12 Days of Christmas at Belvoir Castle

This Christmas, Belvoir Castle invite you to experience the merriment of Christmas’s long ago as they present ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.

Once the ultimate celebration, The Twelve Days were hugely significant finishing with revelry on Twelfth Night. This beguiling journey around the family home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland will bring you face to face with magnificent installations, beautiful and theatrical in equal measure and all curated by the talented Charlotte Lloyd-Webber. As you wander around the castle you will be immersed in the pages of the beloved seasonal carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, that we all know so well!

This elegant castle dating from 1800 becomes a canvas for the classic tale, with each room telling the story of lords a-leaping, ladies dancing, maids a milking and so on. Picture this: you turn a corner, and there they are, the drummer boys and pipers piping their Christmas song, or 5 giant golden rings suspended from the ceiling in the Picture Gallery, watched by none other than Henry VIII himself! As you move from room to room you will also hear the drama of Frederick Austin’s 1909 musical score of the Twelve Days which really heightens the senses and spectacle.

The attention to detail is nothing short of magical. From the meticulously crafted trees themed perfectly to suit each verse, to the carefully and elaborately placed decorations adorning balustrades, fireplaces and corridors. This is a spectacular take on a traditional Christmas from a time gone by with hours of painstaking work from Charlotte and her team to ensure that each precise detail can be shared with the visitor.

The State Dining Room in particular exudes elegance and opulence as you are introduced to Seven Swans A-Swimming and Six Geese A-Laying. Let your eye take in the white swans gliding down a glittering crystal and silver embellished centre piece, decorated also with sweet delicacies and even a traditional Twelfth Night cake; just take care to look out for the 7^th Swan hiding in plain sight!

Spend a few hours lost in a world of festive joy and indulgence this Christmas and we guarantee that you will find yourself enchanted by this beautiful castle as are we.

Why not carry on the indulgent theme and continue into the Castle’s charming tea-room where an delicious afternoon tea is the order of the day! We can certainly recommend you try the homemade eggnog!

Don’t forget to make time for the Christmas gift shop and Engine Yard for all your Christmas shopping also.

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This blog was written by Anna Scott for Visit Nottinghamshire.