Chatsworth is transforming into the Palace of Advent in countdown to Christmas

Chatsworth House is to be transformed into the Palace of Advent with beautifully decorated themed rooms and the exterior lit up like an Advent calendar.

Sights, sounds and scents of the festive season will fill 24 themed rooms at the stately home from November 4 to 7.

Vistiors will be able to travel under archways adorned with candy canes, handmade Christmas stockings and mistletoe, wander through snowflake showers and a glittering Christmas tree brooch forest and get caught up in the hustle-bustle of Santa’s workshop, with mischief-making elves and a giant exploding cracker.

The celebration continues in the garden, where an illuminated light and sound trail will embrace some of Chatsworth’s best-loved garden landmarks, including the historic Cascade, whose 24 stone steps will be transformed into an illuminated, interactive musical instrument that visitors can play, the giant keys lighting up to the sound of handbells.

A spectacular lightshow will transform the house into a giant advent calendar. Created by Derbyshire-based digital artists Illuminos, the light installation will animate 24 Christmas scenes emerging from 24 windows on the south façade of the house. These will reflect the Christmas scenes within the house as well as Chatsworth’s extensive collection of art and artefacts,

The farmyard will also be transformed with lights and decorations, and families can join Father Christmas for story time in his grotto.

Paul Hayes, visitor experience manager at Chatsworth said:“We’ve spent more than a year planning our celebration of advent, working with wonderful artists and creative partners to ensure that every visitor finds moments that mean Christmas to them. We’ve set out to create a sense of wonder for adults and children alike as they journey through the house and garden, and we invite everyone to become immersed in, and contribute to the displays. Christmas is a magical time at Chatsworth, and we can’t wait to share the Palace of Advent.”

Building on Chatsworth’s longstanding role as a place of art and creativity, the design team has worked with contemporary artists to create new works for the Christmas experience, including a large-scale paper cut artwork by artist Bethan Maddocks. The work, which will be revealed in the windows of the Chapel Corridor, celebrates the generations of people who have worked at Chatsworth to maintain the house, garden and parkland for everyone to enjoy.

A highlight in the house will be a glittering Christmas tree brooch forest featuring 2,000 brooches from the extensive Guinness World Record breaking collection of Adam Wide. Adam will be at Chatsworth on Thursday, November 30, to give a talk and answer questions about his collection - one of many festive talks, tours and workshops planned at Chatsworth this season.

Chatsworth’s annual Christmas market also returns from Saturday, November 4 to Sunday, November 26 with more than 100 exhibitors offering Christmas crafts, gifts and decorations, as well as festive food, drink and live music.

More information about the event and ticket details can be found online at www.chatsworth.org/events/christmas