The most magical furniture in the world has been installed in North Yorkshire this winter, as Castle Howard invites visitors to step through their wardrobe to explore a world of festive adventure until 2nd January.
Inspired by the classic CS Lewis book, the Narnia Chronicles, visitors can leave our world behind to explore a remarkable interpretation of the places familiar to Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Here are just a few of the things you can experience in this magical exploration.
“For our displays, visitors don’t just step into the world of Narnia, they retrace the steps of the Pevensie children from their familiar surroundings at the home of Professor Digory Kirke into the world of perpetual winter ruled over by the White Witch,” explains Charlotte Lloyd Webber, who returns to Castle Howard for a fourth year of stunning displays running through the house.
A fantastic soundscape, created by Karen Monid, accompanies the trip around the house, with sounds that evoke both the 1940s and the magical world, adding an extra dimension and atmosphere to the visit.
Normally known for being one of the warmest and most welcoming places in Castle Howard’s Christmas displays, even the Great Hall has not escaped untouched by the White Witch’s icy gaze. The normally magnificent and colourful evergreen tree has been caught in a snowstorm, every branch covered with snow and thousands of icicles, and a constellation of tiny white lights, glistening and sparkling.
Stepping from the Great Hall into the Garden Hall, visitors enter the heart of the self-proclaimed Queen of Narnia’s domain – and find the White Witch, larger than life, frozen in time and covered in hundreds of icicles, on board her sleigh. Projections and sounds bring the scene to life and continue into the White Witch’s palace. An icy passageway through the Cabinet rooms leads out of the land of snow.
The re-emergence of Christmas comes with the Fox’s dining room, set out for a magnificent feast with his woodland friends beneath a arbour dressed in glittering red to create a wonderful canopy above the table.
Brand new for 2021 is a remarkable display in the ceiling of the Octagon. Through the magic of projection, the ceiling itself will open to reveal a starry sky above with an animation that captures the very essence of Christmas.
Of course, Narnia would not be the same without its noble lion. A giant model of Aslan, created from pages from the novels painted gold, stands proudly overseeing the long gallery, surrounded by sculptures of other woodland animals.
to book visit: www.castlehoward.co.uk. Tickets include timed access to the house, full access to the gardens and adventure playground
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