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00:00Houses and gardens of the National Trust.
00:04Stepping into a world of magic, tradition and festive wonder.
00:10Come on Christmas Owls.
00:12Whether a Tudor Yuletide spectacular.
00:15Onward, yep.
00:16Or a roaring 20s Christmas soiree.
00:22But out of sight lies a hidden world.
00:27Stop, stop, stop.
00:27One, two, three.
00:30Two, one.
00:32Where an army of festive helpers...
00:34Looks a bit like school assembly level.
00:37...are working around the clock.
00:40It is a hard deadline. Visitors expect us to be open with Christmas.
00:44As three grand houses.
00:46It's the same as everyone's doing at home with their own Christmas decorations.
00:49This is on a slightly different scale.
00:51Race against time.
00:52I'm not going to lie, I do feel quite nervous.
00:55Come on in.
00:56To deck the halls...
00:58I just need music, people, and dancing.
01:02Ready for Christmas.
01:04Two, one, three!
01:07At the National Trust, the countdown to Christmas starts early.
01:25And the team at Northumberland's Cragside are already swapping sunshine for sleigh bells.
01:32Right, I need my team.
01:34Come on, Christmas elves!
01:37We get really invested in Christmas at Cragside.
01:41And every year we have got bigger and bigger.
01:43Have you got your notebook?
01:45Yes.
01:45It sounds like we're going to need notes.
01:47Brace yourself.
01:48Bought in the 1860s by wealthy industrialist William Armstrong and filled with the latest marvels of the age,
01:56Cragside is no stranger to lavish A-list parties.
02:00He ends up hosting heads of state, the prince of Afghanistan, the Shah of Persia, the Thai royal family, our own prince and princess of Wales.
02:10It really became this kind of showpiece to the world.
02:14Now, at Christmas, it's where property curator Clara lets her imagination run wild.
02:21My role as curator is to come up with a theme.
02:25We never do a traditional Christmas.
02:27It's always a slight twist on the history of Cragside.
02:29It's something that is magical and joyful and a little bit different.
02:35Today, she's rallying the troops for their first glimpse of this year's grand plan.
02:42So, it's 1894.
02:44It's the 27th of December.
02:46The servants have given the Armstrongs this big Christmas party, and basically, it's their turn.
02:52The theme for this year is the servants' ball.
02:55So, on the 27th of December in 1894, a servants' ball was held at Cragside.
03:01And the idea is that the servants are having their one night off a year.
03:05So, throughout the whole house, as if the servants have taken over.
03:08They have worked incredibly hard all year round.
03:12And for this one night, the world has been turned upside down.
03:17The gardeners become lords, and the maids become ladies.
03:21So, should we have a walk round?
03:23Are you ready for this?
03:27So, as we come through, it'll look as if the servants have abandoned their chores.
03:32So, loads of dirty dishes piled up in the sink.
03:36Here to turn Clara's dream into a reality are chief elves Steve and Catherine.
03:43Clara's imagination just keeps getting greater and greater each Christmas.
03:47So, absolutely huge ribbons, cascading.
03:51So, it feels like it's been really festooned.
03:54Last year, we did Bringing the Outdoors Inside, but it was exaggerated again.
03:58People have gone, ooh, ooh, all different expressions when they go in.
04:04And this is where I want to put the upside down Christmas tree.
04:08Clara is the mad scientist behind all the ideas.
04:11She's got a fantastic mind, and it's trying to unpick that.
04:15How are we actually going to do that?
04:16Sometimes I think, really?
04:19But when we all work together and it comes off, it's brilliant.
04:23As we get to hear, we want to start hearing music.
04:26So, you get a sense of, like, this is where the party's actually happening.
04:29We can hear piano playing, probably fiddles and that kind of thing.
04:34Right.
04:34We're going to have loads of stars coming down from the ceiling.
04:38Starlet.
04:39And then you're at the party in this room, and in the fireplace alcove.
04:44There we go.
04:45We're going to have a moon that visitors can sit in.
04:49Just sit in it?
04:50The Victorians loved the moon.
04:52Okay.
04:52You know, it's a bit surreal, but the whole thing is a bit surreal.
04:57Yeah.
04:59I wouldn't expect anything less from Clara.
05:00Some of the grand ideas won't come without the odd difficulty.
05:05So, last year was a challenge.
05:06This is a bigger one, isn't it?
05:07It is.
05:09The brain is starting to whir now, and I'll have to go back to my desk and start to think,
05:14Right, okay, Christmas, here we come.
05:20Clara's servants' ball theme has its roots in a winter ritual even older than Christmas.
05:27There's always been a tradition of giving back to those that have served you.
05:33And, in fact, that goes all the way back to Rome.
05:37One of the wildest nights of the Roman calendar was the winter festival of Saturnalia.
05:44The god Saturn was seen as the fairest king of all because he would give presents to his servants.
05:52Merrymaking was mandatory, and social order took the night off.
05:57In the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a servant is elected king for the period of the party.
06:04The servant king later slipped into Christmas traditions and was rebranded the Lord of Misrule.
06:12The Lord of Misrule was a bit like a jester.
06:15He was able to challenge all those aristocrats and say, No, I'm in charge of you.
06:21From ancient Rome to Victorian servants' balls,
06:25these upside-down holiday traditions reveal a Christmas rebellious streak rooted in pagan revelry.
06:40Outside, Cragside's own Lord of Misrule, Clara...
06:44I feel like Brittany.
06:46..has got an even bigger Christmas challenge for her team.
06:55This is our amazing living Christmas tree.
07:01And we know it's the biggest in Britain.
07:03But what we really want to find out this year is, is it the biggest in the world?
07:08Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree...
07:10How are we doing, Andy?
07:12How are we doing?
07:12To find out if this towering redwood is a world record-breaker,
07:17someone has to measure it.
07:20Stepping up are head forester Chris and crane operator Lucky.
07:26We're going to use the top of the basket as we'll measure against the top of the tree.
07:30Yeah.
07:30Drop the line.
07:31The last year we measured the tree and it was around 42 metres.
07:34So today we're going to measure the tree again.
07:36The team are here with their enormous cherry picker
07:41and they're going to go up in the basket,
07:43drop a line down, so literally a big rope,
07:45and that should give us our official record.
07:49Yeah.
07:52It always oars me slightly when I park up next to this tree
07:56because I know how high that goes.
07:57Pretty good.
07:58You probably don't want to hear this, Chris,
08:00but it is slightly nerve-wracking.
08:01Pretty good.
08:02With those words of encouragement...
08:05Right, off we go.
08:05Chris and Lucky begin the long ascent
08:08up the 150-year-old's giant redwood.
08:13I'm glad I'm doing that.
08:14It's making me feel dizzy.
