Tudor christmas

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Boar’s Head Centerpiece at a Tudor Feast

Weald and Downland open air museum

In 1683 the Thames froze over and a great Thames Frost Fair was held on the ice itself. But despite recent cold winters, especially 2010, the Thames has failed to freeze. Why?

The Wilson-Warner House, c. 1769, on the National Historic Register, in 2011 was changed into a magical Christmas exhibit with reference to the beloved children’s book illustrator Tasha Tudor. With nearly 100 books to her credit, Tudor was known for her folksy watercolor illustrations of early American life that included children, animals, flowers, and of course, Christmas. Christmas in Early America Each room in the house was interpreted based on Tudor’s New England Christmas celebrations…

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 at 1 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 5 at 12:30 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 25 at 5:30 p.m. on KPBS TV / On demand now with KPBS Passport! Join Lucy Worsley on a 12-day extravaganza as she discovers that much of what we enjoy in contemporary Christmas — from carols to gift-giving, feasting and drinking — was just as popular 500 years ago, with some surprising Tudor twists.

Take the tour

A Tudor Christmas feast recreated at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, West Sussex. (Bayleaf Farmhouse)

Where else in the world can you learn to make a beautiful nineteenth century water ice like this? Or bake a Strasbourg Pie like this? Or an amazing Victorian shortbread like this? Or fire a Yorkshire Pudding under the spit roast like this? Or meet such a lovely group of people as this? Due to a lot of work in the museum sector and writing commitments, I am only running a small number of courses in 2012. However, there is a nice range of subjects to chose from and I have published a course…