I went behind the scenes of Yorkshire's stately homes to check out their Christmas makeovers and here's what I thought

Harewood House

In 2019, Harewood House Trust collaborated with the multi-award-winning Studio McGuire, run by Davy and Kristin McGuire, on ‘Night at the Mansion’, which proved a big hit with visitors. This Christmas they have teamed up with the acclaimed Yorkshire-based studio once again for a brand-new series of installations that bring a touch of festive magic to the country house near Leeds.

‘Mischief at the Mansion’ uses lighting projection, storytelling and music to bring an array of cheeky characters, objects and artworks to life – decorative angels that have escaped from the Music Room’s Christmas tree pop up unexpectedly throughout the house, cakes in the Servants’ Hall banter gleefully about their beauty pageant bake-off, and Queen Victoria’s bust reminisces about her time at Harewood.

Studio McGuire worked with Harewood’s curator Rebecca Burton to research and uncover more anecdotes about the house over its 250-year history, along with scriptwriter Christina Lewis who developed the characters and scripts to dovetail with the projections.

Zoë Hughes, head of public engagement at Harewood House, says the idea was to mix technology and storytelling.

“It is immersive magic combined with light-hearted humour and playfulness, which I think is such a lovely blend at Christmas. They have brought this idea to life with projection mapping so in each of the rooms there are different installations that tell a story around the house.

"Hopefully people come away feeling like they’ve experienced something a little bit different, so it isn’t just Christmas decorations. We try to create something that wows you when you walk in different rooms,” says Zoe.

“It’s about memory-making. We’d love to become part of people’s Christmas traditions, so we try to make it feel as festive and as magical as possible.”

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Mischief at the Mansion is on at Harewood House until January 5

Castle Howard

Following the success of last year’s Peter Pan-inspired experience, Castle Howard is once again harnessing another much-loved story for its latest festive celebrations.

‘Alice’s Christmas Wonderland’, sees the 300-year-old house, near Malton, transformed with theatrical installations, props, soundscapes and projections that help bring Lewis Carroll’s iconic characters to life.

CLW Event Design has led the Christmas experience alongside Castle Howard’s team since 2017 and have once again collaborated with Northern theatre company imitating the dog, which has created the innovative projections and soundscapes to go with the story.

The gist of it is this: Alice is planning a huge Christmas party and invites visitors to follow the White Rabbit through Castle Howard’s grand halls and regal rooms with each twist and turn revealing fanciful festive surprises.

“We’ve created our own little backstory so it’s not Alice’s first time in Wonderland, she is actually returning and planning to throw her own Christmas tea party,” says Adrian Lillie, director at CLW Event Design.

“In the Great Hall we have one of the largest interior decorated Christmas trees in the country, with a focus on the Looking Glass story. It really is quite a showstopper.

"And we have the Long Gallery which is the climax to the whole event and the last room on the visitor route. So that’s where Alice’s tea party is played out.”

It takes more than 12 months from the idea stage to installation (next year’s theme has already been decided), which shows how much effort goes into bringing it all together.

This Christmas also sees Bettys open its first ever pop-up shop at Castle Howard which runs for the duration of the stately home’s festive event. So those of you with a sweet tooth really are in for a treat.

Alice’s Christmas Wonderland runs at Castle Howard until January 5.

Chatsworth House

A new festive story written exclusively for Chatsworth House by Joseph Coelho, the multi-award-winning children’s author and former children’s laureate, is the backdrop to this year’s Christmas celebrations at Chatsworth.

‘Henry and the Lion’s Christmas Feast’ is an enchanting story inspired by Chatsworth and the life and work of Henry Cavendish, the eminent 18th century scientist and grandson of the second Duke of Devonshire.

The book tells the tale of young Henry and his accomplice, a little lion (inspired by the giant stone statues in the Sculpture Gallery at Chatsworth), as they go on a quest to find a festive feast and the adventures they encounter along the way.

The house and garden have been transformed into a magical adventure where visitors can follow in the footsteps of the story’s protagonists, with scenery and decorations incorporating the book’s illustrations, created by award-winning illustrator Vivien Mildenberger.

“This year we’re very much celebrating childhood at Chatsworth and we wanted Christmas to fit with that,” says Susie Stokoe, Christmas design lead at Chatsworth House.

Pop up theatres, crafted in partnership with London’s oldest toymakers, Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop, help bring the story’s illustrations to life.

The experience is also a feast for the senses, with visitors met by festive scents along the way, from chocolate and gingerbread to the smells of a Christmas kitchen. The celebration continues in the garden, where an illuminated light trail – involving Derbyshire-based digital artists Illuminos – follows some of Chatsworth’s most recognisable landmarks.

“Somebody asked me the other day, ‘who do you do it for?’ “ says Sarah. “And it is for those families that will make a memory.

"It’s something that still touches me when I’m walking the route and I see three generations sharing an experience and having a laugh, because those children will remember when they were with granny at Chatsworth and that’s what I do it for. That’s what Christmas is about. It’s sharing time with your loved ones and making those memories.”

Henry and the Lion’s Christmas Feast, Chatsworth House, to Jan 5.

Wentworth Woodhouse

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…” So begins the much-loved children’s Christmas poem, A Visit from St Nicholas, composed in 1822, which is the inspiration behind this year’s yuletide celebrations at Wentworth Woodhouse, near Rotherham.

The State Corridor has been transformed into a snowy tundra and the Van Dyck Room has become a Christmas Eve bedroom scene, with other rooms featuring everything from a gift-laden Christmas morning scene to a Victorian Christmas feast.

The centrepiece is the mansion’s famed Marble Saloon where a giant Nordic sleigh stands in a moonlit forest beneath a starry sky, offering families the chance to climb on board the sleigh for a festive selfie.

“Christmas has always been a big celebration at Wentworth and visitors can go on a bit of a behind the scenes route and see parts of the house that aren’t normally open to the public,” says Helen Flower, events manager.

“This year we’ve gone quite traditional with ‘twas the night before Christmas’ which most people will know, so as you walk through the house a different room depicts a different part of the poem.” This year’s light trail has a nostalgic Christmas through the ages theme.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Light Trail, Wentworth Woodhouse, December 4 – 29.