08:18Once at the top, it's a long way down.
08:22The question is, how long?
08:26What we've got here is like a drop line with a weight on the bottom of it
08:29and we're now going to lure this down.
08:33To qualify,
08:34just lower it a bit more, stop there.
08:38Every rule must be followed to the letter.
08:42Chris has taped it at the top.
08:44Obviously, with Guinness involved,
08:45their protocols are so strict and tight.
08:48Happy with that?
08:48Yeah.
08:49To measure the height as accurately as possible...
08:55How long is the piece of string?
08:57The line is stretched out along the ground.
09:02Guys, that's 42 metres there.
09:04That was it last year.
09:06I'll just get that tight there, Andy.
09:09It's grown.
09:11We need independent witnesses.
09:12Yeah.
09:14It really is a beast, isn't it?
09:17Last year, we estimated it was about 42 metres.
09:20So, yeah, it's a lot more than we were expecting.
09:23So, 44.7.
09:27Yeah?
09:28Yeah.
09:29Should I write that down?
09:30Yeah.
09:30Yeah?
09:31Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:32We're not measuring it again.
09:33Yeah.
09:35It's amazing.
09:36It is.
09:36But to claim the title,
09:39there's a much taller order still ahead.
09:42It's not the record unless it's decorated.
09:44So, it doesn't matter how tall our tree is,
09:46if it doesn't have lights and decorations on it,
09:49it's not a world record.
09:52It really would be the best Christmas present,
09:55and I really think it's something that Armstrong
09:56would have approved of.
09:58As Christmas plans reach new heights
10:07across the National Trust,
10:10in Devon, one of its smaller houses
10:12has some lofty ambitions of its own.
10:14I think that these big doors are just big and heavy.
10:18There we go.
10:20Built in the glittering 1920s,
10:23Colton Fishacre was the country retreat
10:26of the Doily Cart dynasty.
10:29The reason the Doily Cartes chose this location
10:32down on the English Riviera coast
10:33was they were sailing past
10:35and they spotted this idyllic, wild valley
10:39and thought, wow, what an amazing place
10:40to build a country house.
10:41The Doily Cartes weren't just wealthy,
10:44they were West End royalty.
10:50The Doily Cartes were really well-known in London
10:52at that time.
10:53They owned the Savoy Hotel,
10:55they owned the Savoy Theatre,
10:55the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.
10:59And from one of those Gilbert and Sullivan
11:02comic operas
11:03sprang an iconic Christmas tradition.
11:07Doily Cartes commissioned
11:08the very first fairy lights,
11:10which were tiny little incandescent bulbs
11:12which were woven into the dresses
11:14of the performers.
11:16So the name fairy lights came from
11:18them actually being wrapped around fairies
11:19dancing on stage.
11:20Up until then, Christmas trees were decorated
11:25decorated with candles, beautiful, but often dangerous.
11:30The Doily Cartes innovation
11:32offered a far safer, far sparklier solution.
11:36It's then became what Edison wrapped around a Christmas tree in the US
11:41and the very beginning of fairy lights
11:43as we know them today.
11:47Snowy white snow and jingle bells,
11:50oh, what a happy season.
11:53Snowy white snow and jingle bells.
11:55The 1920s were an era of celebration,
11:59liberation and unapologetic fun.
12:03Something the Doily Cartes embraced wholeheartedly
12:06at their new coastal retreat.
12:08It was a hidden away party house,
12:11which I absolutely love.
12:13When they built Colton Fishacre,
12:15it was just after the First World War,
12:17the Savoy Hotel was thriving,
12:19the Savoy Theatre was thriving,
12:21and everybody was looking to
12:23let their hair down, escape
12:25and just really enjoy that moment.
12:27I would have loved to have been there.
12:29Though Lauren is years late
12:32to the Doily Cartes party,
12:34she's come up with the next best thing,
12:36throwing one of her own.
12:38Our plan for Christmas this year,
12:41as it's 100 years since Colton Fishacre was built,
12:43we're going to bring back the Roaring Twenties
12:45and we're going to have a party.
12:47We are going to have the most immersive
12:50and elegant and kind of over-the-top party
12:54that we can in Colton Fishacre.
12:56We're going to have cocktails,
12:57we're going to have live music
12:58and we're going to open up the floor
12:59for people to dance.
13:01It's going to be come and learn the Charleston
13:02and just end the year with a bang.
13:04It's going to be an absolute hoot.
13:07Lauren has just a few months
13:10to bring back the magic of a roaring 1920s Christmas.
13:14The pressure is there.
13:16I'm not going to lie.
13:17I do feel quite nervous.
13:18I've just got to learn how to dance.
13:20That's the pressure.
13:21Six, seven, eight.
13:27Charleston is based on literally walking,
13:29just transferring your feet.
13:31So we're going to start it literally,
13:32it's just the steps to kind of get you into the rhythm.
13:35To get her team dancing,
13:37Lauren has recruited fellow staff member
13:40and former professional dancer, Jennifer.
13:43You're going to step over with your right foot on the one
13:46and you're going to tap the foot forward on two.
13:50And she may have her hands full.
13:53The style is the swivel of your feet.
13:58So you need to twist your knees inwards in the middle.
14:03It's so difficult.
14:08We'll work on it.
14:09We'll get this for November.
14:12I can't do my left and right.
14:13Never danced.
14:15We did one pivot.
14:16We stepped over.
14:19I think it's just very difficult
14:20because you have to do your legs and your hands
14:22at the same time.
14:23It's that bit that confuses me.
14:26So I'm watching Jen do it
14:28and I'm like, yep, no, absolutely.
14:29I'm definitely doing what she's doing.
14:33Right.
14:34Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
14:35How are we feeling?
14:36Grand.
14:36Grand?
14:37Yeah.
14:38With less than four months to the Christmas party,
14:42stepping out of line isn't an option.
14:46My wife is the manager here.
14:48So most people call it volunteering.
14:52In our household, it's more conscription.
14:55It doesn't come naturally,
14:56but I think we're getting there.
14:58Really good?
14:59That was really bad for me.
15:01Really bad?
15:01I don't know.
15:08Though winter is still months away...
15:10Ready for a wander?
15:12..in Cornwall, Christmas feels just around the corner...
15:15Hello.
15:16..for the team at Tudor Masterpiece, Coteel.
15:22I'm probably the worst person to give you a tour of the house
15:25because I'm not really good with my history and my dates,
15:28but I do bloody love the place.
15:31Once home to the Edgecombs,
15:33a family who found fame and fortune
15:35during the Wars of the Roses,
15:37today, it's visitor operations and experience manager, Rich,
15:42who's enjoying the estate's gardens.
15:44Throughout the year, you can see the seasons changing.
