Once Upon a National Trust Christmas
Sharing a few photos from Tyntesfield’s festive wonderland
Tyntesfield – a Victorian gothic revival mansion not far from Bristol – is one of my favourite National Trust properties, but it’s been a couple of years since I’ve made it there for Christmas. This year I was determined, and I’m so happy we made it as the seasonal displays are the best I’ve ever seen – the work of 500 volunteers and local community members. The house has been decorated throughout as a festive storybook land of fairy tales and winter classics.
Even before you reach the front door, you encounter fairy tale titans in the form of Rumpelstiltskin and a certain long-haired princess.
Greeting visitors to the grand entrance is Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans, complete with crocheted and decoupaged baubles by volunteers from a local social housing project.
Your first stop is the spectacular library, which has been transformed into a Wonderland all of its own, presided over by a particularly bonkers Mad Hatter!
The Girl That Told Stories is an atmospheric video installation by Super Culture Youth Theatre and Paint the Stage music groups – an original tale about Mira, a young girl whose imagination is so powerful it begins to shape the world around her.
From there, the main hallway brings you face to face with a towering beanstalk (though you can’t climb it – everything is kept downstairs to make the event as accessible as possible!)
You can forget about naughty elves on shelves in the Organ Room. Here the elves toil away making shoes while mice watch on.
The highlight of the trip comes as you head towards the drawing room, spotting an evacuee’s bed tucked in the corner and stepping into a magical wardrobe.
And what do you think is on the other side of the fur coats?
Why Narnia, of course!
Unfortunately, we didn’t bump into a faun, but neither did we get tempted by Turkish delight, so I’m taking that as a win!
We lingered in Narnia for a quite some time before drifting into the boudoir, where someone has helped Cinderella prepare for the prince’s ball…
...in the most beautiful dress.
The Billiard Room features a Romanian folktale that was new to me – The Stag with a Star on His Forehead – with the craft on the surrounding tables created by Next Gen, a creative group for young male refugees in North Somerset.
Here's the tale itself, in case it's new to you as well:
By now we were at the back of the house, where Goldilocks and the Three Bears have taken over the pantry and kitchen.
There were plenty of spoons for the porridge and bear prints on the runners, with everything created by Weston Artspace, a collective of established and emerging artists based at Weston’s Old Town Quarry.
I particularly liked the beginning of this retelling...
A terrible sense of boundaries indeed!
Coming out of the kitchens we found ourselves in the Villains' Village, where those poor elves were still hard at work...
... and Christmas morning had yet to arrive for London's squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!
One more treat lay ahead in the mansion's beautiful chapel, which ended the fairytale afternoon in style.
There were plenty of wishes on the chapel's Christmas tree, including a small message of hope from one young visitor.
I can’t recommend Tyntesfield’s Christmas displays enough. They’ll be up until January 4th, so if you can visit, don’t wait too long!
The Cavletter is the newsletter of NYT bestselling author, comic creator and screenwriter Cavan Scott — sharing thoughts on the creative life, bookish adventures, and recommendations for things to read, watch and listen to.
Enjoying it? Forward it to a friend — so they can subscribe here.