Editing Althorp (section)

====First floor====

=====The picture gallery and chapel=====
The picture gallery stretches for {{convert|115|ft}} on the first floor of the west wing, {{convert|21|ft}} wide and {{convert|19|ft}} high.{{Efn|According to the exact measurements of Althorp, the long gallery measures {{convert|114|ft|11|in|m}} by {{convert|21|ft}}.<ref name="measurements"/> Spencer states 20&nbsp;ft for the width but the official website states 20&nbsp;ft 12 inches, which is 21&nbsp;ft.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=23}}<ref name="measurements"/>}}{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=23}} The room is one of the best remaining examples of the original Tudor woodwork and ambiance in the mansion, featuring oak panelling along its length. During the renovation of the 18th century, the oak panelling in the gallery was covered with white paint, and it was not until 1904 that it was restored to its former glory, the restoration funded by the sale of a Rubens painting in the housekeeper's room.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=66}} Due to its length, during Tudor times the ladies of the mansion used the gallery for exercise on rainy days to avoid dragging their long skirts and dresses through the mud in the grounds.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|pp=28–29}} It was also used as a dining hall, and in 1695 the county nobility and gentry all met together and dined in the gallery to pay their respects to [[William III of England|William III]].{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=29}}

The gallery has an extensive collection of about 60 portraits, including Van Dyck's ''War and Peace'', a [[John de Critz]] portrait of [[James VI and I|James I]],{{sfn|Spencer|1998|pp=22–25}} a Frans Pourbus the Younger aristocratic portrait of [[Claude Lorraine]], Duc de Chevreuse,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/portrait-of-the-duc-de-chevreuse-by-frans-pourbus-the-younger-portrait |title=Portrait of the Duc de Cheyreuse |publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com |access-date=20 May 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520221601/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/portrait-of-the-duc-de-chevreuse-by-frans-pourbus-the-younger-portrait |archive-date=20 May 2014 }}</ref> a [[Mary Beale]] portrait of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] and others of him by court artist Sir [[Peter Lely]],{{Efn|Lely was also responsible for painting ten of Charles' mistresses which are in the gallery, known as "The Windsor Beauties".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spencerofalthorp.com/rooms/the-picture-gallery/|title=The Picture Gallery|publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>}} and portraits of [[George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol|George Digby]], Second Earl of Bristol and William, First Duke of Bedford. Visiting the gallery in 1748, the Marchioness Grey described the gallery in a letter to a friend: "Indeed there is a gracefulness and life in the figures beyond what I ever saw, they are quite animated and a strength of colouring that strikes you from one end of that gallery to the other. It is so beautiful that a picture which hangs by it is hurt by its situation." [[Horace Walpole]] once wrote: "Althorp has several very fine pictures by the best Italian hands, and a gallery of all one's acquaintances by Vandyke and Lely. In the gallery I found myself quite at home; and surprised the housekeeper by my familiarity with the portraits."{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=23}} The portraits in the Picture Gallery are set in extravagant baroque gilded frames, designed by Robert Spencer, the Second Earl, which feature as "cartouche at the top and a stylised mask at the bottom, with a moulded inner edge, which softens the line between frame and painting".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/the-sunderland-frames |title=The Sunderland Frames |publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com |access-date=20 May 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520221554/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/the-sunderland-frames |archive-date=20 May 2014 }}</ref> Albert Spencer was so protective of ''War and Peace'', once the most valuable item in Althorp, that he had the nearest tall window in the gallery converted into a door with hinges, so in case of a fire it could safely be lifted outside.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=25}} There is also a small hidden door between ''War and Peace'' and "The Windsor Beauties" cut into the oak which leads to a staircase and the Pink Suite, a guest bedroom. [[Lady Margaret Douglas-Home]], sister of Albert Spencer, lived at Althorp from 1910, and the gallery was a favourite of hers. During the renovation of the 1980s, the old-fashioned celestial and terrestrial globes dating to the George II period were moved from the gallery back to the library.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=129}}

The chapel on the upper floor became a store room in the early 1980s for pieces being sold off.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=129}} The stained glass window of the chapel, with the Spencer crest, dates to 1588, and was brought to Althorp from Wormleigton. The organ on the other hand is far more recent, acquired from the parish of [[Meriden, West Midlands|Meriden]] in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spencerofalthorp.com/rooms/the-chapel/|title=The Chapel|publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref> A number of earlier occupants of Althorp, particularly George John and Frederick, were devout Christians and would preach in the chapel, and Robert, 6th Earl Spencer would hold a daily service here. It is still used for family christenings, and for services at Christmas, Easter and Harvest Thanksgiving.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=131}}

