Members' Exclusive Content
Image: A Christmas Wreath

Christmas 2021

Celebrate the festive season with your English Heritage membership.

This year, we’re bringing back our popular Enchanted events at Eltham Palace and Audley End House and Gardens. Plus, our festive family-friendly adventure quest will now be available over the entire festive season.

Read on to find events near you, explore the history of Christmas traditions from the comfort of your own home, and browse exclusive Christmas Members' Rewards.

Get Out and About

Enchanted Events

Our popular Enchanted events are returning to Eltham Palace and Audley End House and Gardens this winter.

Gather your friends and family to banish the dark winter nights and experience the past in a spectacular new light. Explore the grounds and gardens to discover a magical world of illumination, sound and colour, and see historic buildings bathed in light.

Warm up with a glass of mulled wine, toast a marshmallow under the night sky or hop on a traditional fairground ride. Our shops will be open for you to stock up on a range of Christmas gifts, from traditional toys to award-winning food and drink.

Book now

The History of Christmas

Image: Father Christmas holding a lantern

It's celebrated every year, but what do you really know about the history of Christmas? Take a look back at Christmas through the ages, starting with winter solstice celebrations around 5,000 years ago...

Discover more
Image: Richmond Castle

Winter wallpaper downloads

Once again, we're releasing free and exclusive desktop and mobile screen wallpaper images using photographs from the English Heritage and Historic England image libraries. We’ll be using autumnal and wintry images from a variety of sites, and will release a new one each week.

Download your wallpaper

Festive Food and Drink

Find out more about the history of festive fare and browse our historical recipes to make your own yuletide treats.

As Stir Up Sunday approaches, Sam Bilton looks at the origins of the Christmas pudding. She’s also found some historical recipes to try at home, including medieval figgy pudding and a classic Victorian Christmas pudding recipe – straight from Queen Victoria’s chef.

Christmas the Victorian Way

Join Victorian cook Mrs Crocombe in the kitchens of Audley End to discover some traditional recipes which would have been served up to the Lord and Lady Braybrook and their household at Christmas time.

  • Christmas Pudding

  • Mince pies

  • Christmas Gin Punch

  • Gingerbread

  • Gingerbread Cake

  • Christmas cake

  • How to cook Turkey

  • Chocolate Pudding

The History of Gingerbread

From festively shaped biscuits to extravagantly decorated gingerbread houses, gingerbread has become a culinary staple of Christmas. But this wasn't always the case. Food historian Sam Bilton discusses its ginger-less medieval origins and significance in Queen Victoria’s household, and even unearths a Dickens family recipe.

Find out more

Christmas For Kids

If you're planning activities for the kids at home over the festive season, look no further than our kids' area. Keep them busy with things to read, make and do specially for Christmas. From finding out about Christmas dinners through history, to downloading festive colouring sheets and watching videos on how to make crackers and decorations, there'll never be a dull moment!

Go to the Kids Area

CHRISTMAS PODCASTS

Sit back and relax with a mulled wine and a mince pie while you listen to special Christmas episodes of our podcast. Learn more about the history of Christmas traditions and carolling with English Heritage Trustee Ronald Hutton, and Osborne Curator Michael Hunter reveals how Queen Victoria and Prince Albert celebrated Christmas. Plus Senior Properties Historian Dr Michael Carter discusses midwinter traditions that continue into the New Year.

Christmas Quiz

Test your knowledge of Christmas past with our festively themed quiz.

Take the quiz
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