WATCH: Chatsworth House lit up for Christmas by an amazing light show

This year’s festive theme is The Palace of Advent and it’s a glittering celebration of Chatsworth’s creativity and community.

Families can see animations of elves pushing large gifts from Father Christmas’s workshop, visit Santa’s sorting office, watch a miniature train whizz around a track high above their heads and write their Christmas wish to tie onto a tree.

There are 24 beautifully decorated rooms on the tour and Christmas trees large and small including one made from mince pies!

Full-length paper cuts decorating windows celebrate the groundskeepers, gardeners, housekeepers and cooks who have been caretakers of Chatsworth for centuries. Artist Bethan Maddocks used receipts, diary entries, letters and photos to inform her intricate creations.

A dazzling display of more than 1,500 Christmas tree brooches from Adam Wide’s Guinness Record breaking collection is also on show. Adam has collected more 8,250 festive brooches on the same theme after a tiny one caught his eye in a Copenhagen department store 40 years ago.

The icing on the Christmas cake comes in a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s stately home after dark where a spectacular moving light show is projected onto the outside of the house. Awe-inspiring images include a Christmas tree bursting into life, wise men riding high on camels, angels, stars and snowflakes fluttering into view. Just like an Advent calendar, 24 windows open in succession to reveal a surprise behind them.

This magnificent projection has been created by Illuminos, the company set up by brothers Rob and Matt Vale, who grew up in Matlock. It’s the company’s second masterpiece for the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s stunning residence which was a location for the Shine A Light festival celebrating history and heritage in 2021.