Letting go off Christmas

Its when incoming emails all start with Happy new year, happy 2012 that one knows Christmas is over and gone. Cards are collecting dust,buttons are popping from the over indulgence of way too many mince pies and mulled wine and another turkey sandwhich would definitely push you over the edge- yes its time to pack that Christmas jumper away  and take down all the decorations 😦

Looking back over Christmas at Fenton makes me want to do it all over again! If you didnt get a chance to celebrate Christmas at any of the National Trust properties then heres a sneak preview into the Fenton Christmas opening and what you can look forward to next year!

  A4 POSTER A Georgian Christmas

A Georgian Christmas

at Fenton House

 Welcome to Fenton House and thank you for making the long journey to visit us out here in the green hills and clean air of Hampstead. The year is 1796, and His Royal Highness King George III is on the throne. While there are some fears for his health and gossip about him losing his mind, he has not yet lost his head like so many of his fellow noblemen in France over the last few revolutionary years…   

You have arrived on Christmas Eve, and are hosted by kind permission of M^r. Philip Fenton, Esquire, erstwhile Merchant of Riga, who has recently moved many of his business concerns to the City of London. London is by far the largest and most successful city in the world, with a population of some 900,000.  Like others who want their own piece of that success, Philip’s nephew, James, and his wife and seven children have just arrived from Riga to live with Philip. To celebrate their arrival, the name of the house has been changed from Clock House to Fenton House. 

 At he very top of the house, the children are already asleep in preparation for the excitement of Christmas Day, so we ask you not to disturb them by going up there. However, there’s lots to see down here, with the house decorated. A couple of rooms are closed up for the winter, and you can read more about that overleaf. There’s also the curious story of Margaret Fenton’s lost diary for children to enjoy, with an edible prize for those who follow the clues.

 The decorations you see have been almost entirely created from natural materials: holly, ivy, yew and bay leaves and other plants all carefully cleaned, cut, and brought in by the Gardener to dress the house. No Christmas tree, you ask? The tradition of having a Christmas tree arrives just a little later, but the Fentons may well have used the holly that grew in their garden to create the smaller table-top trees you see. Spices and oranges were regarded as delicacies and admired for their scent and translucent qualities – catch a dried orange slice in the light and it might remind you of stained glass. The roses would have been made from sugar and the paper roses on the table made by a child or servant.

 In the Dining Room, the table has been laid for Christmas Day. The family have just enjoyed some musical entertainment around the piano, and if you’re lucky you might just catch one of the musicians playing elsewhere in the house.

 

Awaiting the goose and all its trimmingsTier of zesty orange, almond marzipan and spicy cinnamon

 

traditional holly decorations