A Christmas Carol at Mottisfont Abbey
There are few stories that sum up the festive season more than Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
So when I heard that there was A Christmas Carol themed trail at Mottisfont Abbey near Romsey in Hampshire I made sure it was on our bucket list of pre-Christmas family activities.
While we haven’t been able to do everything we originally hoped to we made sure we found time for Mottisfont and I’m so glad we did.
About Mottisfont Abbey
The house began life as a priory in the 13th Century and like many properties belonging to the Catholic Church was given to a noble under the rule of King Henry VIII. There have been extensions and renovations over the centuries including the addition of a stone facade in Georgian times.
Today you can walk along the river that runs through the estate, admire the gardens with their huge London Plane trees, tour the house and visit the changing art exhibition in the attic.
On the trail of A Christmas Carol
Mr Tin Box had a rare week day off – the perfect opportunity to enjoy some family time. My parents who are National Trust members and seasoned visitors to Mottisfont also joined us for the day.
We arrived as Mottisfont opened and made a beeline for the cafe as it was time for Tin Box Baby’s mid-morning milk. It also allowed us to shelter from the drizzle and gave us the chance to check out the two maps we’d been given – one for adults and another for Tin Box Tot with lots of activities for her to do as we walked the trail.
We arrived as Mottisfont opened and made a beeline for the cafe as it was time for Tin Box Baby’s mid-morning milk. It also allowed us to shelter from the drizzle and gave us the chance to check out the two maps we’d been given – one for adults and another for Tin Box Tot with lots of activities for her to do as we walked the trail.
The main cafe is in the kitchens of the house and has plenty of original features including working fireplaces, stoves and a large kitchen table laid out with period utensils.
After a hot drink we were relieved to find that the rain had stopped. We wandered back towards the entrance where we began the trail.
We were taken on journey though a Dickensian Christmas with street sellers’ carts trading holly, bread and brick-a-brack. At the stables there was a beautiful Christmas tree, surrounded by all sorts of things for TBT to explore and try out. Everything was very hands on, which was a relief for us as parents of an inquisitive toddler.
TBT’s favourite trail activity at the stables was the DIY Punch and Judy show. Mr Tin Box was first to try his hand at being the puppet master but it wasn’t long before TBT also wanted some of the action. It was lucky we visited on a week day as she monopolised the crocodile for quite a while.
She also had a go at writing with a quill in Scrooge’s counting house and crafted her own bird in a cage.
Next the trail led us around the outside of the house where it took a spooky turn. In the old nave of the church we found the ghost of Jabob Marley.
TBT took it all in her stride and was more interested in making paper chains – the kids activity at this point on the trial – and being chased around the medieval vault by Mr TB.
The trial continued inside the house. In several of the rooms there were Dickensian characters adorned with the most beautiful outfits created from paper. The lighting was a bit atmospheric so excuse the poor quality of my pictures – they really don’t do the scenes from Scrooge’s visions justice.
At the end of the Mottisfont Abbey trail there is a huge Christmas tree and we asked my dad to take a family photo. Unfortunately TBT wasn’t playing ball but we managed get a picture with TBB – it’s so much easier when they can’t run off!
We had a lovely day at Mottisfont Abbey. There was plenty to keep the whole family entertained and TBT was shattered by the end of our visit – always a bonus!
The A Christmas Carol trail is on until Sunday 3 January 2016 (excluding 24 and 25 December). There’s a suggested donation of £1 for the trail on top of your entrance fee. Admission with Gift Aid for adults costs £14 and for children costs £6.50.
Good to know
- Not all parts of the trail are pushchair friendly – we had to leave ours outside the house.
- The ice-cream parlour was closed during our visit as there’s some renovation work going on to improve the cafe facilities at the stables.
- The Tin Box Grandparents highly recommend visiting Mottisfont in the spring or summer to see the gardens at their best. We enjoyed them in the winter too.
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Ooo Mottisfont is a NT ey? We shall definitely be making our way there this year as we are members! Although I like the idea of the Dickensian trail – it looks like you had a wonderful day out. Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
I love A Christmas Carol too! I've heard lots about Mittisfont, but haven't got round to visiting it yet. Must put it on my list.
Christmas well spent!! Such a lovely trail.
Wonderfull photos, Happy end Xmas week,
Happy days untill New Year,
Best regard from Belgium
This place looks picturesque, the weather didn't look too dreary and sounds like a good place to visit as a family activity…
This place sounds fantastic!! Lots of things to do which is great to keep the little ones entertain all the time. The Xmas Tree looks amazing. And the photo is really nice. What a shame that TBT didn't want to be part of it!! BTW, I love the outfit that your daughter is wearing. Love all the colours, look beautiful, ;-). It looks like that you all had a lovely family day out!! Thanks so much for sharing this at #KCACOLS. Merry Christmas to you and your family and Happy New Year 2016. I hope to see you in the New Year! 🙂 xx
Mottisfont is so lovely – we went in mid summer and the flowers were fantastic. But this looks gorgeous too and what a great idea for Christmas.
What a great family trail to do, I bet it was great to have your parents there to help keep TBT and TBB occupied as you guys enjoyed the views. A Christmas Carol is a great story and definitely something worth remembering at this time of year. It's great that it gets you to explore both outside and inside of Mottisfont Abbey! Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids and supporting it throughout the year. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Claire, that trail sounds fantastic! It's great when they really involve the little ones too! I would love to do something like that with the boys, but as far as I know there isn't that much around me that fills me with confidence knowing Hayden can find things difficult. I really need to up my research! Have a great Christmas lovely #KCACOLS xx
We went last week to that event! The tree in the house was massive wasn't it! Not so sure about the lighting in the house as it was hard to take photos. Looks like you guys had a great time! Xx #KCACOLS xx