Calendars and Christmas Customs: Work in Progress

Dr Kit Leach, ,
An etching depicting a man gesturing to a group of people standing beside him on the steps of a substantial building to come in. The scene is at night in winter, the people wearing clothes of 200 years ago.

A few years ago, I created a series of interactive and craft products that explored Late Georgian Christmas Customs (focusing on the late 1700s – early 1800s, considering Derby in particular), as a charity fundraiser. Since turning my attention towards more local materials (which I tend to do in the darker, colder, half of the year: September – March), I’ve been developing these for a new resource that brings together my OWT and Marton Hall project work, again in partnership with Derby Parks.

The first (now just about completed) is an interactive activity that looks at seasonal practices of the sort that might be encountered at Christmastime at Markeaton Hall in the 1820s. The second looks at features the landscape in and around the manor, and related activities at this time of year, focusing on the 1830s.

It may be accompanied by a craft activity inspired by material found during archaeological excavations of the site, although as this would require park staff & / or volunteers to deliver (at a busy time), I’m not sure if this will be possible. (But perhaps I’ll be able to create something for families to do at home…)

I’ll hopefully be able to drop in again in period apparel (this year’s appearance was only fleeting, due to the weather). While for my last ‘walk-about’ I essentially wore old-fashioned garb for the time, I’m planning something new for this year – and I’ve been having great fun (and not a few frustrations) so far in creating costumes of the age (the styles of this time are pretty extreme!). I’ll probably post something on these creations when finished.

I was intending to at least release the 1820s resource just before the Christmas holidays this year, although (quite sensibly) it was suggested that I held-off until 2023, so that it might be made available well before Christmas, and in time for the annual Family Festivities event at the park. This should therefore now be released in November 2023, hopefully alongside the accompanying 1830s resource – I’ll announce this when I know more.

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