Claverton By Candlelight

Having heard about Claverton by Candlelight at the American Museum, on a whim we decided to incorporate it into a Christmas celebration of our own and take a party of twenty friends with us.  We were so glad we decided to share the experience as it was truly enchanting.  To put us in the festive mood we hired a bus to get there, sang carols with gusto along the way warmed by a glass or two of mulled wine.  To say we were lucky with the weather was an understatement; after weeks of torrential rain the evening was beautiful, clear and frosty, perfect for wrapping up in scarves and gloves ready to walk through the grounds lit only by hundreds of twinkling lanterns.

Although there were hundreds of people walking along the lantern lit paths it was completely silent and in the darkness the true spirit of Christmas hung in the air, so tangible you could almost see it.  Rounding the corner to the magnificent building that is the museum we thought we felt a few flakes of snow until we were put right by an observant small boy behind us who pointed out a discreet snow machine mounted above the door puffing out very authentic looking clouds of snow onto the people below.  Whilst we waited to go into the museum, a lady in period costume patrolled the queue with a large bowl of pieces of delicious gingerbread offered to everyone to help keep out the cold.

Each of the rooms in the museum is laid out to tell a story of the early American way of life in the 16th and 17th century and the theme is that a special visitor has arrived bearing a special gift, a ’jewel’ and it was our task to discover what represented the jewel in each case.  In the first room the jewel was a bible highlighting their strong religious beliefs and in another it is the daughter of the family’s 18th birthday and she has been given a quilt, every square being woven by a member of the family or a special friend.  This would indeed be the jewel she would cherish all of her life.  All the rooms are intricately arranged depicting different scenes and to keep the younger visitors interested, there was always a small emerald elf hidden, waiting to be discovered and counted.

The highlight of the decorations was the 15 foot Christmas tree in the central hall, hung with handmade trimmings studded with beads, sequins and glass jewels, finished with long swirling garlands and ribbons draped from top to bottom of the tree.  It was magnificent; all the decorations are made by volunteers probably taking them all year to complete.

We caught sight of Ol’ Saint Nick roaming through the rooms splendidly bearded and mellifluously wishing all a merry Christmas whilst dispensing little gifts to the children.  Outside in the square the Hilperton Handbells performed a marvellous medley of carols, followed by the Salvation Army Band, Bath Citadel Corps, giving a rousing performance which had feet stamping and hands clapping, the perfect way to lift the spirits.

To finish the evening there was a wonderful firework display viewed from the terrace.  They were especially exciting as unlike most formal outdoor displays you were close enough to smell the cordite, see the swirling smoke and gasp as the sky just above you was illuminated with a million fiery lights.

Everyone at the American Museum must have put in so much hard work to ensure the faultless organisation with so much attention to detail and how pleased they must be to see it such a success.  It was a wonderful evening and I think we all left carrying with us the true and magical meaning of Christmas just as it was those many years ago.

David Vowels
The American Museum in Britain
www.americanmuseum.org