A historic Coventry venue has Christmas all wrapped up with yuletide stories and seasonal activities for all the family within its spectacular festively bedecked historic rooms.
St Mary’s Guildhall, located in the city’s historic Cathedral quarter, will be decorated with luxurious and opulent decorations, traditional greenery, and glittery lights along with two real 18 ft Christmas trees to provide a Christmas card-worthy backdrop for visitors.
The venue, which is operated by No Ordinary Hospitality, is also bringing its popular Victorian Christmas special event back on Wednesday, December 6 at 11am and 2pm, with mince pies, mulled wine, carol singing in the Great Hall and a one-man performance of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.
Father Christmas will be stopping by every Saturday in December for storytelling in the Great Hall and gingerbread decorating in the Medieval Kitchen.
Visitors can follow a festive trail around the Guildhall and discover clues based on the history of Christmas traditions, all while soaking up 700 years of incredible history through augmented reality tours, from November 27 to December 23.
Next door, the Guildhall’s Tales of Tea restaurant will be serving up special festive lunches with roast turkey and pigs in blankets or vegetable and mushroom wellingtons – while its acclaimed afternoon tea will get the Christmas treatment with festive finger sandwiches, a selection of sweet treats and freshly baked scones. A children’s festive afternoon tea menu is also available.
Abi Moore, Heritage and Venue Manager at St Mary’s Guildhall, said: “We have pulled out all the stops for visitors over the festive period this year, with a lavishly decorated Great Hall, hands-on activities in our Medieval Kitchen and delicious food in Tales of Tea adding up to a truly unique Christmas in Coventry.
“We want to transport guests to the 19th century, giving visitors of all ages the chance to have fun exploring past Yule-tide traditions and immerse themselves in the incredible history of our venue.
“There will be plenty of ways to celebrate with us, and we are particularly looking forward to the return of Father Christmas as well as our Victorian Christmas special event – which is the ultimate combination of carols, festive treats and a classic Christmas tale performed live in front of visitors.”
St Mary’s Guildhall is widely regarded as one of the finest medieval guildhalls in the country, and is also available for corporate events and work Christmas parties throughout December.
Based in the city centre, the building survived the November 1940 blitz and is home to the Coventry tapestry, which is over 500 years old and is thought to be the oldest tapestry still in its original place in Britain.
The recent major package of restoration and refurbishment at St Mary’s Guildhall has been made possible through the Cultural Capital Investment Fund resourced by Coventry City Council, Arts Council England, and the Government’s Getting Britain Building Fund through Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and with the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.
Advance booking is required for all events. For more information visit www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk/christmas-at-st-marys-guildhall