Christmas season at Sewerby Hall and Gardens,

with a focus on Elves

Sewerby Hall and Gardens have unveiled their exciting plans for this festive season – ‘A Country House Christmas’.

Open every weekend from Saturday 19 November, the house will be bedecked with beautiful lights and decorations. Visitors will be able to enjoy an audio trail describing how Christmas was celebrated by the family and the staff living and working there in the early part of the twentieth century, as well as videos of Christmas life and traditions in the house, with audio about individual rooms.

There will also be video explanations of the remarkable connections between the East Riding and Christmas, including the tradition of eating turkey for Christmas lunch – the turkey was first brought to this country by William Strickland of nearby Boynton Hall in the 16^th century.

Before that, a new exhibition will open in the house (weekends only) on 12 November, ‘Elves’, explaining that they are not just for Christmas! Elves were first linked to Santa Claus in a poem of 1823, which we now know as The Night Before Christmas, in which Santa was described as a ‘jolly old elf’. But elves have their roots in Norse and Germanic early medieval culture, centuries before their association with Christmas.

‘Elves’ examines their origins in mythology, how the perception of them changed after the arrival of Christianity, and looks at local connections with elves, including the burial mound of Willy Howe near Burton Fleming.

Visitors to the exhibition can learn about elves’ role in magic and witchcraft, culture, and how they have changed throughout history, as well as how they were portrayed by the Brothers Grimm in ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ and by Tolkien.

The exhibition will run until 31 December, and will be accompanied by an Elf Trail for younger visitors.

In December, there will also be an opportunity to make Christmas cards.

In addition to opening every weekend, the house will also be open daily from 17-23 December, and from 27-30 December, and during the Sewerby Winter Woodland events.

 Marie Gascoigne, general manager, Sewerby Hall and Gardens, said : “The Christmas season is one of our favourite times of the year here at Sewerby! The house will look stunning, as ever, and there will be lots of chances to learn about the rooms and life here at Christmas, as well as the fascinating history of elves!

“We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors for the festive season once again!”

For full details of opening hours, admission prices, and all facilities available, including the Clock Tower Café, visit www.sewerbyhall.co.uk