Raby Castle is getting into the festive spirit with a new Christmas Emporium, bringing together decorations, gifts, fashion and seasonal treats in the historic Riding School.
Christmas is arriving early at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens this year as the North East attraction expands its festive shopping experience with the launch of a new Christmas Emporium.
Opening within the Riding School, the new space will extend Raby’s existing retail offering and transform into a festive department store filled with Christmas decorations, gifts and seasonal inspiration.
The Christmas Emporium officially launches on Thursday 8 October, with a special shopping evening from 4pm until 7pm.
A new festive shopping experience
The Riding School will be transformed for Christmas with delicate baubles, twinkling lights and stocking fillers, all set against a rich palette of traditional reds, golds and greens.
The expansion follows the popularity of Raby’s Christmas collection in 2025, when decorations proved particularly popular with visitors.
Stephanie Goss, retail, buying and merchandising manager at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, said: “We were blown away by the response to our 2025 Christmas selection, which we’d thoughtfully curated throughout the year in preparation, and our baubles and decorations were exceptionally popular – a lot of these were snapped up in the first few weeks.”
This year, the larger Riding School space will allow the team to offer an even wider collection.
“By utilising the expansive space in the Riding School, we’ve created our very own Christmas haven, providing our visitors with a wider range of distinctive decorations and gifts for friends and loved ones to choose from this year,” Stephanie added.
Fashion, gifting and festive finds
The Riding School will also become the new home of the Tutti store, showcasing its Autumn/Winter collection.
Designed with everyday dressing in mind, the collection brings together fluid tailoring, tactile knitwear, considered outerwear and relaxed silhouettes.
Meanwhile, the Coach House Shop will continue to offer homeware and gifts from premium brands including Plum & Ashby and Elizabeth Scarlett. Seasonal homeware and a curated collection of gifts will sit alongside a new food emporium featuring a selection of premium brands.
Raby hopes the expanded offering will make Christmas shopping feel more like an experience in itself.
Stephanie said: “The Christmas Emporium also provides an immersive festive experience, featuring seasonal fragrances and an atmosphere full of rich red, gold and green colours that signal Christmas.”
Make a day of it
There’ll be plenty to tempt visitors beyond the shopping, too.
During the launch evening, the Estate Pop Up will serve mulled wine, deluxe hot chocolates and bratwurst sausages.
Then, from Saturday 14 November, the Christmas Emporium will include its own festive café area, offering somewhere to stop for a seasonal treat after browsing the collection.
Elsewhere on the estate, visitors can head to The Vinery Café for lunch or a glass of fizz, explore the Walled Gardens or visit Raby’s free-to-enter exhibition space.
The expansion comes as Raby continues to grow its destination shopping offering. Since opening in 2024, the Coach House Shop has recorded 30% year-on-year revenue growth.
Christmas will extend across the estate throughout the season. On selected dates in December, the castle’s Entrance Hall will once again host Raby’s festive afternoon tea and castle tour. A festive afternoon tea will also be available at The Vinery Café, overlooking the castle.
For further information about Raby Castle, Park and Gardens and its Christmas Emporium launch evening, visit: raby.co.uk/events/christmas-shopping-evening/
