Charlecote's Victorian Christmas house opens 16 November to 3 January, closed 24 and 25 December. Timed tickets on the day only, no booking. Prices and hours.

Charlecote Park’s house is dressed for a Victorian Christmas party from Monday 16 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. The whole estate closes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and reopens on Boxing Day. You cannot book: house entry is by a free timed ticket you collect at Visitor Reception when you arrive, so on busy days the earlier you get there, the better.

Charlecote is the National Trust house four miles east of Stratford, near Wellesbourne, and the Trust has published its winter opening calendar as far as 31 December.

The quick answer

  • Christmas house: 16 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, 11am to 3pm (last entry 3pm). Closed 24 and 25 December, open again from 26 December.
  • No pre-booking. Pick up a timed house ticket at Visitor Reception on the day. Park, garden and trail need no ticket.
  • Admission: adult £18, child £9, family £45 (without Gift Aid). National Trust members free.

What the Christmas display is

The Trust says the house is “elaborately dressed for a Christmas party”, as if Mary Elizabeth and George Lucy, Charlecote’s Victorian owners, had invited you. You collect an “invitation” (your timed ticket) at reception, then go through six dressed rooms and the Victorian kitchen. There is a family trail around the park, and the shop in the old servants’ hall sells Christmas cards, food and gifts (National Trust, Christmas at Charlecote Park).

The decorating is done in two stages, and you can see part of it:

Dates What you can see in the house
2 to 8 November House closed for the first phase of decorating. Park, garden, cafés and shop open.
9 to 15 November House open while the second phase goes up: a behind-the-scenes look
16 November to 23 December Full Christmas display
24 and 25 December Whole site closed
26 December to 3 January Full Christmas display

Opening times this winter

These are from the Trust’s day-by-day calendar for Charlecote (National Trust, Charlecote Park).

Period House Park and garden Cafés Shop
Until 23 Oct 11am to 3pm 9am to 5pm 9am to 5pm 10.30am to 4.30pm
24 Oct to 1 Nov 11am to 3pm 9am to 4pm 9am to 4pm 10.30am to 4pm
2 to 8 Nov Closed 9am to 4pm 9am to 4pm 10.30am to 4pm
9 Nov to 23 Dec 11am to 3pm 9am to 4pm 9am to 4pm 10.30am to 4pm
24 and 25 Dec Closed Closed Closed Closed
26 to 31 Dec 11am to 3pm 9am to 4pm 9am to 4pm 10.30am to 4pm

The Christmas page says last entry to the parkland is 3pm. The calendar has not yet been published beyond 31 December, although the Christmas page says the site stays open to 3 January.

The October half term for Warwickshire county schools (26 to 30 October) falls in the 4pm-closing period. The grammar schools break a week earlier: see school term dates.

Prices

Ticket (house, park and garden) Standard With Gift Aid
Adult (18+) £18.00 £19.80
Child (5 to 17), under 5s free £9.00 £9.90
Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) £45.00 £49.50
1 adult, up to 3 children £27.00 £29.70

National Trust members get in free. The Trust’s Christmas page describes the car park as free.

Getting a house ticket on a busy day

  • No booking is available. Timed tickets are given out at Visitor Reception in order of arrival, for the house only.
  • You must be at the house door within the half-hour slot on your ticket; the Trust says it cannot take early or late arrivals.
  • Busiest days: weekends from mid-December, bank holidays, and the week between Boxing Day and New Year. The Trust suggests arriving before 11am or after 2pm on those days because the car park fills.
  • Mornings are busier than afternoons, weekdays quieter than weekends, and Saturdays usually quieter than Sundays.

Access, dogs and food

  • Five of the dressed rooms are on the ground floor, reached with a small ramp. Two more are upstairs, up a staircase of 21 steps.
  • Pushchairs are welcome in the gardens but not in the house.
  • An all-terrain mobility vehicle can be hired free: book ahead. Wheelchairs can be borrowed.
  • Dogs are welcome on the marked dog-walking routes in the parkland, but not in the house or some parts of the grounds.
  • The Orangery Restaurant and the Wood Yard Café serve festive food. At least one is open from 9.30am to 4pm, and both are busiest between 11am and 2pm.

Other Christmas days out near Stratford

Still to confirm

The Trust’s opening calendar stops at 31 December. We will check the 1 to 3 January hours when it is extended, and recheck the Christmas page in early November for any Father Christmas or late-opening events, which it does not currently list.