Searles Castle doesn't post visiting hours. Its website presents the granite building on Searles Road as a venue for weddings and private events, so most people only get inside for a booked occasion. On Saturday, December 5, that changes for four hours. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the castle at 23 Searles Road holds its 1st Annual Christmas Market, with local vendors and free admission.
The other building Edward Searles gave Windham opens to the public five days later. Searles School & Chapel on Chapel Road, which the town owns, hosts the Southern NH Chamber of Commerce's 5th Annual Festival of Wreaths on Thursday, December 10. The wreath festival is in its fifth year and the castle market is in its first. That makes 2026 the first December when both Searles buildings in town have a free public holiday event, and the first time they fall in the same week.
Two Buildings, One Patron, Very Different Front Doors
Searles's two buildings are a few years apart in age and have the same architect. What separates them today is ownership.
| Searles Castle | Searles School & Chapel | |
|---|---|---|
| Built | Completed in 1915 | Erected 1907–1909 |
| Architect | Henry Vaughan | Henry Vaughan |
| Materials and origin | Granite, fieldstone and sandstone, commissioned by Edward Francis Searles | Donated to Windham by Searles in exchange for the earlier schoolhouse site |
| Run by today | Event management company | Town of Windham, with resident trustees as caretakers |
| December 2026 public event | 1st Annual Christmas Market, Sat., Dec. 5 | 5th Annual Festival of Wreaths, Thu., Dec. 10 |
According to a Town of Windham document on the building, the chapel was a school until the early 1970s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Town-appointed resident trustees act as its caretakers, and a part-time town employee coordinates day-to-day use. Because it's a town building, the chapel hosts public programs all year. This year's town schedule has included a glass-gem flag class in March, a jazz band concert in September and a Friends of Moeckel Pond pop-up art gallery. The castle has no public calendar of that kind, so the December 5 market is a rare chance to get inside without an invitation.
"Join us for a little holiday magic at Searles Castle as we celebrate our 1st Annual Christmas Market!"
That line opens the castle's own event page, which promises local vendors, unique gifts and festive treats, with the castle "dressed for the holiday season."
How December 5 Fits Together
The castle market overlaps with the town's tree lighting by 45 minutes. The Windham Museum opens 15 minutes after the tree-lighting festivities begin and stays open after the tree is lit. Here is the afternoon in order:
- 11:00 a.m. The Searles Castle Christmas Market opens at 23 Searles Road. Admission is free.
- 2:15 p.m. Tree-lighting festivities begin on the Windham Town Common, with Santa, hot cocoa, music, cookies and a bonfire, hosted by the Windham Recreation Department.
- 2:30 p.m. The Windham Museum opens. It stays open until 5 p.m.
- 3:00 p.m. The castle market closes.
- 4:45 p.m. The tree on the Common is lit.
Go to the castle first. If you start at the Common for Santa, you'll have less than an hour of shopping before the market closes. Arrive at the castle around opening and you can browse, head to the Common for the second half of the festivities, stop by the museum, and be back by the bonfire for the lighting.
The museum is at 3 N. Lowell Road and is overseen by the Trustees of the Windham Museum. Its open days this year have featured information about the Revolutionary War soldiers named on town plaques, plus activities for children. Those themes come from the town's America 250 calendar, which has carried a year of events since January. December 5 is one of its last museum openings.
The Trees on the Common Need Decorators by Sunday
The trees around the town tree come from residents. Windham Recreation's Christmas on the Common adopt-a-tree program supplies the tree, and a family, business, nonprofit or neighborhood decorates it. The program is for residents only, has no fee and is capped at nine trees.
Enrollment opened November 1 and closes November 15, which is this Sunday. The listing also says registration ends once all the trees are taken, so a spot may be gone before then. Once the trees are set up, you can decorate whenever it suits you. The Recreation Department would like them finished by the morning of December 5. That means the trees on the Common at 4:45 p.m. will be ones residents signed up for between now and Sunday.
The Weeks Leading Up to It
Several smaller events fall between now and December 5, and a few come after it.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m.: U.S.A. Trivia Night at Castleton Banquet, hosted by American Legion Post 109. That's tonight.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6–7:30 p.m.: A Holiday Diorama Adult Craft at Nesmith Library, 8 Fellows Road. Space is limited, and the library asks people to register early.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, 9 a.m.: The Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot, hosted by Shepherd's Pantry, starting at 74 Blossom Road.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: James Stark performs at The Windham Restaurant.
- Monday, Nov. 30, 6–7:30 p.m.: A family Vintage Ornament Craft at Nesmith Library. Space is limited, so register early.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 11:30 a.m.: The Senior Christmas Party at Castleton, hosted by Windham Recreation. Tickets are required.
If you're making a homemade ornament for an adopted tree, the November 30 library craft is five days before the trees should be finished.
Wreaths at the Chapel on December 10
The Festival of Wreaths runs from noon to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 10. The Chamber's event listing says admission is free and more than 100 wreaths will be on display. The Southern NH Chamber of Commerce explains how it works: visitors buy raffle tickets to enter for the wreaths they want, and winners are drawn after the display closes. The Chamber describes the event as a way to connect local people with area businesses.
The festival runs into the evening, so you can go after work. Bella Perrotta is playing at Becks Public House the same night.
Dinner After the Lighting
The tree is lit at 4:45 p.m., close to dinnertime, and two Range Road restaurants are nearby. The Windham Restaurant at 59 Range Road takes reservations and online orders. Becks Public House at 49 Range Road posts daily hours. Check both sites for hours that week. A Saturday in early December with an event in town is a good night to book ahead.
Looking further ahead, O'Shea's Caife & Tae has announced a third location for Windham in a building going up at Route 111 and Hardwood Road, with a Spring 2027 opening, according to the Union Leader.
Searles chose Henry Vaughan to design both buildings, and both are still in use more than a century later, one as a private event venue and one as a town-owned space for public programs. At Rebecca Curran Realty, we look at houses the same way, with attention to how a property was built and how it has been used since. If you own a home near the Common or anywhere in Windham and wonder how its features and history affect its value, start with an instant home valuation and we'll go over the details with you.
