FANCY stepping back in time to see how Christmas was celebrated in style at a Victorian country house?

Visit Beaulieu this coming festive season between December 21 and January 5 and you can find out what it’s like to take a glimpse into Christmas past.

Palace House, which has been the home of the Montagu family since 1538, is a place of enchantment at this time of year.

Visitors will have the chance to talk to characters from Victorian times to discover what life was really like both ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ at Christmas time and warm themselves in front of the yule log in the hearth of the great fireplace while enjoying a glass of hot fruit punch.

And children can delve into a ‘Box of Delights’ and dress up in period costumes, while in the lower drawing room there will be carol singing and musical entertainment.
 

The splendid Victorian-style decorations around the house and the magnificent Christmas tree in the upper drawing room provide a fitting backdrop for the festive celebration.

We have six family tickets, each worth £55, for you to win to visit Beaulieu, the home of the National Motor Musuem, Beaulieu Abbey and the Palace House and gardens, near Brockenhurst, Hampshire. A family ticket admits two adults and up to three children or one adult and up to four children.

In the National Motor Museum, the Victorian theme continues as visitors can see what driving was really like in those early days.

Take the chance to jump aboard the ‘Wheels’ pod ride to be transported on a journey through a hundred years of motoring history.

Don’t miss your last chance to see the museum’s exciting Bond in Motion exhibition (it closes on January 5), showcasing 50 original vehicles from the James Bond films. It’s the largest exhibition of its kind to be staged anywhere in the world, and celebrates 50 years of the film franchise.

See some of the most iconic and best-loved Bond vehicles, including the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldeneye, the Little Nellie gyrocopter from You Only Live Twice and Bond villain Zao’s gadget-laden Jaguar XKR used in Die Another Day, and take the chance to watch action clips and behind-the-scenes footage from some of the films’ most thrilling vehicle stunt sequences.

In the World of Top Gear Enormodrome, you watch exclusive footage from behind the scenes in the Top Gear production zone, enjoy clips of the best Top Gear moments and the cars from some of the presenters’ most ambitious challenges.

For a different view of Beaulieu’s sights, hop on an old London Bus or take a ride on the high-level monorail.

If you’re in a shopping mood, you can visit the Beaulieu gift shops which stock everything from soft toys and stocking fillers for children, to a wide selection of motor-related items, traditional gifts and Beaulieu’s own wine and festive fare.

There is free parking and free entry to the gift shop conveniently located in the visitor reception hall.

To be in with a chance of winning tickets, send your name, address and telephone number in an email to: Heraldcompetitions@nqo.com or on a postcard or reverse of a sealed envelope to: Beaulieu Christmas Past competition, Herald Series, Promotions Department, Newsquest Oxfordshire, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ, by the contest’s closing date of Wednesday, December 11.

If you are not lucky enough to win tickets, information about Beaulieu is available at www.beaulieu.co.uk or by calling 01590 612345.
Beaulieu is open daily from 10am to 5pm, except Christmas Day. For further information, visit the website: www.beaulieu.co.uk