Editing Althorp (section)

===Modern history===
[[File:William Orpen Charles Robert 6th Earl Spencer.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer]], who owned Althorp from 1910 until his death in 1922. Portrait by [[Sir William Orpen]].]]
Times became more difficult for the Spencers by the late 19th century, and many of their assets had to be sold off. [[Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer]] inherited the estate after his father Charles' death in 1922. Albert became a well-known art connoisseur and was a trustee of the [[Wallace Collection]], chairman of the [[Royal School of Needlework]], a Fellow of both the [[Society of Antiquaries of London]] and the [[Royal Society of Arts]], and from 1961 until 1969 he was Chair of the Advisory Council of the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The&nbsp;... Volume of the Walpole Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnVGAQAAIAAJ| volume=45| year=1976| publisher=Walpole Society|page=9}}</ref> Despite his keen interest in art, he began selling off paintings and other items to pay off debts. In the 1930s he was forced to sell off a small but immaculate [[Hans Holbein the Younger|Hans Holbein]] portrait of [[Henry VIII]] (now at the [[Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum]], [[Madrid]]) for £10,000 to finance his son's education. Although a large sum at the time, by 1998 it was reputed to be worth around £50&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=6}} Unlike many country houses in Britain during the [[Second World War]] which were occupied by the military and converted into hospitals, training camps and barracks, Althorp Palace remained untouched, thanks to Albert who saw to it that they used the stables instead. A [[Vickers Wellington|Wellington bomber]] crashed near the ice house during the war, killing all of its crew.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=111}} Due to Spencer House being in a dangerous location in London during [[the Blitz]], many of the pieces of furniture and items of the house were brought to Althorp for safekeeping, including numerous fireplaces and doors with curled "S" doorknobs, a signature of the Spencer family dating to the 18th century.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=111}}

The estate was first opened to the public in 1953 by Albert, to mitigate against taxation,{{sfn|Palmer|2008|p=152}} and Althorp had its own railway station called [[Althorp Park railway station|Althorp Park]] on the [[Northampton Loop Line]] until 1960.<ref>{{cite book|title=Electric Railway Society Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ypeAAAAIAAJ|year=1995|publisher=The Electric Railway Society |page=21}}</ref> After his death in 1975, Albert passed Althorp to his son [[Edward John, 8th Earl Spencer]], who had served as [[Equerry]] to [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George VI]] (1950–52) and to [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] (1952–54).<ref name=Diana1>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page155.asp |title=Diana, Princess of Wales biography |publisher=Royal.gov.uk |access-date=24 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525233322/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page155.asp |archive-date=25 May 2014 }}</ref> Edward was a wine connoisseur and had an extensive wine cellar at Althorp. He made his own wine and attracted fellow connoisseurs from around the world to Althorp, although he did not sell much of it.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=119}} During Edward's ownership of Althorp approximately 20% of the furnishings of Althorp were sold off.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=122}} The divestment included eleven Van Dykes and nearly every religious painting in the collection, as well as estate housing, and drew severe public criticism, including from the heir.<ref>{{cite web|title = Who'll Stop the Raine? : People.com|url = http://people.com/archive/wholl-stop-the-raine-vol-36-no-12/|work = People (magazine)|access-date = 16 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title = January 2010: Charles Spencer on the English Aristocracy|url = http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/01/english-aristocracy-201001|magazine = Vanity Fair| date=14 December 2009 |access-date = 16 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = Raine and Johnnie: Spencers and the Scandal of Althorp|last = Levin|first = Angela|publisher = Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year = 1993|isbn = 978-0297813255|location = London}}</ref>

Edward left the estate to his son, the current owner [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer]], after his death in 1992. As a teenager, Charles served as a tour guide at the house and acquired a deep knowledge of Althorp.<ref name="CP05" /> At the time he inherited the estate it was losing some £400,000 annually, and the staff of 14 had to be significantly reduced.{{sfn|Spencer|1998|pp=123–24}} Charles' older sister was [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], who grew up with him at Althorp.<ref name="Diana1" />

[[File:Althorp House1.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Althorp House in July 2007]]
Since the 1990s Charles Spencer has done much to increase the revenue earned by the estate to keep it running. The annual Althorp Literary Festival was founded in 2003.<ref name=Bonsor2013>{{cite news|last=Bonsor |first=Sacha |title=Althorp Literary Festival 2013 |url=http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/guide/restaurant/althorp-literary-festival-2013 |access-date=30 March 2014 |newspaper=Harper's Bazaar |date=2 May 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406204832/http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/guide/restaurant/althorp-literary-festival-2013 |archive-date=6 April 2014 }}</ref><ref name=spencerofalthorp>{{cite web|title=The 11th Althorp Literary Festival |url=http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/literary-festival |publisher=Spencer of Althorp |access-date=30 March 2014 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312232049/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/literary-festival |archive-date=12 March 2015 }}</ref> The heir apparent is Charles' son Louis Frederick John Spencer (born 1994). Charles has expressed concerns about the future of the estate and whether Louis might be forced to sell it.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/news/9654431/Earl-Spencers-concern-over-the-heir-to-the-Althorp-estate.html|title=Earl Spencer's concern over the heir to the Althorp estate|work=The Telegraph|date=5 November 2012|access-date=3 April 2014|last1=Balls|first1=Katy}}</ref> In 2005 Charles endorsed a furniture collection of replicas from the house, known as the Althorp Living History Collection.<ref name="CP05"/>

In 2009 a major restoration of the roof, stonework and the mathematical tiles that clad the building was undertaken. Approximately £10&nbsp;million was spent on repairing the roof alone. In 2010 an auction of over 700 items from Althorp's attics and cellars, as well as a Rubens and other notable works, achieved  £21&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-222569505.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629113329/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-222569505.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2014| title=Cash in the attic: Althorp antiques clearout may raise more than [pounds sterling]20m|publisher=Northampton Chronicle and Echo| via= [[HighBeam Research]] |date=20 March 2010|access-date=25 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christies.com/The-Althorp-Attic-Sale-22870.aspx|title=The Althorp Attic Sale|publisher=Christie's}}</ref>