15:48At the start of the year, you've got the bare leaves,
15:50and then into the springtime, you've got the blossom.
15:53In the autumn, you've got the apple harvest,
15:56and then that cycle just keeps going and going.
16:00But in one corner of Coteel,
16:03it's Christmas all year round.
16:05This is where Christmas at Coteel really begins.
16:14Hello. Hello.
16:17From this small garden,
16:19blossoms Coteel's biggest claim to fame,
16:23their gigantic Christmas flower garland.
16:27The Christmas garland is something we've done since the 1950s,
16:32and it's just become part of Coteel's history and heritage now.
16:37It's a 60-foot-long foliage base stuffed full of dried flowers.
16:43And it's, yeah, it's a magical thing to see.
16:48For centuries, there's been a tradition in the dead of winter
16:52of bringing evergreen foliage into the house
16:54or decking the halls.
16:56It symbolizes renewal and looking forward to the spring ahead.
17:02They used to call it the time when the sun stood still,
17:05the winter solstice.
17:07And the whole idea of greenery coming into the house
17:10is by that time,
17:12you're so desperate for the summer to come back.
17:15They're putting the trees in the house.
17:18And that's the name of the solstice as well.
17:20Sol Invicta, the victory of the sun.
17:26At Coteel, they've taken this tradition and run with it.
17:30This is very much a productive cut flower garden,
17:34so it's not unusual for the whole team to be in here
17:36on a pretty much daily basis.
17:39It's hard to believe that we're well underway for Christmas.
17:42Feels quite early to talk about it.
17:44We start in January, February by digging the beds.
17:48We're then planting out seedlings in the spring.
17:51So it's an all-year-round thing.
17:52And you can build the pride as you go through the year.
17:55So I love it.
17:57And it gets you in the heart somehow.
18:00It's a Yuletide legacy
18:02that has been carefully nurtured for two decades
18:05by head gardener Dave.
18:08It's looking like these are pretty much
18:09coming to the end of their time now, aren't they?
18:10So when were these planted?
18:13But this year, he's handing the baton over to gardener Kay.
18:17This is my first year that I'm going to be managing
18:20the whole process from start to finish.
18:22It's a huge responsibility.
18:24People come from all over the country to come and see it,
18:27so it's quite a lot of pressure to know what I'm doing.
18:31Kay's battling a hard deadline
18:33and an even harder taskmaster.
18:36You're up against nature, you're up against the weather,
18:39and plants don't always want to do what you want them to do.
18:43I mean, these are great,
18:43but they've kind of run out of steam a little bit now, haven't they?
18:46It's a massive deal for Coatil.
18:48There's a real pressure to deliver
18:49because people are expecting to come and see this at Christmas,
18:52and if we haven't got the flowers, it's a bit of a worry.
18:58A lot of people say their Christmas doesn't start
19:00until they've been to the garland.
19:01Yeah.
19:03Helping Kay pull off this Herculean task
19:06is a team of 32 volunteers.
19:10We use our nails and strip the fleshy green off the stems
19:15because if we don't take that off, they can go mouldy.
19:20You end up with very green fingernails doing this.
19:26After the flowers are stripped,
19:28they're taken to the potting shed to dry.
19:31Not many people get to see this part of the drying process
19:39because it's not open to the public.
19:41We hang them in bunches upside down
19:44because that helps the flower heads open up,
19:47and the idea is that we're going to absolutely fill this space
19:50with flowers for drying.
19:52I think the expectation is that we have a great garland.
19:57The most that I've grown has been 37,000 flowers,
20:01but this is our first year running the show,
20:04so realistically, 33,000 is kind of the optimum.
20:07That's a really good display.
20:10Despite handing over the gardening gloves,
20:13Dave isn't quite ready to give up his record too.
20:17I don't want to throw down the gauntlet,
20:19but a few years ago we picked 37,000.
20:21I don't think you're going to beat that,
20:23but there's the challenge.
20:25Competition is on.
20:29To be fair, though, if we carry on
20:30with the harvest that we're getting at the moment,
20:33I don't see any reason why we can't match that
20:35or even beat it, so, yeah, game on.
20:38I don't think you'll beat it,
20:39but you're certainly welcome to have a go.
20:42You know, it's not a competition,
20:45but, um, it, you know, life is.
20:50It is a challenge,
20:52but I'm hopeful that I can beat Dave's record of flowers.
21:00Cotill's garland has marked the start of Christmas
21:03for over 50 years,
21:06but in the chapel tower,
21:08their bells have rung in the festive season
21:11for more than 500.
21:15In churches or monastic settings,
21:18bells were used to give signal
21:21when to go to worship.
21:25In Tudor times,
21:27the bells held their greatest significance
21:29at Christmas.
21:31On Christmas Eve,
21:33you go to church late at night
21:36and you see in the dawn.
21:40As the first light comes through the coloured windows,
21:45the choir boy would begin to sing
21:48in the new day,
21:50the new Christmas
21:51and the new Christ.
21:54And I can't help but feel
21:56the hairs on the back of my neck
21:58every time I think of that.
21:59Cotill's bells are operated
22:05by an ancient mechanism
22:07inside the chapel.
22:11This is the chapel clock.
22:14It's very, very old.
22:16It dates from around about 1500.
22:19When the clock is actually running,
22:21there's a beautiful atmosphere at Cotill.
22:23It's very tranquil,
22:24but unfortunately,
22:25it does keep stopping.
22:26And when the clock stops,
22:30Cotill loses part of its personality.
22:34We've definitely missed the chimes
22:36over the last couple of years.
22:38It really feels as if something's missing from Cotill.
22:43Good morning.
22:44Morning, Peter.
22:45Determined to get Cotill's bells striking again,
22:49collections and house manager Nick
22:51has called in leading horologists
22:53Peter and Jonathan.
22:56This comes around
22:58and releases this flail
23:01and once it's released,
23:04the clock is free to strike.
23:08Quite violent, isn't it?
23:10The way it locks.
23:12One issue is the clock
23:14has put on a few extra pounds
23:16in its old age.
23:18The present weight
23:19is excessively heavy, really,
23:21for this style of clock.
23:22This excessive weight
23:24driving the clock
23:25has been wearing out its mechanism
23:27and ultimately silencing the bells.
23:30To fix it...
23:31So, are you going to stand in there?
23:33I'm going to stand in there.
23:34First, Peter and Jonathan
23:36must evict the reluctant timepiece.
23:39When you're taking a clock like this apart,
23:42you have to remember
23:43everything is a unique fit.
23:45It's a bit very difficult.
23:47They may well be stuck on.
23:49It went towards you.
23:51No, no, you're moving that backwards.
23:53I'll be bickering like husband and wife.
