This December, anybody visiting Lanhydrock will step back in time and experience the hustle and bustle of a Victorian household busy preparing a festive feast for the Agar-Robartes family and friends.

The formal garden has been filled with decorations and the red carpet has been rolled out for a grand entrance to the house, where an ornately decorated tree and roaring fire welcome visitors to a very Victorian Christmas. The lavishly decorated dining room waits for guests to take their seats, while the kitchens are filled with food and bustling servants preparing for Christmas dinner.

“We’ve transformed the downstairs reception rooms with traditional decorations and lighting to show the beauty and magic of a Victorian Christmas, and this year we’re showing the other side of the story as well, giving visitors an insight into the work behind the scenes of the Victorian household,” said general manager Rebecca Brookes-Sullivan.

The kitchen rooms were a hive of activity in Victorian times and it will be bustling once again as people will get to see the family’s Christmas menu come to life in here. Cooks and kitchen maids are on hand to encourage visitors to get hands messy helping with the dinner preparations.

Lanhydrock at Christmas reveals how much we have the Victorians to thank for many of the customs we celebrate at this time of year, from decorating homes with Christmas trees and greenery to fairy lights and crackers, from singing carols to sending Christmas cards, all of which will be celebrated at Lanhydrock. Every visit to the historical house and garden is contributing to the care and upkeep of this piece of Cornish history.