The Marchioness of Lansdowne’s festive shopping celebration will play to the splendour of Robert Adam’s Orangery at Bowood House (between Calne and Chippenham). Her family home will be decorated for the Christmas Extravaganza, from Wednesday to Friday, November 22-24, while also raising funds for the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust.
The first 20 shoppers to book an all-inclusive overnight stay at Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort on Wednesday, November 22 will be given a private tour of the Extravaganza by Lady Lansdowne that afternoon, before the doors then open to other visitors for the ticketed preview evening (from 4pm-8pm). There will be carol singing in the private family chapel and cocktails will be lined up too.
Alongside entrance to the Extravaganza, the special all-inclusive overnight stay on Wednesday, November 22 at Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort, a mile from Bowood House and also within the estate’s 2000-acre, grade I-listed Capability Brown parkland, will also include breakfast and use of the spa facilities. Any gifts bought at the Extravaganza can be gift wrapped at the event and then delivered back to the hotel. A gift-wrapping master class will be held at the hotel at 10am on the Thursday morning.
The price for this package from £199 per room (based on two sharing a double/twin). To book the package, and join the private tour (if you are among the first 20), contact Bowood Hotel on 01249 822228.
During the three-day event, shoppers will have the chance to seek out upscale items from an enticing variety of gift stalls spreading out from the Stables Restaurant, through to the Sculpture Gallery and into the Orangery. The surrounding Robert Adam interiors, dating back to the 1760s, and impressive collection of paintings, sculptures and tapestries will bring incomparable panache to Bowood House’s colonnaded ‘pop-up’ shopping arcade. Cashmere, jewellery, scented candles, festive decorations, wrapping paper and ribbon, indulgent foodie treats, handmade toys and imaginative stocking fillers are among the many choices set to inspire the Christmas shopper seeking to enjoy the whole process. Look out for names such as Wadswick, Possum Merino, Candle Mademoiselle, Radish Loves, Clare Villar Art and many more. A Christmas Café will be open throughout the three-day Extravaganza.
The Extravaganza opens on Wednesday, November 22 with a heightened sense of occasion. Tickets for this preview event must be booked in advance (priced at £15 per person, if not booked as part of the residential package).
With Thursday tending to be the Extravaganza’s busiest day, two separate sessions have been scheduled to ensure a comfortable flow of shoppers throughout the day. The first of Thursday’s sessions will run from 10am-2pm (£8 per person if booked in advance or £10 on the day) while the second will be from 2pm-7pm. (£6 per person if booked in advance or £10 on the day)
On Friday, November 24 the Extravaganza will be open to the public from 10am-3pm. (£6 per person if booked in advance or £8 on the day).
What can you see at the Extravaganza?
Carol singing in the Chapel
Wednesday: Calne Choral
Thursday and Friday: St Margaret’s Calne Chamber Choir
The Christmas Café
Tea, coffee and cake: until 11.30am (Thursday and Friday)
Lunch: from noon-2pm (Thursday and Friday)
Cream tea: from 3pm (Thursday)
A sample of stallholders:
Wadswick: country lifestyle clothing and related items, with brands such as Le Chameau, Musto, Dubarry, Fairfax and Favor and Joules featured.
Joan Pressley Hats: located in the market town of Devizes, this treasure trove of a hat shop specialises in ladies’ headware, offering the very best in fashion, style and design.
The Wiltshire Liqueur Company: sophisticated liqueurs with a bespoke labelling service.
Gastro Nicks: purveyors of fine foods, wines, prosecco, food gifts and hampers, specialising in artisan Sicilian products.
Intelligent Pelican: essential gap year, festival and backpacking items in one travel kit.
White Horse Bookshop: part of the fabric of Marlborough since 1943, the bookshop settles into Bowood House’s Library for the course of the Extravaganza.