WALK: Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire
Mistletoe Magic
Festive fairs and markets celebrate many of our rural traditions. Simon Whaley reveals some of his favourites before puckering up for Tenbury Wells’ charming Mistletoe Festival, where druids, drummers and royalty pay homage
Tune in
Chris Skinner takes a close look at mistletoe in The Countryside Hour, including how to grow it on your apple tree. Available on BBC Sounds. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p05rcf6g
Our rural Christmas markets, fairs and festivals are a nostalgic blend of traditional ingredients, from the northerly chill that caresses your cheeks to the internal hug from a warming sip of spiced, mulled wine.
Add the gorgeous metallic tones from a local brass band as they play the opening bars of Silent Night, accompanied by the angelic voices of the local infant-school choir. Finally, stir in lashings of festive spirit, with twinkling lights, and the aroma of fresh mince pies or roasting chestnuts. And, if we’re lucky, it’s all topped off with the softest of snowflakes dancing gently in the air.
MERRY MARKETS
Our cities tempt tourists with large German markets, but Britain’s market towns, villages and country houses celebrate rural customs, local produce, crafts and ancient traditions. They are a magical place to buy that special ingredient for Christmas dinner, or a unique handcrafted gift for a loved one.
Savour the produce from festive farmers’ markets, such as Creake Abbey’s Christmas Farmers’ Market in Norfolk (17 December), or the Argory’s Christmas Fair in County Armagh (3 December). Aberglasney’s Winter Fair (2–4 December) showcases local Welsh delicacies and crafts, while chefs at Padstow’s Christmas Market in Cornwall (1–4 December) offer tasty Christmas dinner tips.
Victorian entertainment appears on the cobbled streets of Ulverston’s Dickensian Festival (26–27 November) in Cumbria, while Thursford in Norfolk puts on its 45th Christmas Spectacular of non-stop singing, dancing, music and humour (8 November – 23 December). Make your own lantern at Hawkshead’s Christmas Fair in Cumbria (3–4 December) before parading through the village at night, or create a festive dec oration at Stourhead’s Christmas Wreath Workshops in Warminster (26–27 November, 6 and 10 December).
Meanwhile, visitors to Beecraig’s Illuminated Festive Forest (2–3 December) in West Lothian can keep warm along the 1.1-mile festive light trail with cups of mulled wine.
MISTLETOE FESTIVAL
The orchards of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire produce over two-thirds of Britain’s mistletoe, which is why Tenbury’s mistletoe auctions at Burford House (22 and 29 November) have been the UK’s largest for over 160 years. As the winter solstice approaches, the orchards’ otherwise-bare branches groan under the weight of this fertile, hemiparasitic plant.
Tenbury Wells’ Mistletoe Festival (3 December) began in 2004, when the historic mistletoe auction site was sold for development. To bring back the mistletoe buzz, the community created the festival with a magical mix of old and new traditions.
New rituals include the crowning of the Mistletoe Queen by the Holly Prince, who both take part in the day’s activities. Stalls sell mistletoe-themed gifts, as well as local produce, including cider and perry.
The festival’s highlight is the traditional mistletoe blessing. Drummers beat a dancing rhythm through the town, collecting visitors like a pied piper, while snaking their way towards the Burgage Recreation Ground. Here, local druids celebrate the year’s mistletoe harvest with music and readings, blessing the plant by chanting:
“All hail the mistletoe, On the sacred tree does grow, Our blessing we bestow, All upon the mistletoe!”
The blessed bunch is shared among visitors, before the River Teme takes the remains towards the sea and, ultimately, around the world.
Make the most of this magical time of year with a short walk around the market town and to nearby Burford House and Gardens.
TENBURY WELLS WALK
3.2 MILES/5.2KM | 2 HOURS | EASY
1 PUMP HOUSE
From Teme Street car park, follow the Kyre Brook to the town’s Pump Rooms. Built in 1862 to promote Tenbury as a spa town, on festival day it houses local craft and produce stalls. The owner of the adjacent Crow Hotel discovered the saline spring on the grounds in 1839.
The trail passes Market Street’s toilets, rebuilt after the devastating 2007 floods. The building’s shape reflects a hop kiln, in recognition of the town’s historic hop industry.
2 OLD SCHOOLS
Turn left along Cross Street. Numbers 43–49 were built as the Tenbury National School, to educate Tenbury’s poorest children. Between 53 and 55 Cross Street is Tenbury Museum (open in summer only), built in 1816 as Goff’s Free School. It continued as a school until 1915.
Further along Cross Street is the 16th-century, timberframed Pembroke House. Originally owned by Oxford’s Pembroke College, it was once a cider house with a reputation for serving a potent brew.
3 MARK ETMISSHAPE
Return down Cross Street and fork left into Market Square. The Round Market is actually oval-shaped, and was designed by James Cranston, who also designed the Pump Rooms. Festival events include local stalls and children’s activities. Look out for the Old Fire Station near St Mary’s Church, once the town’s mortuary. Floods damaged the original 12th-century St Mary’s in 1770. Only the lower section of the original tower survives.
The narrow Church Lane cuts through to Tenbury’s main road, Teme Street, next to The Regal. Refurbished in 2012, this Art Déco-style cinema has wonderful Italianate murals on the auditorium walls. Look out for the crowning of the Mistletoe Queen and Holly Prince here.
4 TEMESIDE SPRIGS
Just before the river stands Temeside House, built as the town’s workhouse in 1837. Draped in mistletoe on festival day, there’s plenty here to pucker up for with friends before picking up the drumming procession to the mistletoe blessing.
5 BURFORD HOUSE
Tenbury’s mistletoe auctions (22 and 29 November) are now held a mile away at Burford House & Gardens. The free-to-enter 1.6-hectare gardens are home to 290 varieties of clematis. To visit, cross the Teme, turn left at the road junction and take a stile on the left. The earth tump is all that remains of Tenbury’s wooden castle keep. Follow the signed path across several fields and through Burford Churchyard to Burford House. Retrace your steps to town.
6 RIVER PATH
From Tenbury’s crooked bridge, a Temeside path heads to the Burgage Recreation Ground, where the mistletoe blessing takes place, and returns to the car park.
About the festival: Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Festival, 3 December.
MISTLETOE FACT FILE
Mistletoe is dioecious, meaning each plant is either male or female. Only the female carries berries. As a hemiparasite, it takes some nutrients from the host tree, but also creates sugars through photosynthesis. The berries are popular with mistle thrushes and blackcaps.
Simon Whaley is an author, writer and photographer who lives in Shropshire.
TENBURY CHRISTMAS ARTS MARKET
Coinciding with Tenbury’s late-night shopping, there is a pop-up Christmas Arts Market on Thursday 8 December, with arts and crafts stalls in the mistletoe-fence-lined Tesco Market, with further stalls along Teme Street and at the Round Market (above). Local choirs and Tenbury Town Band will provide festive music and entertainment.
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