<div style="text-align:center">
'''Notable paintings on the upper floor'''
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250">
War and Peace Van Dyck.jpg|''War and Peace'' by [[Sir Anthony van Dyck]] (1637) 
Frans Pourbus (II) - Portrait of Claude de Lorrain, Prince of Chevreuse - WGA18239.jpg| ''Portrait of Claude de Lorrain, Prince of Chevreuse'' by [[Frans Pourbus the Younger]] (1610)
Master of the Female Half-Lengths - A Lady as the Magdalen - Lady Jane Grey ?.jpg|''Portrait of Lady Jane Grey'' by [[Lucas de Heere]] before 1584)
</gallery>
</div>

=====Bedrooms=====
The oak bedroom is at the rear of the castle, on the western side between King William bedroom and the great room. The marriage of the first Earl Spencer and Margaret Georgiana took place in secret here on 20 December 1755, during a ball which was taking place at Althorp to celebrate John's 21st birthday.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=32}}<ref name="Oak Room"/> Georgiana later recalled, "We both behaved very well, spoke distinctly and loudly but I trembled so much I could hardly stand".<ref name="Oak Room"/> As of 1998 it was furnished with deep red wall paper, rug and chairs, with oak floors, bed and chairs. There are several portraits on the wall, one of them very large above the fireplace. The Spencer "S" features on the blue velvet bed cover, and above the king-sized bed and by the fireplace.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=32}}

The room to the east of the oak bedroom is known as the great room. The room was established in the mid-17th century as part of a reception suite, and was used by George John, the Second Earl for important political conferences during his period as First Lord of the Admiralty and Home Secretary.<ref name="The Great Room">{{cite web|url=http://spencerofalthorp.com/rooms/the-great-room/|title=The Great Room|publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref> The great room, predominantly red and gold in design like many of the first floor rooms, contains a table and chairs with a large gilded mirror with three urns in front of it. The long mirror, designed by James Stuart, who was noted for his Athenian designs, features a tableaux at the top with the Spencer coat of arms and the pulling of chariots by cherubs, representing the love between John and Georgiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/long-mirrors |title=Long Mirrors |publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com |access-date=20 May 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520221610/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/long-mirrors |archive-date=20 May 2014 }}</ref> The great room contains an extensive collection of miniature portraits, including a very rare [[Lucas de Heere]] portrait of [[Lady Jane Grey]] as a teenage girl at her family residence in [[Bradgate House (16th century)|Bradgate]], [[Leicestershire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/portrait-of-lady-jane-grey |title=Portrait of Lady Jane Grey |publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com |access-date=20 May 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520221604/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/object/portrait-of-lady-jane-grey |archive-date=20 May 2014 }}</ref> The ''[[Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa]]'' is mentioned in the 1822 ''Bibliotheca Spenceriana'' as hanging in one of the bedrooms at Althorp.{{sfn|Dibdin|1822|p=274}} It was sold in 1924 to art merchant [[Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen|Joseph Duveen]], who sold it the following year to Canadian businessman [[Frank P. Wood]].{{sfn|Frans Halsmuseum|1962|p=35}}

The Princess of Wales Bedroom is named after the wife of the future King Edward VII, [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra, Princess of Wales]], who stayed at Althorp in 1863 on a visit to see the Red Earl. Although the fabric of the four-poster bed was designed in 1911, the room is largely Georgian, with deep red walls and furnishings, and contains a notable portrait of a young princess by the Spanish court painter, [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]].<ref name="Princess of Wales Bedoom">{{cite web|url=http://spencerofalthorp.com/rooms/the-princess-of-wales-room/|title=The Princess of Wales Bedroom|publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref> The Queen Mary Bedroom is named after [[Mary of Teck|Mary, the wife of King George V]], who visited Althorp in 1913. It contains a bed with an extremely tall structure, dated to the 18th century, draped in pea green taffet. Of particular note in the Queen Mary Bedroom are two chairs covered with needlework created by Albert, who was once the chairman of the Royal School of Needlework.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spencerofalthorp.com/rooms/the-queen-mary-room/|title=The Queen Mary Bedroom|publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>

The upper floor also contains the India silk bedroom and the ante room, which measures 23&nbsp;ft 4 inches by 32&nbsp;ft 6 inches.<ref name="measurements">{{cite web|url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/_/pdf/Althorp-Room-Capacities.pdf |title=House Plan |publisher=Spencerofalthorp.com |access-date=20 May 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521031225/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/_/pdf/Althorp-Room-Capacities.pdf |archive-date=21 May 2014 }}</ref> Formerly known as the patchwork bedroom, the ante room was established by [[Charlotte Spencer, Countess Spencer|Charlotte, Countess Spencer]] and her sister during the Victorian period, and today forms part of a suite of state chambers.<ref name="CP05">{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-134779530.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629120626/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-134779530.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2014|title=Althorp Reproductions. The 9th Earl Spencer Endorses a Furniture Line to Preserve the Ancestral Home|publisher=The Cincinnati Post|via =[[HighBeam Research]] |date=30 July 2005|access-date=25 May 2014}}</ref>