Step into Christmas past at Tyntesfield
5 December 2024
- Decorations feature community sourced art installations, each telling their own Christmas story.
- Tyntesfield’s house and outdoors teams have decorated spaces across the estate, each paying homage to the way the space was used historically.
- Highlights include a Dickensian street scene in the chapel courtyard, a light display in the drawing room, and a carousel at the front of Tyntesfield house.
- Visitors can experience a fun-filled Christmas at Tyntesfield, near Bristol, daily until 2 January 2025 (closed 24 & 25 Dec), with a festive programme packed with something for everyone.
Tyntesfield, cared for by the National Trust, is a Victorian Gothic Revival masterpiece, which was home to four generations of the Gibbs family for 150 years. This Christmas, visitors are invited to celebrate the season’s best loved traditions, bringing them to life with site-wide decorations.
Visitors will be transported to a ‘Christmas Past’ with ornaments and lights in the house that take inspiration from each room, reflecting how the rooms were used by those that called Tyntesfield their home. Decorations will feature a combination of inventive community sourced art installations developed in partnership with Super Culture, in collaboration with North Somerset community groups and artists.
Fiona Matthews, Creative Director at Super Culture said: “This collaboration with the National Trust has presented a brilliant opportunity for a wide range of North Somerset communities to visit Tyntesfield and add to the Estate’s many and varied stories with a collection that brings a festive twist.
“Artists and communities have joined forces to co-create installations across three outdoor and three indoor spaces, including young people from South Weston, students from Weston College, adults affected by addiction, elderly residents at Alliance Homes, Grove Park’s gardening community and Super Culture’s youth and adult theatre groups. We are delighted that their many and varied voices will ring out as part of Tyntesfield’s beloved Christmas experience.”
Other creative displays have been masterminded by the collections team, the gardens and outdoors team and volunteers, to deliver a fully immersive experience, inside and out, for all visitors.
The house has been trimmed in homage to the historic purpose of each room. The dining room, historically used for family dinners, sees culinary decorations extend beyond the table to the surrounding trees and chandeliers. The billiard room, typically a leisure space for the gentlemen of Tyntesfield House, is festooned with playing cards and billiard cues, featuring a forest of Christmas trees stretching across the billiard table.
Outside, the rose garden features a tunnel of snowflakes leading to a wintery Christmas tree. Large sculptural trees fill one half of the orangery, while the other half houses a life-size toy theatre similar to that used for play by Victorian children. The chapel courtyard has been transformed into a Dickensian street scene where visitors can enjoy a hot mulled wine or cider.
Megan Collier, Programming and Partnerships Manager, said: “We’re excited to present our visitors with our Christmas 2024 programme. There’s something for everyone this year, as Tyntesfield welcomes new additions to the estate, including a carousel that sits at the front of Tyntesfield house and a light display in the drawing room, as well as familiar favourites such as chapel concerts, Christmas trails and craft workshops.
“Working in collaboration with Super Culture has provided us with even more festive cheer, and meeting individuals from the local area and empowering them to create their own displays has been a joyous experience. The community groups have injected Christmas spirit and creativity into each area, and we’re thrilled to present their work to our visitors.”
Christmas activities and decorations will be available at Tyntesfield until Thursday 2 January 2025. Further information on the programme can be found on the National Trust website, here: Christmas | Tyntesfield | Bristol | National Trust
For more information on the local artists and community groups that contributed to this year’s offer, visit the Super Culture website, here: Christmas Past at Tyntesfield National Trust – Super Culture
Lead image – A staff member works on Christmas tree in the hall at Tyntesfield, Somerset. Photo credit Steve Haywood
