Olivia is a servant girl at the House. Her world is turned upside down when her duties suddenly move from housekeeping to assisting the wounded soldiers and nurses at the newly established makeshift hospital in the House.

Until she meets Gordon, Olivia has never even met anyone from outside the village. Gordon’s stories of life in Scotland are almost like fables from a fairytale to Olivia – as are his stories of bravery and anguish from the frontline.

Olivia and Gordon fall madly in love, but Olivia knows that this would be seriously frowned upon by the stern, rule-obsessed Matron and so they have to express their love through secret coded messages that no one else can read.

Is it really time to think about Christmas already? In my second year as Director here at Harewood, I’m just getting used to the fact that we have had to plan for Christmas 2018, since spring this year!

Harewood is a beautifully restored, historic house that we want to ensure stays alive and relevant. It is an educational charitable trust, but it is also a wonderful collection of social and cultural stories, shaped by the Lascelles family. Christmas is such an important and magical time of the year, to be shared with our families, and at Harewood we feel exactly the same. We want to extend that family welcome to all of our visitors.

Harewood’s Christmas will be both a nostalgic and moving experience, encouraging visitors to delve a little deeper into our social history. Our theme and artistic director this year will ensure that Christmas at Harewood is imaginative, bold, beautiful and simply impossible to replicate anywhere else….

The decadent era of the 1920s and its more celebratory note is a natural continuation from Seeds of Hope, our exhibition in the Walled Garden and Bothy, which commemorates the end of the first World War, honouring the incredibly important work the gardeners did in supporting the war effort. This participatory and immersive work of imagination, rooted in historical fact and created by Lord Whitney, marks a poignant moment in history and led us to decide Christmas should end the year on a high.

Without giving away too many secrets, visitors will step back in time to imagine Christmas through the eyes of two little boys at the end of the decade; George and Gerald Lascelles. George was the current Earl’s father and both boys were the sons of the sixth Earl and Princess Mary. ‘Imagine it is Christmas Eve 1929, and George and Gerald are wildly excited about the day ahead. As they sleep their unconscious seeps into the rooms of the house, creating a magical dreamscape. Their miniature Pony & Trap is pulled by a Rocking Horse, a satyr from the Chippendale Pier Tables morphs into Santa and their Mother’s elegant wedding dress turns into a beautiful Christmas tree……’

It is important not to be too led by a historical recreation, but rather to be playful and nostalgic. We therefore approached Simon Costin to be our Artistic Director. He is an internationally respected art director who has collaborated with the likes of the late Alexander McQueen and Givenchy to create jaw-dropping catwalk designs. His work has also been included in many exhibitions and collections from the ICA in London to The Metropolitan Museum in New York. Simon is also great fun to work with and I am sure the staff and volunteers will enjoy every moment dressing the house from top to bottom!

I, for one, cannot wait to open our doors, this Christmas, and welcome everyone into the dream world of the 1920s at Harewood.

As Seeds of Hope continues in the Walled Garden, The Bothy and Below Stairs, six characters bring to life stories from the Harewood estate 100 years ago.

George is John’s older brother, away fighting on the frontline. His letters to John from the brutal trenches are our window in to the realities of war.

We learn that George is a young man in love with nature and gardening, who misses the House and gardens at Harewood so much. His letters home to John include everyday comments on the weather, gossip, cricket and how the year’s harvest is doing – a man trying to stay upbeat, whilst giving an increasingly honest and emotional insight into what he’s facing on the frontline.

The story of George’s fight to serve his country is at the heart of Seeds of Hope.

Seeds of Hope continues until 4 November.

As Seeds of Hope continues in the Walled Garden, The Bothy and Below Stairs, six characters bring to life stories from the Harewood estate 100 years ago.

John, the Bothy Boy, is our central character and guide to the past. Too young to serve in the war, his older brother George is on the frontline, sending occasional letters, trying to be upbeat.

Life is hard for John working on the land, but he is full of passion and pride in helping feed the troops and the Home Front.

Through John’s journal, we discover what life was like during wartime at Harewood. We learn how the Estate changed radically to focus on food production, growing vegetables and rearing animals in the garden, the mischief John gets up to in his rare free moments and his role as fast bowler on the cricket team.

Until 4 November, visit Seeds of Hope.

From the end of this year, couples can again get married at Harewood, the first time in several years. Mr and Mrs Crabtree got married in 2014 and gave us an insight into their big day.

How did you meet?
We met at York Races through a mutual friend.

Why did you choose Harewood for your wedding?
We’d looked around a few venues but as soon as we were shown around Harewood we knew it was the venue for us. Beautiful house, stunning views and penguins to boot!

What was your wedding like?
From start to finish, the day was perfect. It was the hottest day of the year so we spent most of the day and night outside, either on the terrace or in the courtyard. It was a very relaxed day – exactly what we wanted – with a BBQ served to our guests in the sun and all our friends and family enjoying the live band in the evening.

Where did you do your first dance and what was the music?
Our first dance was in the Courtyard to Van Morrison’s ‘Crazy Love’ sung by our fab wedding band ‘The Players’.

What are your lasting highlights / memories of your wedding?
Joe – Helen walking down the aisle as our friend sang ‘Can’t help falling in love with you’
Helen – standing on the terrace after the ceremony with all our friends and family and just looking around feeling incredibly happy.

If you could do it all over again, would you…?
Absolutely – we wouldn’t change a thing.

The Harewood Wedding Showcase takes place on Sunday 30 September and present wedding opportunities and some exceptional partners and suppliers to couples looking to tie the know. To find out more visit online and follow us on social media @harewoodhouse