This year's Christmas decorations at Hardwick Hall draw on the house's Tudor origins, welcoming weary travellers with light and warmth (or at least the representation of blazing yule logs).
Carrying your own lantern through the dimly lit house, the visitor climbs the main staircase, past a hillside village of cardboard houses to the great state rooms where a portrait of Elizabeth I awaits her guests.
The huge fireplaces are filled with twinkling lights to represent the massive yule logs which would have burned turned.
Visitors are encouraged to share their memories of the past year, and wishes for the coming one - through notes or by adding ribbons to this great Yule log.
The Lord of Misrule wasn't there for our mid-week visit but in Tudor times he would have been in charge of revelry and partying during the Christmas feast. There were shadow puppets to play with, and a selection of games.
In the kitchen, preparation of mulled wine was underway.
Back outside, the sun had appeared, so e walked around the gardens and found a summerhouse where typical Tudor garlands and a kissing bough were being made of foliage found on the estate.
I now feel really inspire to try something similar with greenery from my garden
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