Family-friendly things to do at Canons Ashby

Planning your family visit

Here's the information you need at a glance to make the most of your family day out at Canons Ashby:

• There are baby-changing facilities in the area outside the unisex accessible toilet and the ladies toilet. These are available to all.
• High chairs available - Please ask the team for help with your baby food if it needs to be heated.
• Pocket money books and games are available in the Coach House shop
• You're welcome to picnic in the Paddock and Parkland, but not the formal gardens
• Family trails can be picked up from visitor reception
• The grass can be uneven and boggy in some areas of the wider parkland and may not be suitable for pushchairs
• The garden has loose gravel paths that may not be suitable for some pushchairs and there are steps and slopes throughout.

Family-friendly events

Christmas Carols in the Courtyard with Eboracum Baroque

Saturday 29 November, 5.30pm - 7.10pm. Pre booking essential, adult £18.50, child £11. 

Singers from Eboracum Baroque are delighted to return to Canons Ashby for a festive concert of music through the ages in the atmospheric courtyard. There will be a chance to join in with well-known Christmas carols and tunes along the way, as well as enjoying professional singers performing music from medieval times through to more recent festive arrangements.

Join us during the interval for hot drinks and mince pies which are included in your ticket price.

The Magical Forest Trail

27 November - 24 December, 10am - 3.30pm. Normal admission applies and £3.50 per trail. 

Can you help Merlin the Wizard find his way through the magical forest?

Come to Canons Ashby this festive season for our Magical Forest Trail! Help Merlin the Wizard find his way through the forest using your trail clues, and don't forget to pick up your festive prize at the end!

This will be great for those who appreciate audio sensory experiences, as there will be noisy things to interact with.

A Christmas Quest

29 November - 24 December, 11am - 3.30pm. Normal admission applies. 

Experience a magical Christmas visit at Canons Ashby with festive decorations inspired by Arthurian wizards, knights, dragons and the wonderful myths that surround them. 

This year our Christmas displays will be inspired by the legends that sparked the imagination of John Dryden, who was a member the Canons Ashby family and the first poet laureate. King Arthur, the semi-opera written by John Dryden and Henry Purcell, has been delighting audiences since 1691.

For little adventurers, pick up the Christmas Quest children’s trail, find all the ingredients on the list, and help Merlin the Wizard complete his spell to make a magical Christmas.

Festive Handbell Ringing in the Church

Saturday 6 December, 11.30am - 12.30pm. Normal admission applies and no booking needed. 

Fancy some festive cheer? Come and listen to the Launton Handbell Ringers in the Priory Church!

Enjoy the festive sounds of the Launton Handbell Ringers in the beautiful acoustics of the Priory Church between 11.30am and 12.15pm. Wrap up warm and take a pew to enjoy their beautiful music. Don’t miss the house - which will be all dressed up for an Arthurian Christmas - before or afterwards.