Petworth House promises “enchanting world of dreamlike wonder” this Christmas

A Christmas Enchantment at Petworth House and Park runs from Saturday, November 29-Sunday, January 4.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely to speak again

00:06to Sue Rhodes, who's the Visitor Experience Manager at Petworth House. And you're just saying

00:11you remember your grandparents back in the day would dress up in their Sunday best to go to a

00:16National Trust property. And it's a measure of just how much things have changed, isn't it,

00:20that you are looking forward to a truly relaxed and inclusive, super friendly experience at

00:26Christmas, which is a really special time for Petworth House, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. We

00:31don't expect people now to put a three-piece suit on when they come and visit us. Christmas jumpers

00:35are very welcome, particularly at Christmas. So yeah, come with whoever you are. That's really

00:39important to us now. So yeah, it's very different. And not to walk around in silence either. That's

00:43not what's wanted. Silence is not wanted. And particularly, I'm a chatter. So actually, if the

00:49house is quiet, when I go around, I kind of disrupt everybody because I just stop and chat to all the

00:52volunteers. So yeah, the house being alive, full of chat and laughter, it just makes it so much nicer

00:57for everybody. And Christmas just really symbolises the way the National Trust properties have changed,

01:02haven't they? Yes. Yeah. Christmas is really different. Like when I first started with the

01:07Trust, we were closed. We didn't see anybody at Christmas, but now it's our busiest time of the

01:11year. And again, the house is filled with people. And people love to see the house in a different way.

01:16It's a different way to experience it. So all of the art, all of the collection is still visible.

01:20That's really important for us for our Christmas, is that our Christmas displays are inspired by the

01:24collection. So the collection should be visible. So yeah, it's just a way for you to be able to see

01:27some turners, but also some beautifully decorated rooms at the same time.

01:31It sounds great fun. But does that mean pressure as well? You know, it's going to be super busy.

01:35You're wanting to really attract the people and make sure they come back for the rest of the year,

01:39aren't they? Yeah. So Christmas, as you say, is a chance for people who might not have visited

01:43a National Trust property for a long time and might have a different perception of what we like.

01:47And they might be coming to visit friends or family and they just see a different side to us.

01:50They'll see that we're more relaxed. Our team, our staff and volunteers are just really pleased

01:56to see people enjoying themselves. And there are lots of different ways, like Christmas,

02:00for people to experience both the house and the grounds in different ways. So it changes all the

02:04time with our programme of events and activities. So different ways to see things and enjoy it.

02:10And this year, a particular emphasis on things that you, the staff, have made.

02:13Yeah. So this is our biggest handmade Christmas that we've ever done. So one of the things that

02:19our visitors tell us every year is they love how much is made by our staff and volunteers. We have

02:23an incredibly talented group of people who help us and they've been crafting since May. So this year,

02:28the theme is very much about bringing the outdoors in and actually kind of creating this kind of like

02:33midwinter journey. So our volunteers and staff have been creating these beautiful,

02:36like copper foil garlands. They've been making giant seven foot mushrooms.

02:41They're creating this incredible banqueting table in the carved room, which has got a whole tree

02:45coming out of the centre of it, which has all been handmade. It's all just so beautiful.

02:49It sounds brilliant. And you should mention the dates. So a Christmas enchantment at Petworth

02:54House and Park runs from Saturday, November 29th to Sunday, January 4th. So really lovely to speak to you

03:01again. Have a happy Christmas. And a busy one. Thank you.