Chatsworth turns topsy-turvy for festive wonderland

There was not an artificial snowflake in sight as Chatsworth house in Derbyshire unveiled its Christmas decorations.

The stately home has turned topsy-turvy, recreating the fantastical world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for this year’s festive celebrations.

Lewis Carroll’s classic tales come alive in the corridors and grand rooms of the 17th-century relic, with characters, scenes and some of the most famous lines from the series of books featuring in the display.

Visitors will get the chance to step into Alice’s shoes, with the entrance hall dressed to create create the illusion of tumbling down the rabbit hole into wonderland, where the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, a game of croquet, and the table with the infamous ‘drink me’ bottle and ‘eat me’ cake await.

Guiding the way are white rabbits, playing card soldiers and Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Thousands of families are expected to flock to the estate, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, for the popular annual Christmas display. Last year, the house re-created the land of Narnia from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.