Wrexham County Borough 107 - Christmas at Erddig/some rooms open/ a festive christmas sandwich/a ham purchased in 1939 and forgotten about

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Christmas is always that time of year when the National Trust properties open up for the festive period. A few properties open their doors, fill the halls with holly and decorations and hope to get the visitors in. Visitors who fill buy a lunch or perhaps buy a gift or two for the family.

Locally there are three properties open. On our doorstep Erddig. Just a short drive away . The servants quarters are reported to be decorated. Christmas trees are decorated in the dining room and some of the smaller rooms . Chirk the second closest has their trees up. We went last year Jo, myself , Woolly and Sion to the Mad Hatters Christmas Party. I have no idea what the theme is this year. Furthest away is Powys Castle . Their trees are decorated to echo something in the rooms . A venetian room has a venetian themed tree . So where to go?

We had so many things to do it was hard to find a date to do them all before they closed down again for the season. We had to fit in a trip to Chesterfield and one to Shrewsbury . Other days were so cold we did not fancy venturing out. We needed a good dry day where we could wrap up warmly and experience Christmas National Trust style .

So Erddig it was. Only ten minutes from our home . We could do Chirk and Welshpool next week we thought . However in normal fashion there were rainy days inbetween , an abortive trip to Shrewsbury and a problem with the car tyre. There were never going to be enough days to fit everything in . Shame that in between Christmas and New Year everything will close down again. Still we did get to Erddig .

There were not many cars on the car park . That surprised us. Was it the weather which was still chilly? As we approached the gates I realised I only had one card and that my membership card was missing . I searched inside my bag, in my purse, in my pocket but nothing was to be found . Time to turn round and retrace steps back to the car . Probably ending up going home without enjoying the Christmas displays . A lady stopped to talk to us . We could use her card as she was only visiting the restaurant and the shop. We walked inside the warm entrance area and explained . Got one card . Lost the other . No problem I can find you on the system. That surprised me as usually if you turn up without your card you are charged full price entry or turned away. Then a worker walked in . Lost your card he said . What is your name? He had picked up my card somewhere between the office and the car park . Situation retrieved and we headed for the toilets and the shop . The house was opening at 11.30 . We headed for the normal entrance only to find it locked . A sign directed us to the back servants door . We wandered round the garden trying to find the new entrance which was tucked away hidden in plain sight . The gardens were empty . No flowers out . The lake semi frozen. The windows of the house filled with numbered cards. A living Advent calendar. It all looked lovely. Here and there were tubs filled with Holly, Ivy , red berries all looking cheery.

The entrance was found and we rang the bell . The staff apologised . There were not many on and we were their first visitors . Welcome to Erddig , come in , have you been before . Yes many times . I had forgotten how many times . We were ushered into the kitchens . The guides were cold as there was no heating and no lights. They huddled looking glad to get a visitor to talk to. The lady in the kitchen showed us items on the tables and explained their uses. The best thing and one we never would have seen had she not shown us was a hanging ham. Not just any old hanging ham . It was real . Not a plastic imitation pretending to be a ham. Apparently in 1939 someone from the estate and had been into Williamsons Butchers in town and ordered a hanging ham . This was 1939 and somehow it never got picked up. Maybe the servant who ordered it went to war and never came back . It lay forgotten about until the 1980's when Williamsons closed and the ham was found and given back to Erddig . I guess it had been paid for . It had been X Rayed and according to our guide was still fit to eat in the middle as long as you sawed off the outside . Moving on we got to hear about the life of the servants at Christmas and the saw the tables set out for a lavish dinner for the Yorke family. We talked about the recent visit of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla who had planted a tree the week before . All the volunteers met the King and Queen Consort and all complained how cold it had been outside meeting them . Our small town/city had been part of the royal visit in order to hand out all the paperwork that made Wrexham a city . They visited the football club too meeting our co-owners who flew over from the USA.

Back in the house each tree was different . Each were lovely to see . We headed out and wished the volunteers a happy Christmas and hoped they got more visitors through the doors . Lunch . Parties were going on. The volunteers in their red jackets came in , sat at the tables and were served Christmas dinner . I wonder i they got the dinner free or had to pay for it . Free I hoped .

Our lunch ended up as a turkey bap , full of Cranberry sauce and brie cheese washed down with the usual coffees .

Who would have thought that today the highlight of our trip to Erddig was to see a large piece of ham that was almost 90 years old . Whoever would have thought it ?

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