Oh Dickens, It’s Christmas at Chatsworth House

Chatsworth is beautiful at any time of year, but I was particularly intrigued to see how they decorated it at Christmas time. 

If you’ve never visited Chatsworth House before, then know that is a grand stately home located in the Peak District (close to Bakewell) that boasts large grounds, lavishly decorated rooms and an impressive art collection. It is also the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

Each year at Christmas, they decorate the house according to a different festive theme. This year, that theme was the works of Charles Dickens. 

Don’t worry; you don’t have to be a literary graduate to appreciate the décor in each of the rooms. Even if you’ve never picked up a Dickens novel in your life, you’re bound to be bowled over by the stunning Christmas trees, intricate decorations and playful theme of the house.

And everyone’s heard of A Christmas Carol, perhaps one of Dickens’ most famous works, which plays a major role in this year’s decorations.

Other themes include Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and The Old Curiosity Shop.

I was honestly bowled over by the magnitude of some of the decorations and how much attention to detail had gone into designing all of the props. Christmas at Chatsworth is a big deal and it really is a great way to get you in the festive spirit.

There were also live actors wandering around some of the rooms, which made it feel even more like an ‘attraction’. Dusty old Miss Havisham was by far my favourite, even if she did scare a few young children…

Outside, next to the main house there was a Christmas market (sadly this has ended as of December 5th, but will likely return again in November next year). If you didn’t want to visit the house and simply just browse the market and soak up the festive atmosphere, you only have to pay for parking – not the entrance fee.

If you walk around the house, browse the gift shop (for a few festive ornaments to add to your collection), wander the massive grounds, take a horse and carriage ride and then pick up some food and drink at the Christmas market, you can definitely spend the best part of a day here.

And it really is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit (which I’m all about).