CHRISTMAS Day is still more than a month away but the season of festive exhibitions, installations and trails is up and running, as Charles Hutchinson reports.
30,000 baubles and counting: Alice’s Christmas Wonderland, Castle Howard, near Malton, until January 5 2025
FALL down the rabbit hall into “an experience like no other”: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in her Christmas Wonderland at Castle Howard, where the CLW Event Design creative team, headed by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie, has worked on the spectacular project since January.
After a two-week installation, the stately home has been transformed into an immersive Christmas experience, dressed in set pieces, decorations and floristry, coupled with projections, lighting and sound by Leeds theatre company imitating the dog. Box office: castlehoward.co.uk.
Christmas Through The Ages: Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, near York, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, November 22 to December 15, 10.30am to 4pm, last admission at 3.15pm
OGLE at a Tudor feast fit for a King, step into the opulence of the Georgian era, savour the splendour of the Victorian golden age or relive the exuberant parties of the 1980s. Envision Christmas as it might have been celebrated by the families who once called Nunnington Hall their home.
On Sundays, Ryedale choirs will sing Christmas carols in the Oak Hall. Normal admission applies, with free entry for National Trust members and under-fives. To book tickets, go to: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/nunnington-hall/christmas-at-nunnington-hall.
Christmas Around The World Nutcracker Trail with York artist MarcoLooks, York city centre, until January 1 2025
PRESENTED by York BID, this season’s Nutcracker Trail takes a festive journey with a global twist, created in collaboration with MarcoLooks, alias York illustrator, printmaker and erstwhile CBeebies animator Marc Godfrey-Murphy.
Christmas Around the World brings ten beautifully designed Nutcracker sculptures to life, each representing a different country with colours from the national flag and landmarks that reflect York’s diverse, vibrant communities.
To start this festive adventure, pick up a map at the Visit York Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street. Use clues on each Nutcracker to match it to the correct country, recording answers on the map. Completed entries can be submitted at the Visitor Information Centre or Santa’s Post Box in Museum Gardens for a chance to win a £250 York Gift Card.
Father Christmas goes back to green: Christmas At York Castle Museum, Eye of York, York, until January 5 2025
THE cobbles of York Castle Museum’s Victorian street, Kirkgate, are covered in snow to herald the festive season featuring a traditional Green Father Christmas; Ebenezer Scrooge’s account of A Christmas Carol; Victorian carol singers; roving musical miscreants The Ran Tanners; Storycraft Theatre’s Christmas stories; Tales From The Trail’s fun stories and family drop-in Christmas decorations. Lino-printing Christmas card, Christmas wreath making and lino-printing Christmas wrapping paper workshops for adults carry an extra charge. Full details, including dates of events, can be found at yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk.
In addition to these immersive experiences, Kirkgate’s shops are wreathed in festive greenery, displaying seasonal objects from the museum’s collection.
Green Christmas celebrations: An Inspired Christmas, Treasurer’s House, Minster Yard, York, open Saturday to Wednesday, until December 18
AN Inspired Christmas shares stories of Mr Frank Green, the last private owner of Treasurer’s House, and the people around him. As Christmas returns to the National Trust property, staff and volunteers have given rooms merry makeovers, with many of the decorations handcrafted by volunteers.
Look out for artist Megan Barnett’s bespoke glass ornaments in the Blue Drawing Room, inspired by ecclesiastical architect Temple Lushington Moore; an unusual tree in the Court Room, inspired by the changing fortunes of house maid Ivy Cliff, and a display in Princess Victoria’s Room, inspired by recently unearthed love letters penned by a valet. To plan a visit, go to: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/treasurers-house-york.
It’s Christmouse time: A Christmas Mousetery, The Case Of The Missing Ruby, Fairfax House, York, until January 5 2025
THE Fairfax Townmice are back and this time a crime must be solved in a festive family caper. These are the Fairfax facts: On Christmas morning, the family has awoken to discover the famous Fairfax Ruby has been stolen by the dastardly Highway Mouse, but he did not act alone.
