The sights, sounds and smells of a traditional, Victorian Christmas will be recreated next weekend.

Manx National Heritage will host ’A Taste of Victorian Christmas’ at the Grove Museum, in Ramsey, which will be decorated with period-style trappings, on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9, December.

Music will be provided by the Ramsey Town Choir, The Ramsey Town Band and the Douglas Silver band, and there will be craft sessions and festive foods on offer throughout the two-day event.

To accompany the music, there will also be a Victorian minstrel on hand to entertain guests throughout the weekend, along with Victorian story telling in the barn.

The Ellan Vannin Pipes and Drums will close the event at 3pm on the Sunday.

The smell and taste of festive cooking will be brought to life with roast chestnuts available in the yard, festive cakes and hot drinks from the conservatory and hot food cooked over a fire pit by the Train Smokers.

Father Christmas will also be at the museum for the weekend, although he will be dressed in green, and will wear a crown of mistletoe, which is a costume far more befitting his Victorian ancestry.

During Victorian times, the image of Father Christmas was used to portray the coming of spring, and would frequently be seen to be dressed and decorated with green leaves and plants.

Pictures of Father Christmas throughout the Victorian period show him dressed in many different colours, with one common costume colour being green. The familiar picture of a jolly red Santa only became a common tradition during the 1930s.

Alan Kinvig, museums and site manager for Manx National Heritage said that they wanted to create an idea of the traditions enjoyed by families in Victorian times.

’Many of the Christmas traditions we enjoy today were first made popular during the Victorian period.

’This Christmas, we invite you to see and experience ’A Taste of Victorian Christmas’ at the Grove in Ramsey, which our staff team have been busy decorating in a traditional Victorian way.’

Tickets are £6 for adults, and children are free, with an additional £3 to meet Father Christmas on the day, with all children receiving a toy gift and fresh fruit to take home.