The UK's 'most festive pub' with 55,000 lights and a snowman made from empty wine bottles

A charming Somerset pub, known to be one of the most festive in the world, has lit up for Christmas for a good cause. The Queen Victoria Inn in Priddy, managed by Mark Walton and his wife Debs, has been adorned with over 55,000 lights for this week's grand switch-on.

Mark, who has been at the helm of the pub for 14 years, along with a group of volunteers, dedicated hours to festooning the cosy country pub with lights in preparation for the event.

In addition to the lights, other highlights of the striking festive display include a 16ft 'wine bottle' tree. The complex frame of the tree was crafted by Ben Selway, featuring an impressive 1103 empty wine bottles - all consumed at the pub throughout the year.

This year has also seen the erection of a giant 26ft snowman outside the inn, decorated with an additional 2,500 wine bottles.

"There's not much of the building that hasn't got a light on it," landlord Mark commented. "We spend a lot of time up a ladder in the days before the big switch on." This year also introduced a new festive motif on the pub, reports Somerset Live.

The festive display draws thousands of visitors to Priddy, with people travelling from all over the UK to witness Mark and his team's craftsmanship. "I love Christmas," expressed grandfather-of-nine Mark.

"It's such a special time of year. And although the exterior display is pretty expansive, we do decorate slightly more subtly inside."

In previous years, Mark and his crew transformed the pub once ranked among the top 10 Christmas displays globally - into a Gingerbread House for the holiday season. The design, which involved cladding the old stone building with wood, attracted admirers and interest worldwide.

Mark and his team have also constructed an