Althorp: The Story of an English House [Hardcover]

Charles Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1999

The great house and grounds of Althorp in Northamptonshire have been home to the Spencer family for nearly 500 years. They first leased farm land in the area of grazing in 1486, and in 1508 Sir John Spencer acquired the 300-acre estate on which he built the first house. Since then, Spencers have lived and died at Althorp for twenty generations, and the Park has now taken on an added significance as the burial place of the most loved princess of the twentieth century.

Charles Spencer, who became the ninth Earl in 1992, has a deep love and knowledge of the house, reflected in the fact that he acted as a guide there when he was just twelve years old and in the tremendous redocorative work he has undertaken in recent years to restore it to its former glories. In 1998 there was further major work with the adapting of the quite beautiful Stable Block--once home to 100 horses and forty grooms--into a center for visitors incorporating an exhibition celebrating the life of Diana.

Earl Spencer has written a fascinating account of the house that combines the details of art and architecture (Althorp has one of the greatest private art collections in the country, including paintings by Van Dyck, Rubens, Reynolds, Stubbs and Gainsborough) with a personal appreciation of all its qualities. He also provides a first-hand description of the many changes that have occurred in recent years. With splendid photography, some of it from Althorp's archives and some of it specially commissioned, this new book offers the perfect guide to one of England's greatest houses.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This account of Althorp, his family seat, by Charles, the ninth earl Spencer, only scratches the surface of its 500-year history. Nevertheless, whether he is describing the sleepless nights of his childhood, the ticking of clocks "always ... too subtle a sound, getting absorbed in the oak of the floorboards and the fabric of the tapestries," or appraising the forbidding character of his grandfather, the "Curator Earl," Spencer casts a candid, evocative light on his subject.

Indeed, Spencer's own efforts on the estate have been considerable. First comes the business of repairing the predations of his "short-termist stepmother," Raine, the countess of Dartmouth, who has laid down wall-to-wall oatmeal carpet in a 115-foot-long Tudor picture gallery. Now comes the death and burial on the estate of his sister, Diana, the princess of Wales. That Charles must now curate the family home as a site of global mourning is a trial quite the equal of anything the estate has ever faced.

Subtitled "The Story of an English House," the book has a structure, dividing the subject into buildings, grounds, family history, and collections, that is entirely conventional. Yet Spencer surprises by packing in many details about the social and political vicissitudes that shaped his family's wealth and taste. In doing so, he eschews his grandfather's regrettable elitism, while losing none of the old man's dedication to the family's heritage. Like all good introductions, this book suggests a world and time far exceeding its little compass. --Simon Ings

About the Author

Charles, Viscount Althorp, became the ninth Earl Spencer on the death of his father in 1992. Since then he has undertaken extensive refurbishment of Althorp and supervised the changes made to accommodate the many thousands of people who wish to visit the home and grounds since the death of his sister. He was educated at Eton College and obtained his degree in Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312208332
• ISBN-13: 978-0312208332
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Royalty > Princess Diana

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique, warm account of a man's extraordinary inheritance, March 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Althorp: The Story of an English House (Hardcover)

Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer, has written a moving and often amusing account of the history and content of the ancestral home which he inherited in 1992 upon the death of his father. He describes with obvious love, pride and disarming honesty the lives of the people at Althorp over a period of five hundred years.

His book is quite unique in this genre in that this particular stately home remains in his private ownership and is, of course, now the final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales. Earl Spencer has, however, successfully resisted any temptation to make his much-loved, late sister the main feature of his book. Instead, he takes the reader through each room of the house, as if they were a visitor, accompanied by fascinating history and sumptuous colour photographs of the fabulous art treasures and antiquities, whilst also allowing an insight, via personal anecdotes, into his own childhood and upbringing at Althorp. He also tells of the considerable restoration and redecoration work he commenced in 1992 which was finally completed in 1998.

The last chapter is devoted, fittingly, to the creation of his memorial to Diana after her tragic and untimely death in August 1997, which the public are now admitted to view in July and August each year.

Finally and touchingly, he writes of how he feared he would "never be able to make [his] own mark" on Althorp. Reading his book and visiting Althorp, people will, of course, be able to judge for themselves. But I don't believe he should be unduly concerned - his mark is there, forever.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely to look at - but without Diana...., December 13, 2000

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Althorp: The Story of an English House (Hardcover)

I have to admit I probably would have only been vaguely interested in The Story of Althorp had it not been for the Diana, Princess of Wales Factor. I still harbour some curiosity about her childhood and background. Funnily though Charles Spencer, Diana's brother who is the author of this book, points out early on that their were actually quite old (although still children) when they moved there - the Earl Spencer didn't inherit it from his father until quite late in the piece.

I didn't pick it up solely for Diana though - This was home to one of the most interesting families in the period that I am extremely interested in. The First Earl Spencer and his wife (eighteenth century) had two infamous daughters. Their eldest daughter, Georgiana born in the late 1750's who later married the 5th Duke of Devonshire She has been the subject of numerous biographies on her life. The second daughter led a quieter but only slightly less fascinating life - that was Henrietta who married Lord Bessborough. Henrietta's own daughter was the shocking Lady Caroline Lamb. So all in all this house has a wonderful coterie of historical 'ghosts' knocking around in its archives. All good material for Spencer to draw on - and he does.

Unlike a previous reviewer of this book I don't have any problems with the text and illustrations - the hanging of the paintings (the reviewer saw them turning up in different rooms) is fully explained in the text and it is easy to see which are the before photos and which are the after ones. This includes an explanation and reference in the text to which photo is the dining room before it was turned into the dining room.

What I found most interesting about this book was that it was more than just a history of the people who lived in the house, it was actually a history of the house. Of the changes which had been made over time, walls being knocked out, cladding put on, rooms covered over - all the things which happen to a stately home over 300 years of existence - and the effects which it has on the building.

Spencer is very personal in his writing, I don't think he lacks for self-confidence anyway and although it didn't detract from the book at times I found myself smiling and wondering did he really think he would ever fail?

On his step-mother, Raine. Well it has never been a secret the feelings that her step-children had for her. Given some of the things which have come out in the past I think he was remarkably restrained in limiting himself to some pithy statements on her handling of the design of the house - which I have to say seeing the photos of the rooms she decorated - I am in full agreement with him.

Still while I enjoyed the book immensely, and would recommend anyone with an interest in things English to read this book, it doesn't rate as one that I would keep on my shelves. There are books more specifically in my particular area of interest - Georgian House Style - a recent good one I read was by Henrietta Spencer Churchill which is also on Amazon.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, hard to find fault with it., April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Althorp: The Story of an English House (Hardcover)

I've just read this book and found very little fault with it. Spencer doesn't talk about himself excessively and doesn't overuse his sister Princess Diana either.All I could really ask for is the inclusion of more pictures and that probably wasn't practical