23:56Hang on.
23:57Oh, this is loose again.
24:00We were talking across purposes, I think.
24:01No, you were right.
24:02Well, if you so, sir.
24:03To prevent a silent night
24:07this Christmas,
24:09they now have to bring
24:10the ancient artefact back to life.
24:12What I love about this clock
24:14is its incredible age
24:16and the fact that it survived
24:17almost completely intact
24:19and in its original position.
24:22It's the most important clock
24:23in the National Trust,
24:24so it's vital that we preserve it.
24:27As the countdown to Christmas continues,
24:41pressure is mounting everywhere.
24:44Three months before we open
24:46is when everything starts to ramp up.
24:49I've got so much glue on the table,
24:50everything's sticking to it.
24:52That's when the really hard work kicks off.
24:55At Cragside,
24:57a crack team of merry volunteers
24:59are trying to piece together Clara's plan.
25:02Clara's very much the vision.
25:04We are the production team
25:05that quietly beaver away behind the scenes.
25:08Yes.
25:09Christmas can't happen without us,
25:11apparently.
25:13And we have to start early
25:14because we have to produce in volume.
25:18We're having a shot
25:19at making some cone hats.
25:22In Victorian times,
25:23everything is very colourful.
25:25It's quite different, isn't it,
25:26from what we've done.
25:26It's very different to last year, isn't it?
25:30By the end of the 19th century,
25:33Christmas has started to be commercialised.
25:35Mr Woolworths is busy creating
25:38cheap glass baubles
25:39in loads of different colours
25:40to create actually
25:41what would have been
25:42quite a gaudy Christmas.
25:44And I love the imagery
25:45that you get on Christmas cards.
25:47There's things like turnip men
25:49and beetles.
25:50They're far more eccentric
25:52than you would expect.
25:53Clara is making sure
25:56the production line
25:57doesn't stray far
25:58from her unconventional brief.
26:01Hello, ladies.
26:02This is amazing.
26:04Giant paper chains.
26:06Is that too giant?
26:07No, nothing's too giant.
26:09Great.
26:10I love these.
26:11These are gorgeous.
26:11Yeah, they look.
26:12Oh, they look really good.
26:14Upstairs in the archives,
26:19Clara is preparing
26:20the centrepiece
26:21and inspiration
26:22of her servants' ball theme.
26:25A very rare piece of history,
26:29modest in size,
26:30yet monumental in significance.
26:33It's always wonderful
26:34when we find something
26:35about the servants,
26:37especially at Crownside.
26:38there's very little material
26:40on the people
26:41who actually made
26:42the place run.
26:44This tiny little thing
26:46is a dance card.
26:50A dance card
26:51was essentially a programme.
26:53So it would have a list
26:54of all the dances
26:55that were going to be
26:56performed at the ball.
26:58And in advance of the dance,
26:59a gentleman could come up
27:01to a lady
27:01and request her hand.
27:03And she would then select
27:04which dance
27:05she would allow him to have.
27:10The 1890s were the heyday
27:13of the Grand Victorian Ball,
27:15usually the preserve
27:16of the well-to-do
27:17looking for love.
27:19But at Christmas in 1894,
27:23Cragside's servants
27:24were given their own shot
27:25at romance.
27:28A dance was an occasion
27:29for young people especially
27:30to be able to spend time together
27:32in close proximity
27:34and we know that there were
27:35several romantic relationships
27:37on the estate.
27:40Only this single,
27:41unnamed dance card
27:43survives from that night
27:45in 1894.
27:47It may have belonged
27:48to one of the young maids
27:49who served in the house
27:50at the time.
27:51But the only names
27:53on the card
27:53are the ones
27:54of her dance partners.
27:56We've got J Riddle,
27:58D Welsh,
27:59F Wurst,
28:00or possibly West.
28:01Around 50 servants
28:04worked across the estate
28:05from kitchen staff,
28:07footmen,
28:08joiners and herdsmen,
28:09so there was no shortage
28:10of potential partners.
28:12We presume that they
28:14were all servants
28:14at Cragside
28:15and what would be great
28:16to be able to find out
28:17is a little bit more
28:18about them.
28:20To explore this list
28:22of potential suitors,
28:24Clara turns to census records
28:26for clues.
28:27Some of the names
28:29are amazing.
28:30Andrew Spittle,
28:31what a name.
28:32He's the shepherd.
28:34And then we get on to...
28:36There he is,
28:39Frank West,
28:41who is number four
28:42on our dance card.
28:44So Frank at this point
28:47is a lodger,
28:48so he's living
28:49with the coachman.
28:51He's the dairyman
28:52to Lord Armstrong,
28:54and originally
28:55he's come from Wiltshire.
28:56So he's come quite a long way
28:57for this job.
28:59The census from the years
29:01after the dance
29:02could reveal even more.
29:05I'm just looking
29:07through the 1901 census
29:08and he's still here.
29:11He's still working
29:11as a dairyman.
29:13And more excitingly,
29:15he's actually got married.
29:16So he's living
29:17with a wife
29:19who is called
29:21Bella.
29:22So we do have
29:23a romantic relationship
29:24there that appears.
29:30We can never really know,
29:33but it could be possible
29:34that this is Bella's
29:35dance card.
29:36And I like the kind
29:37of image it conjures
29:38of people that spent
29:40their lives working
29:41really hard,
29:41having an evening off
29:42to enjoy themselves.
29:45Frank, who came
29:46all the way from Wiltshire
29:47to look after
29:47Lord Armstrong's cattle,
29:49has stayed here.
29:50He's met his wife
29:51and has set up
29:52his own home.
29:54Nothing at Craigside
29:54would have been possible
29:55without the people
29:56doing the hard work
29:58of actually keeping
29:59this home running.
30:01We get such a small
30:02glimpse of their lives
30:03and it's really nice
30:04to celebrate them
30:05in this way.
30:16These are for the
30:17mule post.
30:19That bit's the right size.
30:20That's it.
30:22Downstairs,
30:22the rest of the team
30:23are getting ready
30:24for the arrival
30:25of a very special guest.
30:27Oh, it's a little bit.
30:29One who played
30:30an important part
30:32in the servant's ball
30:33that Christmas,
30:34over 130 years ago.
30:37We have a new object
30:39joining the collection
30:40that was once here
30:41at Craigside
30:41and we're really excited
30:43to get it back home.
30:45We are having
30:46a grand piano delivered.
30:48Very exciting
30:49because it was owned
30:50by Lord Armstrong
30:51and was actually here
30:52when he lived here.
30:54The half-tonne
30:56grand piano
30:57has struck a chord
30:58of excitement
30:59after being unexpectedly
31:00donated to the house.
31:02Here she comes.
