On a cold, dull and overcast morning, we left home for a visit to Chatsworth House in South Yorkshire, the house is currently decorated for Christmas and as it was several years since our last visit this was an ideal opportunity to pay another visit. ‘Christmas at Chatsworth’ runs from the 5th November – 8th January 2023.

 I had pre booked the tickets some weeks ago, since the pandemic most stately homes seem to prefer pre booking. Chatsworth is approximately 60 miles south of where we live, a car journey of about one and a half hours from home.

We arrived at Chatsworth around 10.40am, and being parked some way away from the house, caught one of the many shuttle buggies from the car to the house which saved a good fifteen-minute walk over the grass land, we had a very pleasant conversation with the driver, mainly about the typical autumnal weather.

On arrival at our dropping off spot a few minutes later, we made our way to the house, passing the large outdoor Christmas market. At the house entrance we showed our ticket and were admitted straight away. There were lots of people and visitors milling around, many looked to have arrived too early and were being chaperoned into a holding area until their allotted time.

This years Christmas theme was a ‘Nordic Christmas’ and the house had been decorated accordingly.

A Nordic Christmas at Chatsworth brings to life the Christmas folklore and traditions of the Arctic and Nordic regions through a series of themed roomscapes. Sculpted 'ice' walls, tranquil pine forests, lanterns, traditional Nordic Christmas decorations and foliage foraged from woodlands and hedgerows across the estate evoke the sights, sounds and scents of the natural world at wintertime.

We travelled through several scenes which had been inspired by famous Nordic fairy tales: the White Bear, the Little Fir Tree, the Snowdrop and the Teapot. In one of the dining rooms the Norse god Loki, a powerful sorcerer and mischief-maker, made a special appearance reciting some Christmas themed fairy tales.

There were lots of personal items on display including pieces that reflect the Devonshire family's long history of celebrating Nordic culture and its connection to wilderness and nature. Many of the items are not often on display, including winter clothing worn by the 11th Duke of Devonshire on his expeditions into the wild, Nordic gems and crystals and a delicate and extremely rare strand of raw silver collected by the 6th Duke of Devonshire and originating from Ilsoe mine in Konsberg, Norway.

On leaving the house we headed over to one of the outdoor catering outlets for a spot of brunch, after which we had a pleasant browse through the outdoor Christmas market collecting one or two early Christmas presents in the process. 

As the time was now reaching late afternoon, we decided to head over and catch our transport back to the car for the journey home.