Deck the Halls: the jolliest open houses to explore this festive season

All Saints Street, Hastings, East Sussex

Like something out of A Christmas Carol, nestled in the heart of Hasting’s Old Town Conservation Area, 135 All Saints Street is home to this wondrous Tudor-era, Grade II-listed house. Originally built c.1580, the house has diamond mullioned windows that twinkle with candlelight, beckoning passersby into the fairytale interiors on select dates throughout December. The enchanting aromas of home-baked gingerbread and logs on the fire waft through the parlours, which have been exquisitely reimagined by its current owner Alastair Hendy whose ingenious flair draws visitors from far and wide. Come for spiced mulled wine and take away a unique festive fairytale cookbook in the form of ‘The Elves and the Baker’. This remarkable house isn’t just for Christmas: it is currently for sale through Inigo.

Open on 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd December. Booking ahead required.

Photo courtesy of Alastair Hendy

Museum of the Home, London

Looking back to Christmases of yore can mean glimpsing a version of your nan’s shag pile carpet and reminiscing about flicking through the Argos catalogue. The Museum of the Home understands this, and have dressed their permanent Rooms Through Time installation in fittingly festive fashions. ‘Winter Past’ starts in midwinter 1630 with a display that in some ways really demonstrates how little festivities have changed, the exhibition zooms through 400 years of traditions and decorations and ends on New Year’s Eve 2049. This insightful look at London homes over the centuries will leave you utterly enraptured. And for those wanting to take the Christmas spirit home with you, there is a wreath-making class on the 7^th of December.

Open now until 12th January 2025

Photo courtesy of Museum of the Home

Georgian Townhouse, Lyme Regis, Dorset

A 24-foot Norwegian Spruce Christmas tree and a mistletoe chandelier crown the entrance to Bella Ivin’s Georgian Townhouse in Lyme Regis. Inspired by Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist, Bella has worked with Emily Gladstone from Tripytych Gallery to transform her creative home into a small-scale Christmas dreamland. Surfaces are bestowed with a wonderful selection of gifting ideas, from Pollock Toy Theatres and Elizabeth Harbour’s miniature Georgian houses, to a judicious curation of convex mirrors and locally crafted ceramics and glassware. An inspiring alternative to the high street dash.

Open now until Sunday 22nd December, Thursdays-Sundays 11am-7pm

Photo courtesy of Nick Ivins

Ightham Mote, Kent

While the private lives of the Tudors continue to enthral the nation thanks to the BBC’s The Mirror and The Light, medieval manor house Ightham Mote has its own cosy relationship with Henry VIII’s court. Once home to royal courtier Richard Clement, the painted ceiling and resplendent stained glass were thought to have been installed around 1520 in an effort to charm the King and his wives into visiting. Harking back to the era, the Christmas spirit is evoked throughout December with roaring log fires, late-night openings, traditional carols in the courtyard and crafting workshops for young and old.

Kindred House, Margate, Kent

Margate at Christmas isn’t just the bright lights of Dreamland – it’s also home to Kindred House, a quieter but no-less dazzling space dedicated to craftsmanship and creativity. Bringing back its popular Christmas Market, owner Natasha Lawless and Josie James of Studio Mond, have curated a mixture of local Kent makers from merino wool textiles from Beatrice Larkin to Havelock Studios yakisugi bowls. Spread across three floors of the townhouse, yuletide cheer, mulled wine and minced pies will be on offer from 29^th November to 1^st December.

Sutton House, London

Hackney’s Sutton House is one of the last remaining Tudor houses in London. It has had a storied past, with stints as a Victorian schoolhouse, union office and a punk squat. This year, its original wood-panelled rooms will be decorated with paper snowflakes made by local school children, who have taken inspiration from the 17th-century paper cuttings currently on display throughout the house. This December, the house is celebrating Christmas down the centuries whilst hosting the big guy himself over three weekends. Father Christmas does need to be booked in advance, although there’s an interactive toy trail through the house that will make the wait a little more bearable for eager festive goers.

Father Christmas will be visiting Sutton House on the 1st, 8th and 15th of December.