Nostell is feeling festive this December with the house, gardens and courtyard full of Christmas cheer!!All of your senses are captured as you smell the gingerbread houses, see the beautifully dressed trees in the mansion house, hear the festive music in the courtyard, tuck into yummy Christmas themed food & snacks in the cafe and touch the gorgeous Christmas decorations for sale in the gift shop!
It definitely got me feeling all festive, so let me tell you a bit more about what’s on this December!!!
Gingerbread House Display
I love Nostell’s gingerbread house display!! I last saw in it 2019 and remember the smell so vividly!! The amazing town display is created by the Nostell staff & volunteers, and is stunning!! I am in awe of how detailed the houses are. My favourite were the tiny houses with the gummy bears on the roof and the Christmas tree!! Remember to spot the train running through the town too!!
The Twinkling Mansion House & a chat with Santa
The mansion house is full of fairy lights and the festive trees light up the formal rooms! There were 2000 lights on one of the smaller trees we were told!! As we were about to finish our tour of the house, we spotted a red suit!! Yes, Santa has come to say hello to the young and old and is around for a chat and a photo! He is a beautiful Santa, with a real beard and stunning suit & cape! Our 2 year old is still a bit scared of Santa, but there was a seat close enough for photos and he had a good chat to her about how he is flown around the World on Christmas Eve to deliver presents by his reindeer! It was wonderful and a moment we’ll certainly treasure!!
The Gardens & Parkland
To finish off our visit to Nostell we spotted the animals on the Winter Trail who are about to hibernate and had a good play in the adventure playground!!
The Winter Trail is a nice way to keep the kids occupied on a short walk whilst teaching them a few fun facts!
If you haven’t been to the adventure playground before, there’s lots of wooden equipment with a zip line, the flat swings, what my kids call the bouncy tree, a toddler area and lots more dotted around the trees which is perfect for hide & seek!! The play equipment is really versatile and keeps our 2 & 7 year old entertained & happy using a lot of the same equipment!!
If you want a longer walk there are plenty of paths to explore the parkland of varying distances – either round the lakes & spotting the swans, up towards the Obelisk or a wander in the tree den woods!! All perfect for a festive walk!!
We love an adventure to Nostell at any time of the year, but at Christmas it’s magical!!
National Trust members can access the house (inc. seeing Santa) and the adventure playground for free.
Charges do apply for non-members including car parking.
Santa is a drop-in visit for a chat and your own photo. He has a very important elf & reindeer logistics meeting on 9th & 14th December so will not be at the house on these dates.
The Mansion house is closed 24th – 26th December 2022
The gardens & parkland are closed on 25th December 2022
Visit the Nostell website here
Doncaster Road, Nostell, near Wakefield, WF4 1QE