31:04It's been missing,
31:05actually,
31:06for around
31:07about 100 years.
31:09It last appeared
31:09on an inventory
31:11in 1901
31:12and then I got
31:13an email
31:13from the piano donors
31:15who said,
31:16we've got
31:17Lord Armstrong's
31:17grand piano
31:18in our dining room
31:19and we wondered
31:20if you would like it
31:21for Craigside
31:22and yes,
31:23we very much
31:23would like it.
31:24Great lads.
31:26After around
31:27100 years,
31:28the grand piano
31:29returns to Craigside
31:30for Christmas
31:31with just one
31:33small hitch.
31:34We are really excited
31:36to display it
31:37where it would have been
31:38which,
31:39unfortunately for us,
31:39is right on the top
31:40floor of the house.
31:41Right.
31:45My role
31:46is largely
31:47to look anxious
31:48while it happens.
31:49Hold on,
31:49hold on,
31:50hold on.
31:51It is tricky
31:51because of the nature
31:53and the fine art
31:54on the corners.
31:55Right.
31:55One.
31:56Right, you stop there.
31:57Stop, stop, stop.
31:59One, two, three.
32:00Yep.
32:03Can we get you
32:04a drink or anything?
32:05Whiskey.
32:07It'll float up then.
32:10Right.
32:10Up.
32:12A little bit nervous
32:13about this little part
32:14of the operation
32:14down here.
32:15It's quite tight
32:16and there's some
32:17William Morris
32:17stained glass
32:18on the way.
32:19I'm just running
32:20with the height.
32:22I mean,
32:22to be fair,
32:22the stairway
32:23looks like
32:23I do the skylight.
32:25No.
32:27We like the number
32:28of windows,
32:29Scott.
32:29Go on, then.
32:30All right.
32:32You're about as far as you get in.
32:33That's it.
32:35And again,
32:35one last push.
32:36Don't, don't.
32:38Got it, George.
32:40Well done.
32:41Yay!
32:41Claire, I was thinking
32:44actually maybe it should go
32:45in the dining room.
32:47She's so funny.
32:53She's in.
32:54She's back home.
32:55I wouldn't break anything
32:58in the process.
33:00Oh, look at that.
33:01It's just really nice
33:02to see a piece
33:03of the collection
33:04back where it belongs.
33:05Now the piano
33:08is ready to play
33:09at Clara's
33:10Christmas Ball,
33:12just as it did
33:13over 130 years ago.
33:20At Colton Fishacre,
33:22the team are in the thick
33:23of preparing
33:24for their 1920s
33:26Christmas party.
33:28This year is probably
33:29the biggest Christmas
33:30we've ever done
33:30and everyone's kind of
33:31running around a bit
33:32and time's ticking,
33:34but it's going
33:34to be amazing.
33:35And I can't wait.
33:38The theme for the whole house
33:39is black, white and gold.
33:40Lots of glitz, glamour,
33:42there's lots of big
33:42ostrich feathers.
33:44We're going for exotic.
33:45We're going to have pearls.
33:46I've never used pearls
33:47and I'm a little bit
33:49worried about it,
33:50but, you know,
33:51we've got to go for it.
33:52We've got to embrace
33:52the glamour.
33:54No journey back
33:55to the roaring 20s
33:57would be complete
33:58without raising the glass
33:59to the decade's
34:01signature tipple.
34:02Can't have Christmas
34:03without a cocktail
34:03as well as I'm concerned.
34:04Or an original
34:07cocktail cabinet
34:08and a bartender
34:09to keep the drinks
34:11topped up.
34:13I am the keeper
34:15of the booze.
34:16A responsibility
34:17that Senior Visitor
34:19Experience Officer
34:20Carol
34:21takes very seriously.
34:22I have been really
34:24practising for a long time.
34:27Their cocktails
34:28were American-focused,
34:29so they were spirits
34:30mixed with spirits.
34:32We're just serving
34:32the authentic cocktails,
34:34so they are a bit lethal.
34:37I've had many of Carol's cocktails,
34:38I'm not sure if I'm supposed
34:39to admit that,
34:40but they're always quite intense
34:42in terms of alcohol.
34:45The fast-approaching party
34:49is a sobering reminder
34:51for Lauren.
34:52Loads of time,
34:53loads of time.
34:54Got to try and get in
34:55some Charleston practice
34:56as well.
34:58It's going to be incredible.
34:59Just maybe stay away from me
35:01the week before we actually open.
35:03At Coteel,
35:13the team is assembling
35:15for the job that could make
35:16or break Christmas.
35:18All the good stuff
35:20to be used for bunching
35:21goes into dumpy bags,
35:22all right?
35:23The creation of the famed
35:24Coteel garland,
35:26woven from tens of thousands
35:27of homegrown blooms.
35:30I'm really excited
35:31to get this garland done.
35:32It'll just pay off
35:33all the hard work
35:34that we've put into it
35:34this year.
35:35This morning's mission
35:36is to build the evergreen
35:38base of the garland.
35:40What we're doing
35:41is placing bunches
35:43of pletosporum
35:44onto the garland rope
35:45and then we're attaching
35:46them with this potato sack tie
35:48which just holds it
35:49all together really securely.
35:51We have massive
35:52time pressures on us.
35:53We've got to get the garland
35:54built by around
35:55about lunchtime.
35:56The next phase
35:57is to get it hung up
35:58from the ceiling
35:59and we can start to put
36:00the flowers into the garland
36:01so it's all hands
36:03on deck all day.
36:04Fortunately,
36:05many green fingers
36:06make light work
36:08of the garland's spine.
36:10Just to let you know
36:10we've all finished.
36:11That's the last one
36:12gone in
36:12so well done everyone.
36:13Good stuff.
36:14Once all 60 feet
36:19of the base is finished
36:20Onward.
36:21Yep.
36:22It's inched into place
36:23in the great Tudor Hall.
36:25It's looking good.
36:28But Kay can't afford
36:29to rest on her laurels
36:30just yet.
36:32The garland still needs
36:33a big injection of colour
36:35and there is a very important
36:38Christmas question
36:39to settle.
36:41My standing record
36:42for growing flowers here
36:43has been 37,000
36:44so I think it's going
36:46to be really hard
36:46for Kay to beat that.
36:49I'm quietly confident
36:50we've had a pretty good year
36:52for harvesting flowers.
36:54We had a fantastic summer
36:55so fingers crossed.
36:57Sowing the seeds of doubt
36:58on any early winning claims
37:00are an elite team
37:02of volunteer verifiers.
37:03But you do need to check
37:05Colin that there's no
37:06dodgy bunches in there
37:08so if they're not
37:09kind of up to standard
37:09they need to come out
37:10of the...
37:10We can't...
