It’s nearly time to begin opening the Kingston Lacy Gardens Yarn Advent Calendars. Here’s a brief introduction to the estate, which you’ll learn more about over the next 24 days. (Note: If you have a 12 day calendar, look out for your days in brackets in the title).
The inspiration for this year’s Advent calendar came to me while walking through the gardens of my local National Trust property, Kingston Lacy. Usually during spring, Christmas is far from people’s minds, but preparations for Advent have to start early. I was walking around, thinking about all the possibilities for a theme, when I recognised that the beautiful flowers and scenery were exactly the kind of thing I needed for inspiration.
The Kingston Lacy estate is located a couple of miles outside of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, England. The current house was remodelled by William John Bankes between 1834 and 1855. He lived in Venice from 1841 having been forced into exile for homosexuality, and modelled the house remotely, inspired by his surroundings to create it to resemble a Venetian Palace.
You can read more about the Kingston Lacy Estate on the National Trust website.