Half Term and Halloween at the Treasure Houses of England

Spooky goings on in Palace House, Beaulieu

For a happy Halloween and Half Term holiday, schedule in a spooky trip to the ever-spectacular Treasure Houses of England.

Beaulieu is one of Britain’s most haunted places and ghosts have often been seen and heard in the 13th century Abbey and at Palace House.  So if you’re looking for something spooky to do for Half Term, don’t miss the strange goings on at Beaulieu’s Ghost and Ghouls Half Term Hauntings (26 October – 3 November).  From a Halloween quiz trail starting in the Motor Museum and spooky stories in Palace House to tours with real ghost hunters in the haunted Abbey for a super-scary day of chilling entertainment.  Throw into the magnificent mix, frightening face painting, a ride on the Moan-a-rail, and a Halloween lucky dip – and it’s a formidably frightening formula for a memorable and thrilling experience.

Halloween at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace’s Halloween celebrations (26 October – 3 November) will cast a ghoulish spell of spooky entertainment and family fun with a 'Ghosts and Goblins' Halloween Hunt in the Pleasure Gardens hedge maze, a fantastic range of Halloween inspired arts and crafts activities, and spooky tours of the Palace on weekdays

Wrap up warm and tread through crispy Autumn leaves on Burghley’s Pumpkin Trail (28 October – 3 November) around the Sculpture Garden and explore Burghley House’s spectacular surrounds to find the hidden pumpkins and receive a special treat.  There’s also spooky family fun to be had by touring the state rooms by flickering candlelight – limited places please book in advance.

Castle Howard will host its first ever Halloween event when the magnificent  grounds of the historic house are transformed into a spooky wonderland for a family friendly ‘Chills and Thrills’ spectacular.

Halloween at Harewood

Book in advance for Chatsworth Luminaire in the House and Garden taking place 26-30 October. For the very first time the glorious interiors of Chatsworth will be open at night, atmospherically lit with candles and soft reflected light, whilst the garden will be lit with illuminations playing out the legend of Artemis, Goddess of the moon and the hunt.

Sink into the delights of the season and admire Harewood in all of its Autumn Glory (26 October- 3 November) as a bevy of indoor and outdoor events celebrate the colourful season amongst beautifully inspiring scenery including trails, twilight tales and tasty treats, crafts and Hallowe’en fun.

Whilst on the farm at Hatfield you can enjoy their farm themed craft week and follow the Halloween Trails.

And don’t miss Holkham Hall where spooky spiders weave a magical web of fun and mystery! (27-31 October).  Visitors can explore magical and mystical mayhem – where spidery facts and body parts abound in the hall, hunt for them all and create your very own breed of spider whilst discovering some scary arachnid factoids along the way. Count the creepy crawlies hidden on their webs in the walled gardens and find your way out of the webbed maze.  At the Bygones Museum, home of Holkham’s largest spidery resident, there’s more entangling frights with mad scientists busy mixing their potions, spells, slime and smells, creating a horrifying hair-raising experience. Along with creepy craft activities, ghoulish face painting, pumpkin carving and frightfully delicious feasts to horrify your tastebuds to make your visit truly 'spooktacular'!

Halloween at Holkham Hall

Children will be enthralled and entertained to the max at Leeds Castle (26 October- 3 November) with a fantastic array of activities such as mask making and spooky themed crafts. Their ghoulish Ghost Tours (29, 30 & 31 October) will definitely stir the senses, as will the Fairfax Restaurant’s tasty store of Halloween themed food.

Or why not take a Bat Walk on Tuesday 29 October at WoburnAbbey where you can learn all about the species of bats living in the Abbey Gardens on an exclusive night-time tour.

www.treasurehouses.co.uk

• The Treasure Houses of England are 10 of the most magnificent palaces, houses and castles in England today. Together they attract in excess of 2.8 million visitors annually.

• Members are Beaulieu, Blenheim Palace, Burghley House, Castle Howard, Chatsworth, Harewood, Hatfield House, Holkham Hall, Leeds Castle and Woburn Abbey.

• One of the most compelling features of the Treasure Houses of England is that they all offer the visitor a living history. Most are still homes to the great families who have owned them for generations. Others keep their heritage alive by re-creating scenes and events that have dominated and shaped England from the 9th century to the present day.

• Between them they house some of the most important art collections in the world with famous works from artists such as Van Dyck and Gainsborough. The connoisseur of fine furniture, porcelain and china will find priceless examples of Chippendale, Wedgwood and Meissen.

• Each house is an architectural masterpiece surrounded by beautiful parklands and gardens.