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Hopes Antiques Roadshow can inspire visit to Abbey

National Trust/Arnhel de Serra The outside of Anglesey Abbey. The sky is blue and the light is shining onto the building, casting it in a warm glow. The sand coloured stone is partly covered by ivy creeping up the walls of the Abbey. The is a wooden arched door in the centre of the building. National Trust/Arnhel de Serra
Inside the house is a world-class collection of furniture, silver, paintings, clocks, tapestries and statuary, all assembled by Lord Fairhaven

A property curator hopes people will be inspired to visit a Jacobean-style house and an 18th Century watermill after it features on Antiques Roadshow.

Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire will be showcased on the At Christmas episode on Sunday at 19:30 GMT with host, Fiona Bruce.

The BBC One programme will include some of the treasures from the Abbey and investigate what happened to some of the show's most memorable items.

Roisin Rampley, Anglesey Abbey's property curator, said: "I hope the show will inspire people to visit the house and explore the collection further."

BBC Studios/ Anna Gordon A film crew inside the Abbey looking at a detailed tapestry of birds and trees. A man with a camera on a tripod is stood in front of a wooden set of draws to film the art. A woman with a boom microphone stand behind him.BBC Studios/ Anna Gordon
Anglesey Abbey is a home rather than a gallery, which aims to give a sense of the kinds of spaces in which 19th Century patrons enjoyed the art

The programme will show some items in the Anglesey Abbey collection that the first Lord Fairhaven, Urban Huttleston Broughton, collected during his lifetime.

The 16th Century Saxon Atlas, the jewelled Pagoda Clock and the silver-gilt Shield of Achilles all inspired the Christmas decorations in the rooms of the country house.

Ms Rampley said, "It is wonderful to see the house and collection showcased on the Antiques Roadshow.

"The treasures featured provide just a taster of the many significant and beautiful pieces in the collection at Anglesey Abbey.

"The decorated house provides a gorgeous backdrop to the Christmas special, thanks to the hard work of our staff and volunteers."

National Trust/Mike Selby A Grecian banquet in the Dining Room National Trust/Mike Selby
The house at Anglesey Abbey will remain decorated for Christmas until 5 January, 2025

Viewers will see one of the many lists from the 1960s that Lord Fairhaven kept, detailing all the gifts that he gave and received at Christmas time.

Martin Beaver, Anglesey Abbey's general manager, said: "It is a real honour to be chosen as the location for this year's Christmas special.

"The staff and volunteers here work tirelessly to provide a great Christmas experience for our many visitors, so it is very fitting that their endeavours will be shared more widely with a national audience.

"I am quite sure that viewers will be impressed with the selection of items that feature on the show and we hope that it will encourage many more people to come and see this special place for themselves this festive season and into the New Year."

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