Editing Althorp (section)

{{Short description|Stately home and estate in Althorp, England}}
{{about|the stately home in Northamptonshire|the lost village|Althorp (lost settlement)|the village in Lincolnshire|Althorpe|the deserted medieval village in Norfolk|Alethorpe}}
{{distinguish|The Apthorp}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}

{{Infobox historic site
| image = Althorp House.jpg
| caption = Althorp in July 2006
| coordinates = {{coord|52.2802|-1.001944|region:GB|display=inline,title |format=dms}}
| locmapin = Northamptonshire
| location = [[Althorp (lost settlement)|Althorp]], [[Northamptonshire]]
| rebuilt = 1688
| owner = [[Spencer family]]
}}

'''Althorp''' (<small>popularly pronounced</small> {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɔː|l|θ|ɔːr|p|}} {{Respell|AWL|thorp}}) is a [[Grade I listed]] [[stately home]] and estate in the civil parish of [[Althorp (lost settlement)|Althorp]], in [[West Northamptonshire]], England of about {{convert|13000|acre}}.{{Efn|Sources differ on the exact size of the estate, but most state 13,000 or 14,000 acres. The official website claims 13,000 acres,<ref name="The Estate">{{cite web|url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/the-estate|title=The Estate|publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref> but Paprocki and others mention 14,000.{{sfn|Paprocki|2009|p=31}}}} By road it is about {{convert|6|mi|km}} northwest of the county town of [[Northampton]] and about {{convert|75|mi}} northwest of central London,<ref name="GM">{{Google maps | url =https://www.google.com/maps/preview?ll=52.280278,-1.001944&q=loc:52.280278,-1.001944&hl=en&t=h&z=15&source=newuser-ws  | access-date =20 May 2014}}</ref> situated between the villages of [[Great Brington]] and [[Harlestone]]. It has been held by the [[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 [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Lady Diana Spencer]] (later [[Princess of Wales]]) from her parents' divorce until [[Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer|her marriage]] to [[Charles, Prince of Wales]] (later King Charles III).

Althorp is mentioned as a small hamlet in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as "Olletorp", and by 1377 it had become a village with a population of more than fifty people. By 1505 there were no longer any tenants living there, and in 1508, [[John Spencer (died 1522)|John Spencer]] purchased Althorp estate with the funds generated from his family's sheep-rearing business. Althorp became one of the prominent stately homes in England. The house dates to 1688, replacing an earlier house that was once visited by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. The Spencer family amassed an extensive art collection and other valuable household items. 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]]. [[George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer|George John, 2nd Earl Spencer]], who owned Althorp between 1783 and his death in 1834, developed one of the largest private libraries in Europe at the palace, which grew to over 100,000 books by the 1830s.{{Efn|Various sources differ on how many volumes Althorp had at its peak, although most agree it was one of the most sizable private collections in Europe at the time. A number of sources conservatively state 33,000 to 40,000 volumes,{{Sfn|Whellan|1849|p=283}}{{sfn|Kemp|1992|p=268}} but Charles Spencer's ''Althorp: A Story of an English Country House'' (1998) estimates 110,000 upon John's death in 1834, sprawling across at least five rooms from floor to ceiling, and notes that the collection had grown so massive that books were also being stored in rooms like the Picture Gallery on the upper floor.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=72}}}} After falling on hard times, [[John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer]], known as the Red Earl, in 1892 sold much of the collection to [[Enriqueta Rylands]], who was building the [[University of Manchester]] Library. Many of Althorp's furnishings were sold off during the twentieth century, and between 1975 and 1992 alone approximately 20% of the contents were auctioned.

The house at Althorp was a "classically beautiful" red brick [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] building, but its appearance was radically altered, starting in 1788, when the architect [[Henry Holland (architect)|Henry Holland]] was commissioned to make extensive changes. [[Mathematical tile]]s were added to the exterior, encasing the brick, and four Corinthian pilasters were added to the front. The grand hall entrance to the house, Wootton Hall,{{efn|The hall is also spelled Wooten or Wooton in various sources.}} was cited by Sir [[Nikolaus Pevsner]] as "the noblest Georgian room in the county". 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. Numerous fireplaces and furnishings were brought to Althorp from [[Spencer House, London|Spencer House]] in London during [[the Blitz]] for safekeeping and still remain. The Picture Gallery stretches for {{convert|115|ft}} 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. It has an extensive collection of portraits, including [[Anthony van Dyck]]'s ''War and Peace'', a [[John de Critz]] portrait of [[James VI and I|James I]], a [[Mary Beale]] portrait of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], and many others. Some £2&nbsp;million was spent on redecorating the palace in the 1980s, during which time most of the religious paintings of Althorp were sold off.

In total, the grounds of Althorp estate contain 28 listed buildings and structures, including nine planting stones. The former falconry, now a Grade I listed building, was built in 1613. Gardener's House is listed as a Grade II* listed building in its own right, as are the Grade II listed West and East Lodges. The mustard-yellow Grade II* listed stable block, designed by architect [[Roger Morris (1695–1749)|Roger Morris]] with a [[Palladian]] influence,<ref>{{NHLE |desc=ALTHORP, STABLES, Althorp |num=1054034 |access-date=2024-11-19}}</ref> was ordered by [[Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough|Charles, 5th Earl of Sunderland]] in the early 1730s.  The French landscape architect [[André Le Nôtre]] was commissioned to lay out the park and grounds in the 1660s, and further alterations were made during the late 18th century under Henry Holland. Following the [[death of Diana, Princess of Wales]] in 1997, she was interred on a small island in the middle of the ornamental Round Oval lake. A Doric-style temple 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 exhibition centre, situated in the old stable block, closed permanently in 2013.