Harewood House has a tradition of dressing its State Rooms for Christmas. I really enjoyed the displays last year so thought I'd go again this year. It was good - not quite as amazing as last year, which would have been a hard act to follow, but it was still enjoyable to wander through the beautiful rooms and enjoy the Christmassy feel. It is all done with such care and flair.
I think it was the trees themselves that left me slightly underwhelmed this year. They had huge cardboard cutouts adorning them, which I thought detracted from their inherent beauty.
The theme this year was 'Harewood's Great Time Travelling Christmas' (designed by Studio Mutt) and each big room took inspiration from a time in the last fifty years as well as looking forward to what Christmases might be like in the future.
The menu for Christmas dinner in the 'future room' had lab grown turkey with hydroponic sprouts, and the Christmas tree was 'virtual'. Not what I'd get excited about ... Christmas for me has to have a healthy dose of nostalgia and familiarity.
There was music in the music room - a spotlit piano and a stunning chandelier had impact though whether the display referenced Elton John or Liberace I wasn't too sure! Elton, I guess, looking at those starry specs. Is he a fixture in people's Christmases?
Anyway, enjoy a Christmassy tune, courtesy of Elton and Ed Sheeran, HERE and just gaze at that marvellous chandelier. Now, it would be fun to find one of those among my presents!
I do like that chandelier.
ReplyDeleteHave been reading James Lees-Milne's diaries from the 1940's. (Have been having a phase of memoir/diary reading about England during the inter-war period, apparently everyone who was anyone recorded almost everything, and Chips Channon's the most scandalous.) I see that Harewood house is NOT owned by the National Trust. Anyway, I'm finding it all very interesting. How lovely that you can go look at all those great places so easily.
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