Project 365 2015 Week 48 Sun

Waddesdon Manor at twilight #CountryKids

Waddesdon Manor at twilight is a sight to behold. The sight of the house as you leave the courtesy bus and walk down the drive is a marvel at any time of year. But on the run up to Christmas, there is something special about the view, throw in Christmas trees laden with sparkly lights and a hint of blue/purple lighting and you are whisked away to a magical land of fairy tales.

Waddesdon Manor at twilight

I’d wanted to have a look around the Christmas Craft Fair last Friday, but Monkey was home with a tummy bug. All recovered it was time to explore, there were lots of lovely foodie treats but we were in search of this years additions to our Christmas tree.

We spotted some lovely Papier mâché decorations, we agreed on this rather dashing Robin and Monkey picked a Father Christmas star.

Shopping done, it was time for a warming cup of hot chocolate to keep us going as the sun started to leave the sky and the lights shone above. With Monkey this means using a straw and blowing bubbles, obviously.

Waddesdon Manor at twilight

We popped into the shop for some present inspiration and then admired the lanterns in the cafe area. I love this section, it always makes me feel snug.

Waddesdon Manor at twilight

The Bruce Munro light installation – SOS, is turned on at 4pm so we headed over to explore, we loved last years designs and were eagerly waiting to see what this year would bring.

Maybe we should have waiting until it was really dark, maybe then we would have been wowed by the display. But we didn’t and we weren’t. There were 2 rows of white tents winding around the pathways. They were all lit within, with a changing light and sound show, different music, morse code and weather forecasts. I’m sure some people will love it, but not us. We were rather underwhelmed after last year. This year, the house truly stole the show for us. I really should get tickets to see inside at this time of year, something I’ve never done.

We left the light installation and wandered around the grounds. Obviously this entailed a stick collection and Monkey searching for the stick fire he’d made with our Redpeffer friends on a visit earlier in the year. He really couldn’t understand why his sticks were no longer where he and his friend had left them!

Our stomachs were telling us it was time to head home for dinner, so with an admiring backward glance, we said our goodbyes to a firm Family favourite. See you again soon Waddesdon Manor.

8 thoughts on “Waddesdon Manor at twilight #CountryKids

  1. As you know we’re booked to go in the house (tickets bought back in august) so I’m hoping it’s dark by the time we’re out as I didn’t want to be too late home with N. I’m not usually that keen on modern art but hopefully with the buzz of Christmas it’ll feel a bit more special. Just being out in the dark will be exciting for N.

  2. Whenever you visit Waddesdon Manor it always so inviting and full of child-friendly spaces, and Monkey always has a big smile on his face. It’s great you managed to visit even though Monkey had been poorly earlier in the day. I must say this light show doesn’t look as appealing as last years but as you say, I’m sure it’ll be more interesting in the full darkness.

  3. We’ve also adopted Waddesdon – I think deep down we’d all like to think this could be our second home…wishful thinking!!
    Waddesdon is beautiful at twilight and you’ve managed to capture it beautifully, you have some great photos
    Hmm, I’m with you on the light installation. We haven’t seen it yet but looking at your photos, it doesn’t seem to have the wow factor like previous installations have!
    #CountryKids

  4. This looks so lovely. I love the light displays but this one looks a little silly with the tents! Thanks for sharing this wonderful adventure. #countrykids

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