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p Welcome to the 12 Days of at Stowe! p As you enjoy a winter wander around the gardens, seek out twelve festive

displays made by local community groups and volunteers with our resident 12 Daysp of Christmas p p artists Mossy Crow, each themed around Georgian .

Gift giving – Stowe Retail Team Christmas games – COBB Craft Group Friends and family often handcrafted gifts Georgians enjoyed playing many diff erent games for each other or purchased presents such as at Christmas, such as cards, ‘hunt the slipper’, books, sheet music and jewellery. ‘blind man’s bluff ’ and ‘shoe the wild mare’. F

Carolling and – Stowe Kissing boughs – Stowe Volunteers Volunteers Groups of carol singers would go Made of foliage and other decorations, kissing from house to house to sing in return for coins boughs became a popular tradition in the and wassail, a strong and spicy Christmas drink. eighteenth century. One berry was removed every time someone kissed under the mistletoe. Pantomime – St James and Charity – Richmond Fellowship St John’s C of E Primary School A common custom was to give a ‘Christmas The Christmas pantomime came Box’ – a sum of money – to tradesmen and to in Georgian times servants on , or also paying small and started on Boxing Day, amounts to the needy. featuring such as the famous . Christmas food – Buckingham Primary School beef and venison were favourite dishes, supported by pheasant, swan and Winter weather – Oxfordshire Mind peacock. Roast turkey didn’t become popular Due to the Little Ice Age, winters were much until Victorian times. colder for the Georgians. Heavy snow was a yearly occurrence, as was the Frost Fair held on the fi re – Stowe Volunteers The frozen River Thames. was chosen on . It was tradition to keep back a piece of the Yule Log to light the following year. Family – Stowe House Feast – Preservation Trust Mossy Crow and Stowe F f As we do today, the Gardens & Park Team Georgians valued spending The culmination of Christmas time with family at celebrations was the Twelfth Christmas decorations – Stowe Volunteers Christmas. The Temple Night Feast. Finish off your All Georgian social classes enjoyed decorating family, who owned Stowe, winter walk at the Temple of their houses, particularly with greenery such as held festive feasts in their Concord and Victory to fi nd y f F r s D holly, ivy and rosemary, and sensory elements magnifi cent State Rooms. out more… such as herbs, spices and textiles.

Length: 3km or 1.85miles Allow 2.5 hours to enjoy the installations and monumental views along the way. Please note – the Temple of Concord and Victory is only accessible via steps. Please ask in Visitor Reception for more info.

12 days map.indd 1 22/11/2019 10:48 The 12 Days Project Twelfth Night Cake This year, we’ve collaborated with Twelfth Night was traditionally celebrated as dynamic artist duo Mossy the last day of Christmas and falls on either 5 or 6 Crow on the overarching theme January, depending on which day you start counting the twelve days from. of the displays and to support our community with making their pieces. In Georgian times, they celebrated with a Twelfth Night feast where the centrepiece was Twelfth Night Cake. The cake was covered with coloured Miranda says: “The starting point for all the sugar and contained a pea and a bean, which determined who would installations has been a Georgian Christmas. become King and Queen of the celebrations. We have approached this by picking out We’ve hidden the names of twelve ingredients within the festive displays aspects of the historic celebrations which are still practiced in some way today, so as to around the gardens. Once you’ve found them all, don’t forget to collect a draw attention to the resonances between Twelfth Night Cake recipe card from the National Trust Shop at New Inn. then and now. What is similar and what 1...... has changed? Each group has been free to interpret the brief in their own way.” 2...... p p 3...... Mossy Crow 4...... Artists Trix Robertson and Miranda La Mutanta came together to produce 5...... interactive art project, Mossy Crow. 6...... Responding to the natural environment, Mossy Crow creates installations, 7...... performances and stories, using natural materials as far as possible. Their work 8...... has been exhibited in various locations, 9...... including the Port Eliot Festival and Heckfield Place Hotel. 10...... “The common thread through all of our work is the impulse to connect with the 11...... wild imagination and the desire to inspire 12...... other people, to encourage them to go outside and discover magical creaturesp Thanks to your winter wandering, hot chocolate sipping and for themselves.” giving, we can keep traditions alive for generations to come. www.mossycrow.co.uk If you’d like this information in an alternative format,

please call us on 01280 817156 or email [email protected] Hoddinott Ross Edwards, Rod Images: Trust National © Photography, no.205846. charity Registered 2019. Trust © National

12 days map.indd 2 22/11/2019 10:48