FATHER Christmas will be making a surprise appearance near York this winter.

Along with his elvish helpers, Santa will be visiting Sheriff Hutton Castle this December "for the first time in more than 500 years".

He will be speaking with the visiting children, telling them tales of his time at the castle in the 1400s and how different the presents are now compared to then.

The castle was built in the 1300s by the Neville family of Yorkshire, but was in its prime at the time of Santa’s last visit there.

Santa said: “The castle looked very different then to how it looks now. It was one of the grandest castles in the north of England. I gave presents to Edward, Earl of Warwick, nephew of Richard III. Of course, there were no Xbox’s or Lego back in those days. He asked for an orange, a peg doll and a bow and arrow.”

Tickets are available at www.xmasatthecastle.com, with the event taking place on various dates in December.