Meet more of the makers behind Christmas at Holkham 2024
November 25, 2024 | Christmas | 6 minute read
It takes the Countess of Leicester and Holkham’s Christmas Connoisseur, Catherine Zoll, months to consider and conjure up the festive magic that appears at Holkham Hall in late November each year. Their planning usually begins in January! Full of ideas and inspiration, they seek out impressive craftspeople and makers from across the UK to bring their vision to life, ready for you to enjoy.
This is the second installment of our ‘Meet the Christmas Makers’ journal posts – you can read the first here. In these, we’re introducing you to the talented creatives helping to bring Christmas 2024 at Holkham to life!
And while we won’t reveal what’s in store, there’s not long to wait! Our Holkham Hall by Candlelight tours begin on 29th November and continue throughout December. Have you booked your ticket?
Georgia Kossowicz
Georgia Kossowicz is a local artist specialising in murals, window art, and chalkboards. Originally from London, where she spent her childhood on a narrowboat, Georgia moved to Wells-Next-the-Sea as a child and now calls the North Norfolk countryside home, where she lives with her beloved Labrador, Sully. Passionate about making art accessible to all, she leads a weekly art club for children at a local primary school. Proudly neurodivergent, Georgia draws inspiration from the vibrant patterns of the 1970s, bold colors, and the natural beauty of the Norfolk countryside.
For Christmas at Holkham, Georgia will be creating intricate, festive decoration for the Courtyard Café and Gift Shop windows. The hand-drawn winter scenes will be inspired by Holkham’s surroundings and wildlife, with plenty of magic thrown in too.
Clients include: Rocky Bottoms Restaurant, The Bug Parc, Doodle Pots and The Golden Fleece.
Kieran Lowe – Audio Resolution
Kieran Lowe has lived on the Holkham Estate, along with his family, for 15 years and has loved every minute of it! His company, Audio Resolution Ltd, also based at Holkham, provides technical event services throughout the UK and Europe which include lighting, audio equipment, staging and event power solutions. He very much loves his work which often includes events such as theatre performances, conferences, weddings and concerts. He frequently provides technical support and equipment packages for events within the walls of the estate.
This Christmas season, Kieran and his team will be setting up lighting in multiple areas throughout the estate to help create a magical festive atmosphere!
Natalie Burnett – Curious Fair
Curious Fair creates luxury, heirloom masks, headdresses, and accessories for those who like to stand out from the crowd. Candlelit masquerade balls, wondrous woodland weddings, fabulous festivals, brilliant birthday bashes, their accessories are perfect for all of life’s celebrations!
A small female team with backgrounds in theatre design, fine art and illustration, they weave magic into the everyday with their whimsical wares. Inspired by nature and the British woodland, Curious Fair’s ethereal creations are handmade at their Norfolk HQ from real feathers, dried blooms and natural findings.
With her childhood garden backing onto woodland, owner Natalie discovered the magical pull of nature from a young age. Creating costumes from foraged finds for make-believe scenes was far too much fun to leave in the past! Her love of theatre and dressing up encouraged Natalie to train in Costume and Theatre Design. After immersing herself in the fast-paced, London theatre world, she began to crave a sense of calm that only time in nature could bring. A commission to produce natural animal masks for a performance at Kings Cross Station was the catalyst to a whole new world. The pull of nature grew stronger over the coming year, leading her to travel away from the theatre scene to Norwich, providing the chance to create something truly personal. This was the beginning of Curious Fair.
Clients include: Porter Magazine, Vogue, Vanity Fair, M&C Saatchi, Fortnum & Mason, Oasis Fashion, The BBC, The Natural History Museum, The Feather’s Association and Eco Flix.
Paul Reynolds – Spectacular Projections
Paul Reynolds is Creative Director and Producer at Spectacular Projections – a cutting edge projection mapping company with an illustrious portfolio of major brands as their clients.
Paul has been working with architecture and light since graduating from Westminster University with an engineering degree in 1987, developing different forms of 16mm film and slides and experimenting with projections on non linear objects and 3D shapes. In 2007, once the technology progressed, he developed a show for a private festival in the UK which is recognised as the genesis of the now worldwide phenomenon of projection mapping.
Paul’s quest has been to re-contextualise the way we look at everyday objects. He draws his inspiration from universal structures in geometry and the strength and beauty of the human sprit.
For Christmas at Holkham, the Statue Gallery will be transformed into a frozen room. As people enter, they will see the walls, ceiling and statues covered with shimmering ice. They will hear the sound of a magical sleigh flying across the ceiling covering the room in colourful star dust. As the ice cracks and recedes a world beyond the walls covered in snow will be revealed – a kingdom of magical beauty. The statues will come to life as the returning sleigh showers dust over the world again and it returns to a frozen state.
Clients include: Saks 5th Avenue, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Kimberley Festival, Goodwood Festival, Jaguar.
Work has been going on behind the doors of Holkham Hall since the start of November, and while we can’t say much, we can say it’s all going to look fabulous! Candlelight Tours begin on 29th November and we’d love to welcome you. Find out more and book here.
Back to Journal Back to Journal
