One of the things I miss about living in Brussels is the Christmas Market. With markets stalls, entertainment, mulled wine, food, and fairground rides, it was always a magical experience to be able to hop on the metro and go to with friends after work or at the weekends. 

This year I decided to try and find an East Sussex alternative to fulfil some of my festive needs after a rather gloomy November. I’ve never found a UK Christmas market that hits the sweet spot for me, and Heathfield is in the middle of nowhere, so I knew I’d have to compromise. However, I quickly realised that weekend trips to see some of our local National Trust properties decorated for Christmas would probably do the trick. A spreadsheet was created, a plan was made, and we were off!

Tudor Christmas at Ightham Mote

I love the Tudor period, and I’m studying early modern Europe this year, so this was always going to be my first choice for a Christmas day out. The decorations were beautiful, and with period music playing, this was a really atmospheric Christmas day out. I was strongly reminded of the Christmas scenes in Wolf Hall. 

This was our first visit to Ightham Mote, a fourteenth-century moated manor house in the Kent countryside outside Sevenoaks. At one point it was the home of Richard Clement, who was in the courts of both Henry VII and Henry VIII, and there’s an interesting timeline of all the owners on the National Trust website. 

The volunteers told us that different rooms in the house are open at different times of year, and while the outside hasn’t changed much, the rooms are decorated to the tastes of different owners over the years, so I can see us making return trips. The garden is also lovely, and I look forward to exploring more of the estate in warmer weather.

Tudor Christmas is on till 8^th January 2024. Check the National Trust website for other event details. 

A Writer’s Christmas at Bateman’s

Originally built in the seventeenth century, Bateman’s as it stands today is largely as it looked in the time of Rudyard Kipling, who moved here to escape celebrity life. You can even see his study set up as it would have been when he was working there. Kipling felt the house had good Feng Shui, and as another visitor said while we were there, it’s a nice sized family home. 

The decorations at Bateman’s have all been made by the volunteers who work there and they are utterly charming. Little houses made from manuscripts, a tree made of books, and a Kipling themed tree (with wire glasses and tiny books for decorations) were my highlights. 

Bateman’s is in Burwash, just round the corner from us, and while we have visited before, I think we’ve only ever been in winter before. The gardens aren’t that inspiring at this time of year, so we’re going to make more of an effort to drive the ten minutes down the road to get here in future. 

A Writer’s Christmas is on until 1^st January 2024. See the National Trust website for other event details.

To address the elephant in the room: Kipling is a controversial figure, expressing racist and imperialist sentiments which cannot really even be described as ‘of their time’. However, he’s also the author of some of the most beloved books and poems in the English language. Does one excuse the other? No. My feeling is that there has to be a middle ground where we can appreciate some of an author’s output, while recognising the context in which it was produced, and also ensuring we don’t glorify that author. The National Trust has a massive job on its hands investigating and acknowledging the colonial histories in its properties, as can be seen in this report. In fact, every property featured in this blog post, with the exception of Ightham Mote, is included in the report as having links to colonialism. I’ve popped this comment here because Bateman’s is so heavily set up as Kipling’s home. 

The slight issue that I have is the way that National Trust properties tend to be set up. There’s often no information in a room, but a volunteer will tell you more if you’re looking keen. This means that people don’t always get this additional context, which is a shame. Admittedly I’m visiting these places at Christmas, and perhaps it would be clearer at another time of year.  If you’re interested in finding out more, several episodes of Hidden Treasures of the National Trust talk about the links with colonialism and the work being done to tell the stories of People of Colour who have links to the properties. 

Walking with the Snowman and Christmas in the showrooms at Knole

Another new to us National Trust property, Knole is located in Sevenoaks, and is extremely popular. You need to pre-book parking at the weekends and in the school holidays (there is a volunteer with a checklist at the gate). Knole is home to a rather grand house, one of the National Trust’s conservation studios (we popped in and I got VERY excited), and A WILD DEER HERD! 

There are two Christmas events to enjoy at Knole this winter – 12 giant snowmen scattered around the grounds to discover, and a Twelve Days of Christmas theme inside the house. 

Wandering around was a magical experience, but I have to admit I struggled to get many decent pictures inside the house. It’s beautifully decorated, but it was very busy when we went in, and because the rooms are so grand, the decorations didn’t stand out as much as they have in the less ornate properties we’d previous visited. The snowmen in the grounds were nice and photogenic at least! 

The showrooms are open till 23^rd December 2023, and the snowmen are hanging out till 7^th January 2024. Check the National Trust website for other events and to book parking. 

A Fairy-tale Christmas at Polesden Lacey

I took a trip further afield to meet a friend at Polesden Lacey near Dorking, and let me tell you, they have gone to town on their decorations. The front of the house is currently covered in scaffolding due to essential repairs, but they’ve decorated it with a jaunty bow to cheer things up a bit. Inside, each room has a different fairy-tale theme, from Peter Pan in the dining room through to sleeping beauty in the billiards room. 

There’s even a tree where you can add a tag with your Christmas wish – these are… varied. From peace to kindness to… a horse.

A fairy-tale Christmas is on till 7^th January 2024. Check the National Trust website for more details. 

Ready for Christmas?

I’d love to hear about your festive adventures in the comments!