One last blast of Christmas - Cinderella at Sudbury Hall

In those slow days between New Year and 'back to school' my grandson came to visit, and for one last blast of Christmas we headed over to Sudbury Hall to see their Once Upon A Time, Cinderella exhibition. Sudbury is known as the Children's Country House with a museum of childhood and a deliberate attempt within the Hall to involve children, encouraging them to search out hidden details their parents (or grandparents) might miss, to dress up for the ball, to settle down in the library and read. There's also a room given over to construction play, and mock cookery encouraged in the kitchen. 

The main attraction though was the themed decorations of Cinderella. The 'cast' of Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, Ugly Sisters etc were gathered round the dining table, a silver slipper waited on a cushion, pumpkins were scattered around under the Christmas trees and by the fireplace.

In the Long Gallery, with its marvelous ceiling, there were games and toys to play with and a small stage where children could dress up and enact the tale of Cinderella.

After exploring the kitchens we headed outside where a fountain was playing despite te ice forming on its pond! 

My grandson wanted to play with the toys and games in the courtyard, and clamber about in the adventure playground, but tbh I thought it was too cold to spend much time outdoors, so with the enticement of a ride in the buggy/bus we headed back to the car,

Despite it being a National Trust property not far from home, it's a place I've never visited before (so there's my first 'something new' ticked off for the year), and I'd like now to return sometime when it's rooms and walls are in their un-decorated state. and the weather is nice enough for a further exploration of the grounds.

 

December

December is always a busy month - more so than usual I think this year with visits to Christmas markets and decorated stately homes, followed by the inevitable shopping and cooking.

We started at Haddon Hall, continued at Calke Abbey and Kedleston Hall, then returned to Chatsworth which we'd already visited in November for the market, but this time to see inside the house.

In between all these trips, I tried to keep up my daily walking (not easy with damp weather and dark evenings), and, very exciting, we had a new front door fitted (a sort of Christmas present to ourselves)

Christmas itself was busy and fun-filled with two full dinners  - one with turkey (though it's missing from the photo) and one with a vegan roast. My grandson's birthday falls in the immediate post-Christmas period so involves another family party - this time with burgers and cake, as he was allowed to choose the food.

The days just after Christmas were shrouded in mist so instead of a walk outside we settled for another inside visit to Kedleston

Kedleston in the mist

 

Last and certainly not least - Christmas at Chatsworth House

I'm  not quite saying that this visit was a case of leaving the best till last, but it was quite close. Chatsworth at Christmas is always fabulous, and not having visited for a few years made it feel all the more special.

The theme this year was based round a specially commissioned book by Joseph Coehlo about Henry Cavendish, son of the second Duke of Devonshire, and his (real life) scientific explorations  and (fictitious) hunt for the Chatsworth lion.

The trail led inside to the grand hall then out through the courtyard to re-enter elsewhere.

The decorations echoed the scenes from the story, and his telescope and other instruments were also on display.

There's a mix of cosy fireside and grand imposing halls at Chatsworth, each displayed to its best.

The guide was full of amazing facts about the number of trees and lights used but the only one I remember was there being enough strings of lights to go up the Shard four and a half times!

It's truly a glittering wonderland.

Two lions guard the exit, but the other was asleep so this must have been the one Henry was looking for.

 

Kedleston at Christmas

The next stop on my Christmas stately home trail was the nearest to home - Kedleston Hall. From the downstairs entrance, up the stairs to the state rooms above everywhere twinkled with lights and projections.

There were so many Christmas trees - real ones and these paper ones; a twist on retro paper baubles  - decorated to complement the rooms.

 

The Diwali display at Kedleston made excellent use of projections onto ceilings and stairwells, and the same company were behind a Christmas themed display. I loved these Christmas trees with shooting stars, and the snowflake one below which changed into a swirling snow storm that cleared to reveal the hall itself.