Christmas at Chatsworth: House to be transformed into magical Nordic winter wonderland

The stately-home close to Sheffield is renowned for its festive celebrations and this year will be no exception. The much-awaited theme ‘Deep Winter: A Nordic Christmas’ was announced at the end of September and has received a wave of positive responses.

This unique theme takes inspiration from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, where long winters are embraced with traditions to celebrate light and the beauty of nature. It will feature folk tales and very rare collection objects that are not usually displayed, such as pieces that reflect the Devonshire family’s long history of celebrating Nordic culture and its connection to wilderness and nature.

A highlight being an extremely rare strand of raw silver collected by the 6th Duke of Devonshire and originating from Ilsoe mine in Konsberg, Norway.

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However, the showstopper of this event will be the visual and sensory effects created by the pine forest. The two foot canopy pine trees allow you to walk underneath the foliage, creating a beautiful lighting effect. It aims to evoke all of your senses with the smell of the trees and sounds of woodland animals and snow falling, creating the feeling of a magical forest.

Textiles Team Supervisor and Creative Lead, Susie Stokoe, said: “The first thing that was going through my head when I came up with the idea was the image of huge Nordic pine forests. I wanted to evoke those real feelings of the landscape, it’s like a fairytale.

“Unlike some other treasure houses that bring in external companies to decorate, we do everything ourselves so it’s been hectic. We’re in production mode now, making a lot of the decorations ourselves. One tree even has 2,000 decorations on it. It’s pretty busy but so exciting. It’s worth it to see the families that come every year as a tradition. We create experiences and traditions for families and it’s so special.”

As well as the beautiful decorations and collection objects across 24 rooms, there is fun planned for all of the family. A big part of this year’s theme is folklore so Chatsworth House will have their very own Norse God, Loki, a mischievous shapeshifting character who will entertain with stories, music and magic tricks. The character can change into anything, man, woman, or animal, to keep it exciting. This will be the first Christmas character experience in three years due to Covid.

Little ones can listen out for hidden owls and noises along the route, as well as having their own owl mask, which eventually leads them to Loki.

“I have a lot of nervous anticipation but I can’t wait to see what we’ve spent the whole year working on, finally come into fruition” said Susie.

Christmas at Chatsworth will run from the November 5, 2022 to January 8, 2023. Tickets cost £29.50 for adults, £18 for children and £78 for a family ticket with access to the garden illuminations included.

From November 5-23, Christmas tickets also include access to the Christmas market.

You can find more information and tickets here.