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This festive season, Cromwell’s House will be opening its doors to visitors with a range of events to dispel myths on how Christmas was celebrated during Cromwell's era.
The ‘Behind Closed Doors’ events will run throughout December and includes everything from guided tours and informative talks to festive food tastings.
Visitors to the House can already participate in a Christmas Trail – “What would Oliver Cromwell say?” The trail is a chance to learn more about Christmas traditions as well as hear what the Cromwell’s might have said about some of ways that homes are decorated today. Renowned for banning Christmas, the trail also explains how families did indeed celebrate Christmas in Cromwellian times, only behind closed doors.
‘Festive Food’ with Nora Gardner on Wednesday 6 December gives visitors the further chance to discover how Christmas was celebrated in secret during the Commonwealth. Explore the ingredients and flavours that inspired a 17th Century Christmas meals with a local guide and historian and watch old recipes being made in Mrs Cromwell’s original kitchen and taste the results.
Professor Martyn Bennett, author of internationally acclaimed works on the English civil wars and a popular biography of Oliver Cromwell will be giving an audience with, entitled ‘Cromwell, Christmas and Confusion’ on Thursday 14 December at 7pm. Professor Bennett’s newest publication ‘Cromwell at War’ will also be available to purchase on the night.
On both Thursday 21 December and Friday 22 December, Professor A Bismal will be holding his "A Cruel and Creepy Christmas" tours, taking visitors through the history of Christmas traditions from the times of King George the IV through the World War One trenches and finishing up with a Christmas tale from the Victorian era.
Tracey Harding, tourism and town centres manager said: “With guided winter walks also running throughout the festive period, we are thrilled to be able to offer such a wide variety of Christmas events this year and hope that there is something for everyone to enjoy”.
To find out more about the individual events visit www.olivercromwellshouse.co.uk or follow /olivercromwellshouse on Facebook.