Visitors must play detective to recover this precious jewel and work out who the accomplice was. Throughout the Georgian house they will meet myriad mousey suspects, whose dubious alibis will need forensic examination to nail the inside mouse. En route, they will encounter 400 whiskered guests, causing Christmas chaos as they swing from ceilings, burst out of drawers, even smoke a long pipe. Pre-booking is advised but walk-ins are welcome. Tickets: fairfaxhouse.co.uk/whats-on/a-christmas-mousetery; free admission for age 16 and under.
First snowfall in 40 years for Viking-age Coppergate: A Winter Adventure, Jorvik Viking Centre, York, until February 22 2025
WINTER has set in at Jorvik Viking Centre for a new experience that explores what conditions 10th century York might have faced during the cold, dark months. Since opening in 1984, Jorvik has presented Coppergate as a moment frozen in time in the spring, but an archaeological find – ice skates made of bone – has inspired the deep mid-winter make-over with residents now wrapped up in hats, woollens and furs.
The Time Sleigh ride takes visitors on a trip to a winter morning in York in AD 96 and a Viking Skald tells winter-themed tales of gods and monsters and discusses the kit needed to counter elements. Pre-booking is essential as no tickets are available on the door. Timeslots can be booked at jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk.
Nature’s gifts: Gerard Hobson Christmas Exhibition, 51 Water Lane, York, YO30 6PW, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sunday, 2pm to 5pm
YORK printmaker Gerard Hobson has been busy in his garden studio preparing for his annual Open House Christmas Show. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” says the York Open Studios regular participant. “Can’t wait to see you there!”
Gerard, who specialises in animals, birds and latterly toadstools, will be exhibiting limited-edition hand-painted lino prints, cut-outs and one-off collages, all for sale along with festive cards.
In Focus: An Appetite For Destruction, A Lincoln Lightfoot Exhibition, 32 Stonegate, York, running scared until December 1
IF you have spotted stirrings of life in the dormant former Cath Kidston store in Stonegate, be afraid. Something terrifying this way comes: the latest pop-up show of B-movie paranoia re-writ large in York by retro-futurist artist Lincoln Lightfoot in his depiction of ridiculous and surreal encounters with beasts, aliens and UFOs in landmark locations.
“An Appetite For Destruction is a deep dive into my art practice with new and old pieces brought to life on a scale never seen before,” he forewarns before adding cryptically: “Warning: Sensationalism may be used to promote a hidden agenda.”
How did this space invasion emerge? “This incredible opportunity was presented to me a couple of weeks ago,” says Lincoln. “I’m part of an amazing shop located on Coney Street called Fabrication that supports local artists and makers in selling their creations.
“They’ll be moving to the former Cath Kidston shop and the former home of the parents of Guy Fawkes 1570! However, the move won’t take place till January 2025 as it’s such a busy time of year with the run-up to Christmas.
“I’m the first to take up the gauntlet in what will be a variety of different events taking place in the former store. Upon first inspection from the outside, you don’t realise how large the shops footprint actually is.”
How will you use the space and your time there, Lincoln? “An Appetite For Destruction will exhibit everything I have in my studio and artwork that’s been on loan. I’ll be adorning the space with all the artwork I can lay my hands on” he says.
“I’ll be filling the ground floor with large oil paintings, big street art-style paste-ups, illustrations, brand-new limited-edition prints and skateboard deck art. I’ll be debuting the completed illustration series of The Four Gates, depicting the four main gatehouses, or ‘Bars’ of York.”
Look out too for projected video footage from Lincoln’s collaboration with Mike from SkyShift. “He’s merged his incredible drone footage into a brand-new illustration of mine,” says Lincoln. Birds Of Pray, Rowntree and Terry, by L:incoln Lightfoot
“There’ll be limited-edition prints from this available with 20 per cent of the proceeds going toward the Menfulness charity, while a free limited-edition print will be available for the first 20 guests of the exclusive preview event on November 21 from 6pm to 8pm. Tickets are free on an Eventbrite.”
Throughout the exhibition, Lincoln will be doing several live paintings to give visitors a glimpse into his painting process. “The collection of work should increase and change throughout the event from the preview night to the end of play on December 1,” he says.
