Snowflakes made of diamonds and a room made of seashells! Delve into the history of some of the National Trust's treasured collections before the return of the popular BBC series this Christmas.

Two Marys and an Anne – meet the real women behind characters hovering in the margins of some of our most beloved books. As we celebrate Jane Austen’s birthday and prepare to explore the history of daily working lives for next year’s festival, Kathleen Palmer, curator of a fascinating exhibition, introduces us to the roles of housekeeper, governess and milliner in Georgian era England.

The biggest and best festival yet was delivered by our growing, and increasingly diverse community. With the help of new micro-grants and partnerships over 5,879 events were organised offering people more places to visit and stories to explore than ever before.