Victorian Christmas brings a festive treat to the Old Town

Victorian Christmas

HULL'S Old Town will come alive to the sights, sounds and smells of a bygone age with the return of the hugely popular Victorian Christmas.

A synthetic ice rink will again be the centrepiece of the celebrations when city centre businesses join Hull Museums and Heritage Learning in turning back the clock on Saturday November 28.

Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert will make their entrance in a horse and carriage at 10am on Saturday November 28 to officially open the event, along with the Lord Mayor, Councillor Anita Harrison. Attractions along High Street, Scale Lane and in the Museums Quarter in the Old Town will include traditional music, entertainment, story-telling, free children’s craft activities, face-painting and Queen Victoria’s and Prince Albert’s Christmas tree, where visitors can hang home-made decorations.

The first 50 people to arrive at the Museums Quarter in fancy dress can visit Scrooge in the Streetlife Museum to receive a gift, and the costumes will be judged at 12.15pm with a prize of a family ticket for this year’s pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at Hull New Theatre.

The synthetic skating rink will be installed in the grounds of the Museums Quarter. Stalls from Trinity Open Market will be erected on Scale Lane Staith, in High Street and in the Museums Quarter and pubs in the area will sell festive fare, with staff dressed up in Victorian costume.

St Mary’s Church in Lowgate will be open for relaxation and refreshments and Holy Trinity Church will present a candlelit Advent service at 3.30pm with the lighting of the Christmas tree.

Annika Nickson of Heritage Learning said: “We are thrilled that once again Victorian Christmas is proving to be one of the most popular seasonal events in Hull’s calendar. We really hope as many people as possible will get into the Victorian festive spirit by dressing up and bringing in their own decorations to hang on the ‘Royal tree’.”

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “Victorian Christmas is a wonderful event and has become established as one of the highlights of the festive season, attracting thousands of people into the city centre.

“It is a great example of businesses working together and with other partners including Hull Museums and Heritage Learning and it is a spectacular day out with a fantastic atmosphere. HullBID has again invested to provide the skating rink and some live music to add to the programme of high quality and family friendly events, many of which are free of charge.”

A vintage bus will operate a shuttle service between the transport interchange and High Street. The service will operate from 9.45am with tickets priced at £1. The Mercure Hull Royal Hotel is offering cake, a hot drink and a bus token for £4.50.

The land train will transport visitors to the event from Queen Victoria Square and will adopt a Victorian theme for the day, and there will again be horse and carriage rides, tickets for which sold out quickly last year.

For more details of how you can get involved and for ideas for traditional decorations please visit follow the Victorian Christmas link on the Hull Museums web page: http://www.hcandl.co.uk/museums