The National Trust’s Cotehele estate in the Tamar Valley is marking the 70th anniversary of its famous 60ft Christmas garland, which will once again hang in the Great Hall of the historic house.
What started in 1956 as an idea for an evergreen swag has become a centrepiece of the festive season, with the National Trust saying around 30,000 people visit each year to admire the display.
This year’s garland will be given a subtle metallic-inspired shimmer, with gardeners choosing dried flowers including honesty and German statice to reflect the platinum anniversary. The flowers have been grown, harvested and dried at Cotehele after preparations that began almost a year ago.
Gardener Kayleigh Lyle said: “This year, we had to go platinum. I wanted the garland to gently glint like the metal, and the Honesty and German Statice we’ve added should bring that shine. What could be more of a celebration of 70 years than a garland worth more than gold?”
She added: “The garland is a whole year in the making – we chose the colours and sent away for the seeds last December. We’re so grateful for all the staff and volunteers who have made this incredible tradition possible for seven whole decades.”
Creating the mammoth decoration is a major undertaking. The garden team and around 30 volunteers will spend approximately 10 days assembling it, beginning on Monday, 9 November. Visitors can watch the painstaking work take place until Thursday, 19 November.
Dave Bouch, the National Trust’s head gardener in the Tamar Valley, said: “There are dozens of steps but we have it down to a fine art. After a year of preparation, we form the body of the garland out of fresh pittosporum. Then that ‘worm’ is hoisted into the eaves of the Great Hall before it’s decorated from scaffold towers with our home-grown dried flowers.”
He said the method had changed remarkably little across the decades, with generations of gardeners passing their expertise to those following in their footsteps.
“Welcoming new members of the team like our colleague Ethan reminds us how important it is to pass on skills and knowledge,” he said. “After all, it’s his generation that will help create the garland in the decades to come. I hope he’s bringing his notebook!”
Rich Burrow, Cotehele’s visitor experience manager, said: “The anniversary marks an unbelievable achievement. 70 years of the garland represents hundreds of thousands of flowers, countless hours of work and immeasurable festive joy brought to the Valley over the decades. We couldn’t be prouder to be carrying on this tradition.”
The completed garland will be on display from Saturday, 21 November, until Tuesday, 5 January 2027, with the Great Hall open from 10.30am to 4pm on visiting days. The property will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The celebrations will also include an exhibition telling the story of the garland’s 70 years, festively decorated ground-floor rooms and an interactive trail through the gardens. Family Christmas activities are planned at Cotehele Mill on selected dates, while a traditional wassail will take place in the orchards on Saturday, 19 December, from 11am.
Visitors can watch the garland being made between 10am and 4pm from 9 to 19 November. Further details of the Christmas programme are available from the National Trust.