Samlesbury Hall
HISTORIC HALLS Christmas past Sparkling frost covered gardens, warming banqueting halls, decorated foyers, and giant Christmas trees, all add to the magical experience of stepping into a historic hall during the winter months. Lancashire has so many fantastic halls and houses where you will find a warm welcome and all the Christmas sparkle you are looking for, as well of the experience of Christmases of Lancashire past.
Samlesbury Hall
Lancashire’s Yuletide connections Did you know that the first written mention of Santa Claus dates back to 1871, from a poem published in the Preston Guardian. The idea of Santa delivering presents to children dates back to around this time so it’s not a stretch to suggest that Santa became more prevalent in published pieces around the UK then too. That’s not the only festive connection to the county, Lancashire also has its own Wassail Song. Wassailing is the custom of toasting trees or crops with hot spiced ale or cider during the depths of midwinter or visiting houses singing and offering a drink to residents in exchange for a gift, usually on the twelfth night of Christmas. Throughout the years, Christmas has been celebrated in different ways. The Lancastrian’s of Tudor times would burn a large “Yule Log” for the twelve days of Christmas, believing that if it extinguished before the twelve days were up then the year ahead would bring bad luck. Friends and family would gather around the log and share stories and sup spiced porridge. While the burning of logs hasn’t stood the test of time, the tradition of “flesh day” which saw the rural communities around towns like Poulton-le-Fylde, Garstang and Ormskirk descend the towns on Christmas Eve to purchase the meat they needed for the festive period, has now transformed into the festive markets we see today.
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