The best of English country life at Christmas

The English countryside has a centuries-old reputation for festive hospitality, centred on quaint village pubs and historic stately homes. It’s that warm feeling conjured up by Christmas films such as The Holiday in 2006 – a particularly English brand of cosiness, with a roaring fire and a twinkling tree in the foreground. So where are the best places to find it? From halls decked with holly to exceptional craft markets, here’s how to enjoy a thoroughly country Christmas.

Great estates
Lavish Christmas decorations and special events draw visitors to stately homes in the winter months. These grand houses were designed for entertaining, and today’s festivities are thoroughly immersive experiences that extend far beyond the Victorian Christmas staples. Among the most prominent are those at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, where 2025 will see the property transformed, with a Palace of Oz theme and enchanting night-time illuminations. 

The National Trust’s collection of more than 500 notable stately homes also rises admirably to the seasonal challenge. Scotney Castle, a Victorian mansion in Kent, is taking design inspiration from literary classics for 2025, with decorations inspired by characters from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens.

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire emphasises Elizabethan Christmas traditions at its Wintertide events series, with the Lord of Misrule in charge of high jinks. And in West Sussex, 17th-century Petworth House will be transformed in an ode to the winter solstice, with a Christmas makers’ market and a courtyard choir. 

“There are so many stately homes that decorate elaborately for Christmas, and the standard of the experiences and events is high,” says Phillippa Dalby-Welsh, head of Savills Country Department. “Light shows in the grounds of stately homes have also become really popular in recent years, as well as winter light shows in arboretums.” At Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent, Christmas 2025 will be illuminated by an extensive new trail from the award-winning team behind the Christmas events at Kew Gardens.

Cosy pubs
The rise of the public house in Tudor England gave patrons the comforts of a roaring fire, lively conversation and strong drink – all yet to go out of style. Village pubs come into their own over the festive break, and in the right one, the food can be remarkable. The Star Inn at Harome in North Yorkshire offers Michelin-starred dining in a 14th-century hostelry, while pub classics are done properly at the Fleur de Lys in Cranborne, Dorset, a 17th-century inn in a National Landscape.

In the Cotswolds village of Barnsley, the longstanding Village Pub has been rejuvenated by The Pig hotel group, with a starring role for the brand’s signature hyper-local ingredients. 

“I’ve got a £15 million property search at the moment with a buyer for whom a village pub within walking distance is a must – and that’s not uncommon,” says Plum Fenton, Cotswolds director of Savills Country Department. “In the countryside, a pub is still a way to feel part of the community and to meet others.” Dalby-Welsh points out that many buyers also value access to a farm shop for local produce for Christmas entertaining. The Goodwood Farm Shop in West Sussex has excellent estate venison, while the Castle Howard Farm Shop in Yorkshire sources seasonal – hyper-local – game. Artfarm’s Durslade Farm Shop in Somerset, an offshoot of Hauser & Wirth, produces its own honey, wine and cider, along with estate-reared beef and lamb.

To market
The UK might not be as famous for its Christmas markets as some of its European neighbours, but many cities and towns host atmospheric festive gatherings that are well worth travelling for, with an increasing emphasis on sustainability. Chester Christmas Market sees Alpine chalets spring up in front of the elegant Town Hall, with an array of eco-friendly gifts.

There’s a well-established festive transformation in Bath, where the Christmas market will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. And a trip to Winchester, which prides itself on having “one of Europe’s best Christmas markets”, would not be complete without a carol service at the city’s ancient cathedral, accompanied by a brass band. 

Charming smaller alternatives include the weekly festive markets that spring up in the church halls of small towns such as Bridport and West Bay in Dorset, or the one-day Christmas fair at the All Saints Centre in Lewes, East Sussex – a Grade II* listed church converted into a community arts hub. 

A very English nativity
In 2016, almost the entire population of South Pool in Devon – including many of its farm animals – took part in a nativity play, drawing nationwide media attention. But nativities that are open to the public (as opposed to those for besotted school parents) are not uncommon in the English countryside. Among the best known is the production on the Wintershall country estate in Surrey, which has been staged every year since 1999. “Christmas in the country is very much a time of gatherings,” says Dalby-Welsh. “So you’ll have people coming together at church services and carol concerts who might not usually be involved with the church. A big part of that is the socialising before and after. 

“In rural communities, people can be quite spread out, and this is the time of year when they come together – community in one place. Suddenly everyone’s getting together for a wreath-making workshop or a Christmas fair, and there’s a lot of seasonal cheer.”

PHILLIPPA DALBY-WELSH, HEAD OF SAVILLS COUNTRY DEPARTMENT
PDWelsh@savills.com

PLUM FENTON, COTSWOLDS DIRECTOR OF SAVILLS COUNTRY DEPARTMENT
plum.fenton@savills.com