Christmas at Blaise

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Alice Bush.

This week we’ve been busy decking the halls at Blaise House. Gathering greenery from the park, putting up Christmas trees and retrieving boxes of ribbons and baubles from the basement.

Out in the park, gathering holly, ivy, yew, laurel and box, it’s easy to imagine people living on the estate in the past doing the same, heading home to decorate in the same way we do today.

One thing they probably didn’t do was wash their greenery and then let it stand for a few days! We do this to avoid bringing insects and pests indoors, which may cause harm to our collections.

You can visit the house decorated in its festive best, during normal open days throughout December.

Christmas events at Blaise

Victorian Christmas sessions for schools are already underway, so a glorious festive table is set ready in the Picture Room, with smells of Christmas spices wafting gently through the building. And our beautiful tree takes centre stage, decked out with ribbons, pictures and shiny paper just as the Victorians loved to do.

This Saturday (3rd December) we’ll be spreading good cheer with our Festive Family Fun day. Come and try your hand at making traditional Victorian decorations with Jem, our crafter in residence, and take your seat for festive tales aplenty with Michael, our resident story-teller. Explore the estate and search for winter wildlife with our new spotter sheets and be sure to visit our neighbours in the tranquil Community Garden (10 – 2pm).