Waddesdon Manor at Christmas

Waddesdon Manor is glorious at Christmas, and just within reach of London as a daytrip destination.

Waddesdon Manor: a Perfect Christmas Outing

My path to Waddesdon Manor was a rather serendipitous one. I’ve now lived in London so long that I rarely have the energy for the types of daytrips I once embarked on. But an unfortunate change of travel plans meant a friend had a spare ticket to Waddesdon to see the house, the illuminations, and enjoy afternoon tea. Would I accompany her? Yes, I believe I would!

Thankfully this friend had made all the arrangements, so all I needed to do was be at Marylebone Station at the appointed time, and follow along for the ride. We set out on a crisp winter morning (one of the coldest winter days so far this year, which felt quite appropriate), passing through London suburbs and then the countryside as we headed into Buckinghamshire. From Aylesbury Vale Parkway it was a short taxi ride to Waddesdon Manor’s entrance.

The first thing that struck me was how much of a precision operation they run at Waddesdon Manor. You either walk from the initial entrance and ticket check, or take a shuttle up. Either require a QR code ticket. I think it’s free if you walk, but there’s a barrier to pass through. For the Christmas events everything is timed: a slot for afternoon tea, and a slot to visit the house. In that order – visitors may not have their afternoon tea afterwards for some reason. There is time in amongst all this to visit the other seasonal attractions, and the illuminations after dark. Then it’s back down by shuttle, and mind you don’t miss the last one!

If the paragraph above sounds like a complaint, it’s not. The day ran very smoothly! The shuttles are on a continuous loop, so even on the return journey there weren’t the queues I had feared. Waddeson Manor’s unique combination of National Trust and Rothschild Family management is clearly onto something.

A Brief History of Waddesdon Manor

Don’t let that Renaissance chateau appearance fool you! Waddesdon Manor is very much a Victorian creation. Although there was a medieval, probably moated, manor here, there was nary a trace of it when Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bought this land from the Duke of Marlborough in 1874. He had grand plans for a weekend retreat to entertain friends and house his collection of art and objects. Lodge Hill was chosen as the site, and levelled over the course of a couple of years. The foundation stone was laid in 1877, the first house party held in 1880, and the house was finally ready in 1883.

It is, as I said, in French Renaissance style, based on the chateaux of the Loire Valley. Ferdinand employed architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur who had first-hand experience of restoring several of these. Underneath the surface, however, it was deceptively modern. It first of all has a steel frame, which allowed for creative interior layouts. It also had hot and cold running water from the outset, as well as central heating and an electric bell system. Queen Victoria asked to come and stay in 1890, and was impressed by the electric lighting.

After several years enjoying Waddesdon Manor, Ferdinand unfortunately died on his 59th birthday, possibly of a cold caught when visiting the grave of his wife Evelina, in whose name he endowed the Evelina London Children’s Hospital (originally Evelina Hospital for Sick Children). He bequeathed the estate to his unmarried sister Alice, who had lived with him there. Alice was committed to preserving Waddesdon Manor as a memorial to her brother. After her death in 1922, it passed to their French great-nephew James de Rothschild. James added further objects to the collection from the Parisian branch of the family. When he died in turn in 1957, he bequeathed Waddesdon Manor to the National Trust, but with a unique arrangement where the family continue to participate in its management. It opened to visitors in 1959, and is one of the National Trust’s most visited properties.

Exploring the Grounds

We got the first shuttle of the day up to the grounds of Waddesdon Manor, so had plenty of time to explore before our scheduled activities in the afternoon and evening. I had a thought as we were riding up in the shuttle. Does anyone else find it slightly incongruous that a home built for one of Europe’s most famous Jewish families is a prime spot for Christmas visitors? And, according to Waddesdon Manor’s website it’s Christmas they’re celebrating, not any inclusive ‘holiday’ or ‘festive’ or ‘winter’ occasion. Is it just me who finds that a small disconnect? Or did they include a menorah somewhere and I missed it?

Nonetheless, Waddesdon Manor well and truly gives itself over to Christmas. We started, after a small detour to meet some huskies from a local charity, in the stables. Here there is a Santa letter-writing station, and a very impressive multi-sensory exhibition Sounds of the Season, where local school children have contributed to stations representing different Christmas songs. From there we walked up, via a Christmas shop, towards the main house. We wandered the Christmas market and food stalls: this has been a seasonal staple at Waddesdon for decades. After a bit more walking around the grounds it was time for our afternoon tea. The menu was classic rather than festive, but the kitchens were nicely decked out for Christmas.

And so, by the time our slot to visit the house approached, we had had several nice chats with strangers, had sampled artisanal products and purchased a few to take home, and had stuffed ourselves full of nice things at afternoon tea. We had bolstered our Christmas cheer by taking in the worlds of Sounds of the Season, and had contemplated gifts for family and friends in the shop. Christmas in a nutshell!

The House

Waddesdon Manor seem to renew their festive theme quite often, probably hoping to encourage repeat visits that way. Past themes have included Sleeping Beauty, and family favourites like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. For 2025 Waddesdon Manor has all new displays, and they’re much more site-specific.

A Grand Festive Tour takes over the house, inside and out. The concept is that Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild was a great traveller, both by train and on his yacht, the Rona. Not all rooms normally open to the public are open at this time of year, in order to help manage visitor numbers and traffic flow. But the ones you can see are exquisite, each done up like a different destination Ferdinand visited, including Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, the Netherlands, and more. Visitors can learn about different Christmas traditions at each stop along the way. For younger visitors, Ferdinand’s beloved dog Poupon features heavily, with a lost ball to spot in each room.

This is a nice way to bring the house’s owners back into the narrative. Ferdinand may not have celebrated Christmas, but he surely did see all those different places and traditions on his travels. There’s an element of romance to the idea of a Grand Tour, and it also ties in some of the art and objects Ferdinand loved so dearly: the entrance hall, for instance, with its notable Venetian scene by Francesco Guardi, is the Venetian leg on the tour. An ancient bust, meanwhile, uses projection to come to life and share with visitors some of the winter traditions of the ancient world, like Saturnalia.

All in all I thought the decoration of the house was very well done. It is firmly festive, while also showing enough of the Rothschilds’ treasures and taste to make you feel like you’re getting to know them. It was busy, but thanks to the timed tickets and traffic flow, not overly so. And it felt like a properly luxurious version of Christmas: a real treat!

The Illuminations

There are two parts to the illuminations, which are also new for 2025. The first are the projections onto the house itself, with lights and lasers over the lawn in front. These extend the Grand Festive Tour theme, with trains whisking audiences to different stops they can find inside. They’re again very well done, and look good up close where you can see the detail, or from a distance where you can take in the overall effect.

Then there is the light trail. This reminded me a lot of some of the outdoor installations I visited during the pandemic (see the top two here, for instance). Lots of disparate displays, but overall a feeling of delight and wonder. There are no timed tickets here: you can wander at leisure. This is nice, on the one hand, but also means there are several bottlenecks and busy areas. When some areas of the path are narrow, this is probably hard to avoid.

I appreciated the light trail, but probably enjoyed the illuminations on the house a bit more. Do leave time for both, if you visit. And with that, we have come to the end of our festive journey to Waddesdon Manor. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, happy holidays to all!

Christmas at Waddesdon on until 4 January 2026 (but the Christmas market ended on 14 December).