Althorp is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in Daventry District, Northamptonshire, England of about 13,000 acres. It has been held by the prominent aristocratic Spencer family for more than 500 years, and has been owned by Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer since 1992. It was also the home of Lady Diana Spencer from her parents’ divorce until her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales.
About Althorp in brief
Althorp is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in Daventry District, Northamptonshire, England of about 13,000 acres. It has been held by the prominent aristocratic Spencer family for more than 500 years, and has been owned by Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer since 1992. It was also the home of Lady Diana Spencer from her parents’ divorce until her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales. The castle dates to 1688, replacing an earlier house that was once visited by Charles I. During the 18th century, the house became a major cultural hub in England, and parties were regularly held, attracting many prominent members of Great Britain’s ruling class. In total, the grounds of Althorp estate contain 28 listed buildings and structures, including nine planting stones. The former falconry, now a Grade II listed building, was built in 1613. The picture Gallery stretches for 115 feet on the first floor of the west wing, and is one of the best remaining examples of the original Tudor oak woodwork and ambiance in the mansion. Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, a small island was interred on the middle of the Oval lake. A Doric-style Doric block with Diana’s name inscribed on top, situated across from the lake, is a tourist attraction during July and August when the house and estate are open to the public, although the old stable block closed in 2013.
It is believed to refer to the Domesday Book as ‘Olletorp’, meaning Thorp’s Thorp, meaning temple in medieval times. A manor house known as ‘Olla Thorp’ existed at the site at one time, but has since been demolished and replaced by the present Grade I-listed house. The Great Dining Room in the east wing extension of the house was added in 1877 to designs by John Macvicar Anderson, its walls hung with faded, red damask silk. Despite its name, it is actually used as a ballroom. The grand hall entrance to the house, Wootton Hall, was cited by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘the noblest Georgian room in the county’ and is still used today. The house was a ‘classically beautiful’ red brick Tudor building, but its appearance was radically altered, starting in 1788, when the architect Henry Holland was commissioned to make extensive changes. Some £2 million was spent on redecorating the castle in the 1980s, during which time most of the religious paintings of althorp were sold off. Gardener’s House is listed as a Grade Two* listed building in its own right, as are the Grade II-listed West and East Lodges. The French French Park was laid out in the 1660s by landscape architect André Le Nôtretretre, and further alterations were made in the late 18 century under Henry Holland.
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This page is based on the article Althorp published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
