Seasonal opening hours will apply on:
Tuesday 24 December 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 25 December CLOSED
Tuesday 31 December 10am - 3pm
On all other dates our normal opening hours (10am - 4pm) will apply.
Mr and Mrs Ball’s home is beautifully decorated with treasured family decorations and handmade garlands, and every corner reflects the warmth of the most wonderful time of the year. Mrs Ball has set the dining table for Christmas dinner, and stockings hang proudly over the fireplace. Presents are nestled under the tree, a symbol of the family’s hope and resilience.
Join us on this nostalgic journey to witness how Christmases past unfolded at such a significant time in history.
The Year Was 1944 at Christmas can be enjoyed during the daytime from Friday 6 December – 31 December, and during the evening as part of Illuminated Arboretum (6 - 22 December).
From the D-Day landings on 6 June which heralded the beginning of the liberation of western Europe to the Battles of Kohima and Imphal in India that helped turn the tide against the Japanese forces, 1944 was a year of seismic change.
At home, at the year’s end, a chilling fog greeted many at Christmas in 1944. With continued rationing still in effect, families had to make do with whatever they could get their hands on, creating their own presents for their loved ones.