37:11I don't want to be
37:12counting anyone's
37:12poor quality.
37:16While Kay and Dave
37:17anxiously await the results
37:19they prepare to hang
37:21the garland's base
37:22from the great hall's rafters.
37:26It's the same as everyone's
37:27doing at home
37:27with their own
37:28Christmas decorations.
37:29This is on a slightly
37:30different scale.
37:30It weighs about 20 stone
37:32so it's quite a heavy thing
37:33to lift up.
37:33Right, and rest
37:35when you want.
37:38Yeah.
37:40That's not going anywhere.
37:41Yeah, you're fine.
37:47Finally, after months
37:49of planning
37:50the garland is up.
37:53Took a little bit
37:53of tweaking
37:54but yeah, it's looking
37:55good.
37:56It's even.
37:56That's what we want.
37:57But before it can be dressed
38:01it's the final floral tally.
38:05If I can just take
38:06the two contestants' hands
38:07I'd like to announce
38:10that we have a new champion
38:12with 38,000.
38:14I'm a raiding champion now
38:24so it's great
38:25and hopefully that will deliver
38:27a really good garland
38:29and put on such a lovely show.
38:30Kay's picked me to the post
38:33on that one
38:34but I'm chuffed
38:35because it's going to be
38:36a much better display.
38:37Setting rivalries aside
38:39Kay and Dave
38:40must now weave
38:41the thousands of flowers
38:43into the garland
38:44a task made even harder
38:47by Kay's record haul.
38:50I think tonight
38:50I won't sleep very well.
38:52I don't think
38:52I really anticipated
38:54the degree of pressure
38:55that's going to be
38:56on my shoulders now
38:57just to make sure
38:57that this gets done.
38:59Just two weeks
39:00until they open
39:01for Christmas
39:02the race to complete
39:03the garland
39:04is on.
39:10Right, okay.
39:13In the workshop
39:14we have a ladle
39:15which...
39:17Where's the ladle?
39:19Jonathan and Peter
39:20are working on
39:21another weighty problem
39:22with Cotill's clock.
39:24Well, there's yours there
39:25and there's mine down there.
39:26Sorry.
39:27Ladle blind.
39:29So the next step
39:30is to cast the lead weights.
39:33Peter has made
39:33a very fine little mould here
39:35and we're now going
39:36to melt some lead
39:37and hopefully
39:38cast some weights.
39:41Goggles on
39:42just in case.
39:44Now we start
39:48melting the lead.
39:54These new weights
39:55will regulate
39:56the clock
39:57and help get
39:59the bells striking
39:59on time.
40:07Right, that is now
40:09molten.
40:09there we go.
40:17You do need to be
40:19careful.
40:21Lead is a bit poisonous.
40:24As a child
40:25I actually had
40:25lead poisoning.
40:26I must have been
40:27about four I think
40:28and I can remember
40:29my parents had
40:29the house redecorated
40:31and the paintwork
40:31was done
40:32and I had
40:33terrible stomach ache
40:34and the doctor
40:36came round
40:36and he said
40:36oh, you've got
40:37the painters
40:38and he said
40:38it's lead poisoning.
40:39How was it
40:40transmitted?
40:41Were you licking
40:41the walls?
40:43Well, yeah,
40:44I can remember
40:45licking the wall.
40:4764 years later
40:50I was talking
40:51to a chemist
40:51around him
40:52and I said
40:52what on earth
40:53possessed me
40:54to lick the wall
40:54and he said
40:55oh, he said
40:56it's very simple
40:56he said
40:57lead salts
40:58are sweet
40:59and he said
40:59that's why
41:00children got
41:00lead poisoning
41:01because they
41:02licked fresh
41:02paintwork.
41:03Fronds.
41:04I think that's
41:05probably solid
41:06by now
41:07but it won't be
41:07cold.
41:08and then we
41:11hope we tap it
41:11and it will
41:12come out.
41:13Right.
41:15There we are.
41:17Voila!
41:18As they say.
41:20One conical weight
41:21with a new
41:22from the top.
41:23That is
41:23beautiful.
41:24Pretty good.
41:25Pretty good.
41:27Whether or not
41:28these new weights
41:29will bring back
41:30Cotill's bells
41:31remains to be seen
41:33but the wait
41:35for Christmas
41:35is almost over.
41:38Right, you're under.
41:45Sorry Catherine
41:46it's a bit personal.
41:48Just squat down
41:49a little bit.
41:50Can you two swing?
41:51Yeah.
41:51Pivot.
41:53Momentum is building
41:54at Cragside.
41:55Behold, the moon landing!
41:57As their Christmas
41:58opening day
41:59approaches fast.
42:01Everything's been
42:02in our heads
42:02and our imaginations
42:03about what it's
42:04going to look like
42:04but until we actually
42:05come to install it
42:06we don't know
42:07if it's going to
42:08work completely.
42:09So the idea is that
42:10the Armstrongs
42:11have had their
42:12Christmas
42:12and then the servants
42:14have gone wild.
42:15You've got to imagine
42:16your boss is away
42:17and you've had a few
42:19and you're just like
42:20woohoo!
42:21OK?
42:22All the maids are in the
42:23study getting ready
42:24they're having their
42:25pre-drinks
42:26and swapping their
42:27dowdy uniforms
42:28for party gear.
42:29Let it all hang out.
42:31Go wild ladies.
42:32Doesn't want to be neat.
42:33Yeah.
42:33Doesn't want to be neat.
42:36While Clara's brief
42:38is messy
42:38Catherine prefers things
42:41a little more orderly.
42:42I'm quite a pragmatic
42:44worker and I must admit
42:46Christmas set up does
42:47make me go a bit like
42:48because you're wading
42:50through this on the floor
42:51you're looking for that
42:52there's a huge mess
42:53and mess really kind of
42:55freaks me out a little bit.
42:57Bloody hell.
42:58If there's a bit of faffing
43:00about I'm not a faffer.
43:02Oh we need that one don't we?
43:03People are faffing.
43:05I don't like people.
43:06No you're right in me view Dan.
43:08What sorry?
43:09I'm trying to see where
43:10to put the ball
43:10and you're standing in front
43:11of the tree.
43:12You mean get out of the way?
43:13I'm a bit fussy
43:15about Christmas tree decorating.
43:17I've been here four years
43:18I've not been allowed yet
43:19to place a bauble.
43:20I don't just plonk things
43:22on a Christmas tree.
43:23I'm not a plonker.
43:25And I know some people love
43:26Other views are available.
43:27Well yeah.
43:31Outside at Cragside.
43:34Come on Rangers.
43:35There's a slightly bigger
43:37Christmas tree challenge.
43:40We're doing a final check
43:41of the bulbs now.
