OPENING TIMES
Shops, Cafes & Walks open daily • Hall & Gardens open selected days

The Making of Christmas

Planning for Christmas at Doddington begins as early as February and fills a large part of the year. By November the Hall is completely transformed and we have the fantastic opportunity to welcome visitors to explore the magic of the decorations. Join us behind the scenes to find out all about the making of Christmas at Doddington and the wonderful people we have to thank.

This year's theme: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Discover a truly mesmerising experience as you journey through ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ with spectacular scenes created by Doddington staff, volunteers, local artists and students from Lincoln College.

From partridges in pear trees to drummers drumming, step into the classic carol as it unfolds over three floors of the Elizabethan Hall, with a Doddington twist of course!

This year we’ll be extending opening hours on selected dates into early evening, so visitors can make the most of twilight with the warm glow of decorations and twinkling fairy lights.

Decorations

Each room throughout the Hall has its own story to follow, all within the theme of The Twelve Days of Christmas. However, all rooms are connected in our ethos for our materials and decorations. 

It is within the sustainable aspirations of the estate that our creatives have made sure to use natural, recycled and upcycled resources wherever possible. This includes materials such as birch, willow, and bulrushes from our very own gardens and bike boxes from our Giant Lincoln bike shop.

Not only does this help us to limit the use of single use plastic and imported materials, it also helps us to celebrate the beauty and value of the resources of the estate.

Photos from previous years

Our Creatives

Our creatives are the talented designers and makers behind each room, who spend countless hours painting, building and installing wonderful decorations each year.

There are many people involved and each room has a dedicated creative. This year our team includes Nadya Monfrinoli & Lou Jones of Lumo Workshop, Rachel Petheram of Catkin Flowers, Abbie Clarke & Pippa Wilson from Doddington Country Clothing, and Howell Thomas, Production Arts Lecturer at Lincoln College.

Find out more about each of our creatives below. 

Photos from previous years

Lumo Workshop is the collaboration of Theatre Designer Maker Lou Jones and Visual Artist Nadya Monfrinoli. Based in Welbourn, they work primarily in 3D creations and light / digital effects. 

Rachel Petheram of Catkin Flowers is based in our very own walled Kitchen Garden. Rachel is an artisan florist and teacher specialising in seasonal, British grown flowers. 

PIPPA & ABBIE

Pippa and Abbie are part of our very own team on the estate, who throughout the year employ their creativity to seasonal displays in our Doddington Country Clothing store. Pippa and Abbie create fun installations to spark the imagination.

LINCOLN COLLEGE

Howell Thomas is a professional designer and Production Arts lecturer. Each year, Howell and his team of students from Lincoln College transform the Long Gallery – at 96 feet long and 22 feet wide it is the largest room in the Hall. 

the estate team

We are also grateful to have many more fantastic team members on the estate who help with our Christmas installations each year.

Our Garden team pull off extraordinary feats each Christmas. Responsible for all of the trees in the Hall, they freshly cut Christmas trees from our woodland and install them on each of the three floors of the Hall.

Our Maintenance team are invaluable with the installation, lighting, safety and more –  helping to bring ideas into reality.

Our housekeeping and conservation team assist with installations, finishing touches and the constant upkeep of the displays.

Hall volunteers also play a hugely important role not only with stewarding rooms and bringing our Christmas stories to life but also handcrafting stunning decorations.

CHRISTMAS AT DODDINGTON

18 November – 22 December

Discover a truly mesmerising experience as you journey through ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ with spectacular scenes created by Doddington staff, volunteers, local artists and students from Lincoln College. From partridges in pear trees to drummers drumming, step into the classic carol as it unfolds over three floors of the Elizabethan Hall, with a Doddington twist of course!

Our previous creations

Delve into our Christmas archives…