Form an orderly queue for Attingham Park's 1940s Christmas celebrations
Bosses at the National Trust's Attingham Park property near Shrewsbury have introduced a new ticketing system for the festive period to cope with demand and prevent any damage to the property's vast collection.
Tickets for ‘A 1940s Christmas’ in the mansion at Attingham Park are now available and entry will be by pre-booked timed ticket only.
By spreading visits to the mansion throughout the day, the team at Attingham is aiming to offer everybody visiting time to enjoy each festively decorated room at their own pace, and with enough space to do so.
It will also help the team to care for the collection and interior of the Grade I listed mansion at a busy time of year by preventing overcrowding and reducing the risk of damage to the historic rooms and collection.
The mansion will be open for the 1940s Christmas event from December 1 to 23 and there will be three entry times on each day; between 10am and 12pm, between 12pm and 2pm and between 2pm and 3.30pm.
The showrooms in the mansion will be individually themed and decorated to celebrate the Christmases of the decade. Music, photographs and papers, stories and traditions will be found throughout the mansion, including in the basement, and on selected dates 1940s cooks will be found in the kitchen, baking and preparing recipes from the time.
There is no additional charge to visit the mansion but all visitors must have pre-booked their ticket in advance, including National Trust members. Non-members of the National Trust should pre-book their ticket in advance, they will then be asked to pay the standard non-member admission on arrival on the day.
There is no need to book a ticket to visit the parkland, walled garden, Carriage House café or Stables shop. Visits to anywhere on site except the mansion remain on a free-flow basis.
Tickets can be booked at nationaltrust.org.uk/attingham-park/whats-on or by calling 03442 491895.
Claire Tafft, visitor experience manager, said “It’s fantastic that so many people come to visit Attingham at this time of year. The mansion will look festive again with decorated trees throughout the rooms, and we’ll be uncovering Attingham’s 1940s stories.
"By introducing pre-booked tickets for the first time this year, we’ve built in extra capacity for visitors across December but would advise people wanting to visit on a particular day to book early as we may reach the limit for visitors to the mansion on certain days.”
Tickets to visit Father Christmas at Attingham are also available to book online and are selling fast, with a number of dates fully booked to see Attingham’s special visitor.
Tickets to see Father Christmas cost £8.50 per child, and standard admission prices to Attingham will also apply for non-members of the National Trust.
For more information visit nationaltrust.org.uk/attingham-park or call 01743 708170.
