Thursday, February 5, 2015

Secrets of Althorp: The Spencers



Secrets of Althorp- The Spencers
by Travis Simpkins

     Located 75 miles north of London, sitting amidst a 300 acre private park, stands Althorp: the 500-year-old ancestral home of the Spencer family. Produced in 2013 for PBS, Secrets of Althorp- The Spencers was made in cooperation with the current owner of the property, Charles 9th Earl Spencer. Originally constructed in 1508, the stately mansion/castle consists of 90 rooms, including 31 bedrooms and 88 fireplaces. It contains one of the great private collections of art in Britain… comprised of ancient statuary, antique furniture and decorative wares and 650 paintings, with notable works by van Dyke, Titian, Rubens and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Colorful characters in the Spencer family have populated the halls over the centuries, including Georgiana Spencer, who later became the Duchess of Devonshire. Several portraits of the 18th Century fashion icon Georgiana still hang on the walls at Althorp, including a likeness of her as a baby, but no evidence suggests that the famous Gainsborough portrait of the Duchess (later stolen by Adam Worth) ever was displayed there. Georgiana's liberal views were not uncommon to the Spencers, who were the progressives of the Aristocracy, and first U.S. President George Washington was a distant relative. Despite the long history of the house, today Althorp is best known as the childhood home and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales who died tragically in 1997. Her brother, Charles, erected a monument to her on the property and the stable block contains a gallery dedicated to Diana, displaying photos and personal items of the late Princess. This 50-minute look inside the home and grounds provides a beautiful presentation of the historic property.

Althorp House

Charles 9th Earl Spencer

Althorp House

Althorp House

Althorp House

Althorp House

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire as a child. by Joshua Reynolds

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Thomas Gainborough

Stable Block- Althorp House

Althorp House

Charles 9th Earl Spencer

young Diana Spencer

Diana Princess of Wales

Princess Diana Monument- Althorp

Princess Diana's final resting place

Diana Princess o Wales

Althorp House

Althorp House

Charles 9th Earl Spencer

Althorp House

Princess Diana's Resting Place- Althorp House