With Christmas coming, Gilbert White’s House and Gardens in Selborne is set to lift yuletide spirits with a range of festive events.

White’s Eco Christmas Fair, on December 3, opens from 10.30am to 4pm. Entry is £3 and includes admission to the house and gardens.

It will bring together the finest selection of local handcrafted gifts, and stalls offering a variety of eco items, all displayed in the rustic 16th-century barn.

The historic house will also be decking the halls with boughs of holly and with yuletide performances by the Prize Old Mummers and Alton Community Choir.

Traditional mulled wine and mince pies will be available, and visitors can try a sip of Gilbert White’s gin or a luxury hot chocolate.

And the Gilbert White brewers will be offering this year’s wass-ale based on a traditional Scottish strong ale recipe with hints of Christmas pudding flavour.

In the garden the trees cast intricate shadows against the low winter sun, and the mistletoe berries sparkle from their branches.

Visitors can help to promote a good harvest for coming the year by singing to the orchard trees in a ‘wassail’ led in traditional costume.

The rustic barn, nestled beneath the Selborne Hanger, is to host a Christmas concert on December 8, between 7.30pm and 9pm (including an interval) that will see Otterbourne Brass Band fill the air with carols.

The band has provided music to Winchester and beyond since 1923, regularly taking part in national and regional competitions and performing to crowds throughout the county.

Admission to the concert at Gilbert White’s House is £15 and will include a warming glass of mulled wine or spiced apple juice to accompany a classic mince pie.

Tickets for the Christmas concert and White’s Eco Christmas Fair are available via Gilbert White’s House & Gardens website at https://gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk/ or by calling 01420 511275.