Experience traditional Victorian Christmas home at Wightwick Manor
A taste of a traditional Christmas awaits visitors at a Victorian tourist attraction on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.
Wightwick Manor and Gardens has opened its doors throughout the festive season to show families how Christmas was celebrated in Victorian times.
The tradition of Christmas came from the Victorian era, with many of the modern features such as the Christmas tree popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Wightwick Manor has worked to create a festive view of a Victorian Christmas, with several fully decorated trees on display, as well as the festive trimmings of tinsel and decorations around the Manor.
Many of the decorations were created by volunteers from the Manor and the National Trust, adding to the family feel of the display at the 132-year-old house.
Helen Bratt-Wyton, House and Collections manager at Wightwick Manor spoke about how Christmas is special to the Manor.
She said: "Christmas is a special time here, being a Victorian tradition, and it's lovely to be able to present something traditional and reasonably authentic.
"It's also nice to be able to offer somewhere lovely for people to come to escape the sales and do something more worthwhile in this setting."
The Manor has been open over the Christmas period, welcoming in more than 4,000 people to see the Mander family home and the art and antique furniture on display.
More than 400 children visited over two weekends to meeting Father Christmas, one of many activities for children to enjoy.
They also had activities for children in the gardens around the Manor, with nine reindeer placed around the gardens with names for children to look for.
Helen also spoke about what Christmas means to her and to the Mander family.
She said: "Christmas means family to me and the Manders are very family-orientated.
"They always called this their family home and it still feels like that and a lot of visitors do say that they could live here."
The Traditional Christmas event runs until Sunday, January 5 at Wightwick Manor and Gardens, Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton.
The event starts each day at 10am, with normal admission charges applying for all parts of the property.
To find out more, go to https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/cd355336-a139-404b-bce3-1d1dd24eff0f/pages/details