43:43It is quite a job.
43:45Needing almost a kilometre
43:47of lights
43:47there's a dazzling amount
43:49of dressing ahead.
43:51It's over 1200 of them
43:52to double check.
43:53This is a triple check actually.
43:55And obviously minutes
43:56before we go onto the tree
43:57as well so we are
43:58against time.
43:59What we don't want
44:00is getting them on there
44:01putting the power on
44:02and every one or two
44:04I would know that
44:04I've missed one bulb
44:05yeah I wouldn't live it down.
44:08Right.
44:08Let's go.
44:09I think the cherry picker
44:10is just getting fired up there.
44:13To qualify for the
44:14Guinness World Records title
44:16as the tallest bedded
44:18Christmas tree
44:18every part
44:20must be decked out.
44:22It doesn't matter how big
44:22the tree is
44:23unless we're decorated
44:23so this is the pressure point now.
44:25I haven't slept for weeks.
44:26At almost 45 metres
44:29decorating this tree
44:30is a tall order
44:32in every sense.
44:34If you've got any problems
44:35decorating your tree at home
44:36this is another beast.
44:39There's a bit of tree in my face.
44:41Yeah.
44:41Fighting back.
44:44I have the easy job
44:45of standing here
44:46going left of it
44:47right of it
44:48like 40 metres in the air
44:50like in a wobbly basket.
44:52Watch your step there.
44:54It's not the best place
44:55in the world
44:55to trip over backwards.
45:03Chris must feed
45:04each string of lights
45:05carefully down to Steve.
45:08We're going to start seeing
45:09light in a second.
45:10They're getting closer to us.
45:11if he can find him.
45:14Should be able to see
45:14Steve below us now.
45:16Oh, there he is, look.
45:18Like a little orange tree frog.
45:21That's it.
45:22You got it?
45:23Yeah.
45:24Yeah.
45:25Another 10.
45:26Another 10 to go, lad.
45:29But just as the Christmas
45:30world record
45:31seems to be in sight.
45:37The heavens have opened
45:38and now we're going to see
45:40the weather gods
45:41to get the tree finished.
45:43We're going to get it done
45:44quickest
45:44because obviously
45:45I'm fully aware
45:46of the time pressing on
45:47and we've got to get
45:48the lights on
45:49and we've got to make sure
45:50they're on for the Guinness
45:50Book of Records.
45:54And inside the house...
45:56Yours are too neat, guys.
45:58They're way too neat.
46:01Clara's ambitious plans
46:02are starting to feel
46:04out of reach.
46:06It's not working.
46:08It's not working.
46:08Don't know why.
46:11And time is running out.
46:15I think we're at the stage
46:17currently
46:17where it looks a bit like
46:20school assembly level
46:21and we need it to look like
46:24West End theatre level.
46:27I wonder if we'll just run with it
46:29because we haven't got time not to.
46:31OK.
46:36What's that side for?
46:38There's loads to do.
46:39Not kind of getting to the stage
46:41where we need to be going.
46:43But, you know,
46:43we always have...
46:44We have this bit, don't we?
46:45We have the midpoint stage
46:47where we go,
46:48where everywhere just looks
46:49a bit of a mess.
46:50A bit half done
46:51and then it suddenly comes together.
46:54It is a hard deadline.
46:55Visitors expect us to be open
46:56with Christmas
46:57so we have to do it.
47:00It'll be fine.
47:01It'll be fine by tomorrow.
47:01At Coteel in Cornwall,
47:12time is also a worry
47:13for clock specialists
47:14Jonathan and Peter.
47:16Big step
47:17and several smaller ones.
47:19They've returned
47:20with the chapel clock
47:21to see if they can revive
47:23the bells in time for Christmas.
47:25We're about to put the frame
47:28back into position.
47:30A case of next step,
47:31fingers crossed.
47:33If you go in first...
47:35I'll go in first.
47:36Just a little bit.
47:38Ow!
47:39That's it.
47:39It hit your finger.
47:40It was my fingers.
47:42Just get the weights.
47:44Now we see
47:45whether it actually runs.
47:47Outside,
47:48the crowds are gathering
47:49for the official start
47:51of Christmas at Coteel.
47:53The grand unveiling
47:55of the flower garland
47:56and the nail-biting finale
47:58for Gardener Kay.
48:01Massive day today.
48:02I'm very nervous,
48:03but I'm so excited.
48:05I can't wait.
48:08Really warm welcome
48:09to our preview
48:10of this year's garland.
48:12It looks spectacular.
48:13There's other things
48:14been happening
48:14this year as well.
48:16So, one of the projects
48:17happening in the background
48:18has been to repair
48:20the chapel clock.
48:21And hopefully,
48:23we should be able
48:23to hear the clock chime
48:25shortly.
48:34So,
48:38as many of you
48:40might have known,
48:41the clock's not been
48:41chiming for a few years now.
48:43So, to actually get that
48:44finally repaired
48:45has been fantastic.
48:47So, all that's left to say
48:49is, welcome to Christmas
48:50at Coteel.
48:51Yay!
48:56Come on in!
49:06After months of planning
49:08and continuing a tradition
49:10that began in 1956,
49:13now Kay and the team
49:15will find out
49:16if all their hard work
49:17has paid off.
49:18It's lovely.
49:20It's just gorgeous.
49:26It's looking amazing,
49:27isn't it?
49:28It's just, yeah,
49:29I'm loving it all the time.
49:31Can you see the white ones?
49:33Dad, it's lovely!
49:35Is that lovely?
49:37I'm super chuffed.
49:39Being part of the tradition
49:40of Coteel's Garland,
49:42I don't think
49:42the magic ever fades.
49:44Come on in!
49:45Come in!
49:47Kay and the team
49:47have done an exceptional job.
49:49She's absolutely run with it.
49:50It's, yeah,
49:51real credit to her.
49:52Is it too soon
49:53to talk about next year's?
49:53No!
49:54Shall we have a couple
49:56of weeks off?
49:57Tomorrow.
49:57Shall we have a couple
49:57of weeks off?
49:58And then, yeah.
50:05Need the last resort.
50:08I think we're going to need
50:08every borgal we've got.
50:10At Colton Fishacre,
50:12their Christmas party
50:13is just getting started.
50:15This is looking good.
50:17Oh, I think this room
50:18might almost be finished now.
50:20We don't have much more time left
50:22until people are going
50:22to start arriving.
50:23There's still quite a lot
50:24to do.
50:24It'll be fine.
50:25My eyes go in.
50:26It's going to be fine.
50:30I've got to start
50:31getting into costume,
50:32which I think
50:32always makes a big difference.
50:34The finishing touches
50:35are reserved
50:36for the team themselves.
