rain over the weekend, the weather forecast for today looked dry and quite bright. I had pre booked tickets today to look around Castle Howard which has just re opened for the Christmas period. The 2025 Christmas theme at Castle Howard is ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ which started last Thursday and runs through till January 4^th 2026.

As tickets for the event are very popular, we had a timed entry ticket and as such we arrived for 10.15am. After popping into the courtyard café for a coffee we continued across the cobbled courtyard to the ticket office. It felt quite strange walking through without Meg and Gracie accompanying us, but as they had had a good walk earlier in the morning, we left them hard fast asleep on the settee at home. As we walked along the north terrace to towards the house, part of the road was cordoned off due to several tree surgeons busily making safe one of the Oak trees that lined the drive which looked to have sustained some damage from ‘Storm Clauda over the weekend. We continued our walk along the gravelled drive towards the house. A huge Christmas marquee had been erected on the west lawn on our right. We continued our stroll to the house entrance and after showing our tickets made our way up the Great Staircase and on to the China Landing. Here the story starts. We had entered Dorothy Gayle’s home on a grassy prairie in Kansas. A powerful tornado had blown their house up in to the air and it had come to land on the top of the stairs. Following the route along the bedroom passage we arrived at Lady Georgiana’s bedroom where Dorothy has arrived in Munchkinland. The Munchkins are friends of the Good Which of the North who inhabits this bedroom making everything she touches sparkle. Dorothy wants to find her way back home and the which suggests she seeks help from the Wizard of Oz by following the Yellow Brick road. Next door in Lady Georgiana’s Dressing Room, Dorothy takes the witches advise and follows the road where she meets Toto and the Scarecrow, Toto is hoping to find his own special prize of his own, a brain.  In the Castle Howard Dressing Room next door, they meet the Tin Man taking a bath, he has just one Christmas wish, all he wants is a heart. They all join forces and continue in to the heart of the woods the Castle Howard Bedroom, where the King of the Jungle is hiding in the bed, he is yearning for some courage so joins the group in search of the Wizard.

The route takes us along the Antique Passage and back into Munchkinland, passing the blue houses and beds of beautiful poppies, before arriving in the Great Hall, and the Emerald City with its huge thirty foot lavishly decorated Christmas Tree. Passing through the Great Hall, and a sign telling us we had been fitted with green spectacles we entered the New Library, our next room was the Garden Hall where Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and Toto have an audience with the Wizard.

The beautifully restored Tapestry Drawing Room was the home of the Wicked Witch of the West, with its huge evil eye fixed on the four friends. She vows revenge for her sister the Wicked Witch of the East who lies under Dorothy’s prairie house. Next door in the Music Room the Wicked Witch of the West and her Winged Monkeys were busily hatching evil schemes. The Wicked Witch of the Wests laboratory was next door in the Crimson Dining Room, here dastardly spells and potions were made, and experiments were carried out. The witch threatens Dorothy’s friends and meets her melted end under a bucket of water.

Next door in the Reynolds Room we pass through the Winkies Workshop where the Tin Man and Scarecrow have come for repair after suffering injuries from the Wicked Witch.

The Long Gallery South has been transformed into the Emerald City high street, with shops selling candles, hats, flowers, broomsticks in fact all kind of goods for the home. As we pass all the shops we arrive in the Octagon and meet Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. She helps Dorothy find her way back to Kansas along with her special sparkling slippers. As we reach the Long Gallery North the prairie house has been rebuilt and decorated for Christmas and is just waiting for Dorothy to arrive after her daring adventures in Oz..

Leaving the Long Gallery, we headed down the stone steps and into the Chapel, all festooned for the Christmas season with a Christmas tree nicely decorated by the children of the local primary school, and in front of the alter the Nativity scene. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, we made our way down the remaining stairs and into the gift shop which also looked nice and Christmassy. It was very busy in the Christmas marquee next door, with lots of visitors browsing amongst all the Christmas decorations whilst others were enjoying the festive catering, so we left the house for the pleasant walk back to the Courtyard where we enjoyed a very pleasant brunch in the Courtyard Restaurant before the journey home.

A special mention should go to the Castle Howard team for getting the house ready for Christmas and especially to CLW Event design and their team led by their artistic director Charlotte Lloyd Webber for transforming the house into this Winter Wonderland.