Beaulieu tells us:
(Photograph and all words from Beaulieu).
Preparations are underway for A Palace House Christmas as talented costume, artwork and floristry designers build theatrical installations which will tell the magical story of pantomime at Beaulieu.
Designers extraordinaire Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie and their CLW Event Design team* are busy creating a towering 14ft pantomime dame complete with a Christmas tree dress, fantastical mummer creatures and pantomime horse, plus a life-size Pollock theatre for visitors’ festive journey around the Montagu family home.
The impressive creations are being built behind-the-scenes, before being packed into crates and transported to Beaulieu ready for installation. A Palace House Christmas will open to visitors from Saturday 29th November – Sunday 4th January (excluding Christmas Day).
Adrian Lillie said: “We are excited to work on our first Beaulieu event and Palace House provides the perfect backdrop for our theatrical installations. Christmas is all year round for us and we have been set building, pattern cutting costumes and getting crafty with props as we prepare for vans to roll into Palace House.”
Visitors will be ‘greeted’ at the door by Masked Harlequin mannequins to begin their experience around stately rooms bedecked with theatrical lighting and atmospheric soundscapes. Look ‘outside’ to see a travelling handcart overspilling with props, costumes and musical instruments in the Fountain Courtyard, while a midnight banquet is laid with sugary treats and jewel-themed glassware in the impressive Dining Hall.
Follow swags of lavish, colourful decorations up the grand staircase to peek in the backstage dressing rooms above, where feathers, floristry and glamorous gowns fill rooms in the newly opened private wing. See reflections of principal boy mannequins in a mirrored catwalk, while Pierrot looks on from a crescent moon in the window.
No Christmas at Beaulieu is complete without a Christmas tree and this year’s 20ft centrepiece will be dressed in the Harlequin theme – and joined by a shocking pink faux creation, with twirls and clusters of jewelled fruits and gemstone-inspired decorations.
Book your on or off-peak time slot to see A Palace House Christmas during your visit to Beaulieu. Tickets are on sale at beaulieu.co.uk/events/a-palace-house-christmas/
Your ticket includes entry to the National Motor Museum, new exhibitions Disney and Pixar Cars and We Had One Of Those, fun adventure playground Little Beaulieu, 13th century Beaulieu Abbey, the Secret Army Exhibition, unlimited rides on the tree-top monorail and beautiful grounds and gardens.
Finish your tour with a tasty festive treat in Palace House courtyard, where bratwurst hotdogs, sausage rolls, mince pies and Christmas cake will be served as optional extras, with hot chocolate, mulled wine and cider.
Or complete your day out by booking a special festive afternoon tea in the historic abbey Domus, where a stand of delicious sandwiches, homemade cakes and scones will be brought to your table with a warming cup of tea or coffee and the option of a celebratory glass of Prosecco.
You can even take a little of the Christmas magic home with you, from the tempting range of A Palace House Christmas themed baubles and decorations available in the Palace House gift shop.
For details and tickets to A Palace House Christmas at Beaulieu in the New Forest, Hampshire see www.beaulieu.co.uk/events/a-palace-house-christmas/ or call 01590 612345.
* CLW Event Design’s team of theatre designers and artists has created award-winning installations at heritage properties across the UK, including Kensington Palace, Belvoir and Bamburgh castles and Treasure House Castle Howard.