I always look forward to our yearly Christmas visit to Castle Howard and this year was no different. Unfortunately, Christmas 2020 at the house was cancelled due to the Covid Pandemic so it was nice to back again this year.

The house opened for Christmas on Saturday 13th November, but due to other commitments today was our first opportunity we had to have a look around the house in all its Christmas finery. This year’s theme was ‘Narnia’, based on the book by CS Lewis. Each of the rooms have been decorated in such a way that it transports you into that magical world. The artistic director Charlotte Lloyd Webber and her team have done an excellent job in setting up the rooms and the house in such an imaginary fashion. The house has been transformed into the Country Manor of Professor Kirk and the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy (child evacuees from the war)

The tour starts as you make your way up the Grand staircase, huge garlands decorate the stair banister.  Lady Georgina’s is the first room along the corridor and has become ‘Susan’s Room’, the cluttered dressing table typical of a young woman and the future Queen of Narnia. The adjoining room Lady Georgina’s Dressing Room has been transformed into ‘Lucy’s Room’ where Lucy is serving Christmas tea to all her bears and woodland friends. Many of the toys in this room were played with by generations of the Howard family children. The Castle Howard Dressing room, the next room along the corridor has become ‘Edmunds Room’ and is quite a contrast to the previous room. Set up as his war room where he plots his campaigns against his brothers and sisters. The Castle Howard Bedroom has become ‘Peter’s room’ Peter was the eldest of the children, some of the robes in this room have been worn at Royal Coronations. Having just left the ‘Spare Oom’ we walked through the Wardrobe and into Narnia. Leaving the decorated Christmas tree on the China Landing, we walk along the Antique Passage which has been transformed into the Frozen Kingdom of Narnia, It is here were Lucy meets Mr Tumnus. Sound effects and superb lighting add a special effect and enhances the frozen kingdom created by the White Witch. On leaving the Antique Passage we entered the Great Hall also frozen in time, the huge 28 ft Christmas tree is frozen and laden with snow, again sound effects and lighting create a wonderful atmosphere of howling winds and avalanching snow. Reluctantly leaving the hall we meet the White witch on her sleigh in the Garden Hall. 

The Music Room was a treat and entitled ‘Tea with Mr Tumnus’ and sure enough a picnic is laid out on the floor in front of the sumptuously decorated fire surround, with a roaring fire in the grate, a contrast to the previous rooms. On leaving we pass the Crimson Dining Room, entitled ‘Christmas Dinner with Mr Fox’. A lavishly decorated dining table and surround fills the room, there is so much to see and look at here, on a closer look at the dining table are a host of woodland animals, it certainly is a beautiful room. The Turquoise Drawing Room like the dining room, has been lavishly decorated and is where the Mermaids sing their sirens song to celebrate the crowning of the children as the Kings and Queens of Narnia. On leaving the drawing room we go into the Museum room and through the wardrobe door into the Long Gallery where it is Christmas in Narnia, the wicked witch has been defeated and all the magic of Narnia comes to light. The lights and decorations are beautiful, the floating colours depicting the Aurora Borealis. One of the many highlights of todays visit was the music and light show projected onto the ceiling of the Octagon, we spent several minutes just transfixed on the images projected into the roof. Moving on into the Long Gallery North is a huge model of the lion proudly sitting surrounded by all its friends. The Long North Gallery is where the tour comes to an end, but I always like to pop into the Chapel for five minutes, which is off the spiral staircase on the left, a Christmas tree stands on the left which has been decorated by the children of the local school in conjunction with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The Nativity scene is set out on the steps that lead up to the altar. On leaving the chapel we continued down the spiral staircase into the gift shop where we stayed for a browse before popping into the tented restaurant for a very nice late brunch. I say this every year that two years ago when we visited at Christmas it was very good, but this year it was even better and well worth the visit. To visit, tickets must be booked online, Christmas continues at Castle Howard till Monday 3rd January 2022.