Christmas at Chatsworth 2017

 It still feels too early to tackle Christmas shopping but I have started on the fun side of the season with a trip to see Chatsworth House in its festive decorations. Their chosen theme this year is Dickens and his works. The author was a friend of the sixth Duke and several first editions are on display as you go round the house. As you enter, though, you're welcomed into a room where some less precious old books have been turned into decorations - garlands, paper 'baubles' and even a paper person.































As you follow the route through the house, every room has a Christmas tree decorated to tie in with the "Dickens",with letter-shaped baubles, haberdashery items for a Little Dorrit tree,














this one's made of books ...

With some I wondered if I could possibly adapt the idea for a smaller tree at home - maybe one of sticks, or a smaller version of this fretwork tree (below)

























some though are just too big for an average house

This unusual 'tree' is made of the beds slept in by Fagin's young band of pickpockets
















and for Miss Haversham sitting in her cobwebbed dining hall, the tree had decayed to twigs

























Here's Mr Dickens himself, checking out the guide to the displays.

My favourite bits though were the Scrooge/Christmas Carol rooms - with a quite friendly ghost appearing in a mirror
















and Scrooge being terrified by ghostly lights on his ceiling

























Christmas continued with visits to Hardwick Hall