FESTIVE celebrations in Beaulieu this year offer the unique opportunity to enjoy a Victorian Family Christmas pantomime.

Lord Montagu has chosen a performance based on a script previously used by a 19th century local Mummers group which toured the New Forest.

Palace House will see the family and servants, played by actors rehearse the panto, which portrays the Montagu family preparing for Christmas in 1889.

Visitors will be invited on stage to join in the fun during rehearsals, giving them a taste of how families created their own entertainment before the electronic age.

Craft activities will take place in the Library, where guests will have the chance to make their own Christmas card, or create a sparkling decoration to hang on the tree.

There will also be photo opportunities to dress up in period accessories or grab an image with the sleigh and wicker reindeer, and life-size gingerbread house.

Christmas activities, including decorations in every room of Palace House, are available on December 9 and 10, and then from December 16 through to January 1.