50:38I've got my velvet suit vest
50:40and the hotel jacket.
50:44Look at that!
50:46Gorgeous!
50:48I love that we're all
50:49in black and gold.
50:50It looks beautiful.
50:51It does.
50:52With the guests'
50:53stew any moment,
50:55a last-minute check
50:56from Lauren.
50:57That's good.
50:58People are playing,
50:59going to pay cars.
51:00Dining room looks good.
51:02I think it's pretty much
51:03ready to go.
51:05We just need music,
51:06people,
51:07and dancing.
51:08for this evening's Christmas preview.
51:13Merry Christmas!
51:15Merry Christmas!
51:16Merry Christmas!
51:16Welcome to the party!
51:18The staff and volunteers
51:20are transformed
51:21into flapper girls and boys,
51:23and the house
51:24is once more filled
51:26with the sights and sounds
51:27of the doily cart days,
51:30including Carol's
51:31lethal Christmas cocktails,
51:33which are providing
51:34some Dutch courage
51:36for the dancers
51:37before they take
51:38to the stage.
51:39It's strong,
51:40but I think I need it,
51:41so that's good.
51:42I'm genuinely nervous.
51:45There's a lot of people
51:45in there,
51:46and I think we've been used
51:47to just being our little group.
51:49I've got those butterflies.
51:50I have got a few nerves,
51:53I have to confess.
51:54There are definitely
51:55better dancers than me.
51:57I just do my best.
51:59If the practising has paid off...
52:01Here we go.
52:02Should we do this?
52:03OK, let's go.
52:04..the Colton Fishacre flappers
52:06should bring this party to life.
52:09We've got a little something
52:10that we'd like to show you.
52:13Places, people, places.
52:20All right, let's go.
52:50All right, let's go.
52:53Do you want to have a go?
52:59I'm really, really so happy
53:01that everybody's just
53:02really enjoyed it.
53:03I think the Dolly Parts
53:04would approve.
53:05I think they would look at us
53:06and be like,
53:07I'm joining them.
53:09Tonight is young.
53:10Keep the cocktails flowing.
53:12I can't stop smiling,
53:12my face actually hurts.
53:20The team at Cragside
53:22have been working flat out.
53:24We do need more streamers
53:25around some of the pictures
53:26at this end.
53:27And it's beginning
53:28to look a lot like Christmas.
53:31We're getting there.
53:32Clara's going to do
53:33some set dressing glasses.
53:35We're going to do ribbons
53:36on the tree.
53:37It's just a case of more.
53:38I've totally lost my voice.
53:42So it's not because
53:43I've been shouting
53:44at everyone.
53:46It's two o'clock
53:47and first people are arriving
53:49in half an hour.
53:52Even the house's
53:53original owner,
53:54William Armstrong,
53:56is getting into
53:56the festive spirit.
53:57He's a party man.
54:02He loves to party.
54:04He's a party man.
54:06There's just one last piece
54:09of fine-tuning to do.
54:14Ready to play?
54:15Ready to play.
54:16It's going to be great.
54:18Yeah, we're really pleased
54:19to have it back.
54:20Where it should be.
54:24It's been a long week,
54:26but we got there.
54:27It's looking lovely, isn't it?
54:30Yeah, it looks fantastic.
54:32I am actually finding it
54:33hard to pick from,
54:34so that's a good sign.
54:40Clara's seal of approval
54:42comes just in time.
54:44The guests of honour
54:45are beginning to arrive.
54:47Oh, look at the littleies.
54:49Including Clara's son,
54:52Benji.
54:53Hello, are you going to come in?
54:54Without further ado,
54:58welcome to the Servants' Ball
55:00at Crackside.
55:01Please come in.
55:04Do you want to go have a look?
55:06Are we going to find...
55:08Look at the lights.
55:09What do you think?
55:12It's a tunnel of lights.
55:14It's a tunnel of lights.
55:15It's a tunnel of lights.
55:16It's on my lights.
55:17I like them.
55:19You like them, do you?
55:21That's good.
55:22It's taken me days.
55:24Christmas!
55:24Christmas!
55:25As the piano plays,
55:32the drawing room
55:33is once again filled
55:35with the very music
55:36the servants would have
55:37danced to in 1894.
55:41Just brought it to life,
55:42what it would be like here
55:44when the servants
55:44were having their party.
55:46Now, there's just
55:52the small matter
55:53of the world's
55:54tallest Christmas tree.
55:56We're going to go see
55:57the big tree.
56:01Chris is going to be
56:02the man switching on this year.
56:04It's all entertainment.
56:06But we've been practising that.
56:08Hello, everybody.
56:10This has been
56:11a big year for us
56:12and our theme this year
56:14is all about
56:15a real-life event
56:16that happened
56:16in December 1894,
56:19the Servants' Ball.
56:20And it was intended
56:21to celebrate the people
56:22that looked after Cragside.
56:24And that legacy of care
56:25is still here today
56:26and all the people
56:27that work here
56:28and volunteer
56:29and look after
56:30this really special place.
56:32So I've got a special guest
56:34to introduce.
56:35This is Carl
56:36from Guinness World Records.
56:38CHEERING
56:39So the reason I'm here today
56:44is to adjudicate for you
56:46the tallest bedded Christmas tree.
56:49After reviewing
56:49the relevant documents
56:51and finalising
56:52all of the guideline verifications,
56:55I can now announce
56:56that the National Trust
56:58from Cragside
56:59have achieved
57:00a new Guinness World Records title.
57:02CHEERING
57:02Now the world record is theirs,
57:07there's only one thing
57:09left to do.
57:10Five, four, three, two, one!
57:17CHEERING
57:18Merry Christmas!
57:23It's got nice.
57:24It has got nice.
57:26It's the biggest
57:27Christmas tree in the world.
57:31Job well done there.
57:32Happy Christmas, yeah?
57:34Happy Christmas.
57:35Yeah.
57:35Now I've got to put my lights up now.
57:36LAUGHTER
57:37Well done, Catherine.
57:40Awwww!
57:42You did it.
57:44That everything has been made,
57:46you know, that kind of care
57:47and attention
57:48that you've all given it
57:49is phenomenal.
57:50And, yeah, it really means a lot.
57:51I'm going to cry now.
57:52You're right there!
57:53LAUGHTER
57:54LAUGHTER
57:54Awwww.
57:56We've entered it.
57:57It's been great.
57:58Awwww.
57:59Oh, dear.
58:00I said you're going to set us off, don't you?
58:02Have I got mascara all over my face?
58:04Just put some fairy later on TV.
58:05LAUGHTER
58:06If you stand still in auction,
58:08we'll put some fairy later on TV.
58:09LAUGHTER
58:10Let the horse in piles of holly
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