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- See also Althorpe, Lincolnshire.
Althorp (
/ˈɔːlθɔrp/ or /ˈɔːltrəp/) is a country estate of about 14,000 acres (60 km2)[1] and a stately home in Northamptonshire, England. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of the county town of Northampton.
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History [link]
Althorp was built by the Earl of Sunderland in 1688.[2] The estate has been the ancestral home of the Spencer family since the 16th century. Their fortune derived from its earliest known ancestor, Sir John Spencer of Wormleighton, Warwickshire, who bought Althorp in 1522 from the Catesby family with the huge profits from his sheep-rearing business.[3] The house was originally a red brick Tudor building but its appearance was radically altered in the 18th century when the architect Henry Holland was commissioned to make extensive changes starting in 1788.[4] The interior of the house is generally considered its strongest asset as the Spencer family has assembled an impressive collection of portrait art including several pieces painted by the Flemish master Anthony van Dyck.[2] The estate stable block has been converted into an exhibition devoted to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who is buried in the state, and provides an attractive sandstone setting that effectively offsets the imposing facade of the house. Diana was interred on a small island in the middle of a lake near the estate.[1] In September 2009, Lord Spencer started a major restoration project repairing the roof, stonework and the mathematical tiles which clad the building, undertaken by architect Giles Quarme.
Access [link]
The estate and house are open to the public during the summer months (1 July to 30 August) All profits made are donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.[5] The estate was first opened to the public in 1953 by the 7th Earl Spencer, to mitigate against taxation.[5] The estate had its own railway station called Althorp Park on the Northampton Loop Line until 1960. When the royal train visited for the public funeral for Diana, it travelled instead to Long Buckby railway station.
Village of Althorp [link]
Within the grounds there are earthworks of the lost village of Althorp on which the estate was built.
Bibliography [link]
- Spencer, Charles (1998) Althorp: the story of an English house. London: Viking
- Battiscombe, Georgina (1984) The Spencers of Althorp. London: Constable
See also [link]
References [link]
- ^ a b Paprocki, Sherry Beck (July 2009). Diana, Princess of Wales: Humanitarian. Infobase Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-60413-463-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=d7rIUBAvhnIC&pg=PA31. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ a b Jones' views of the seats, mansions, castles, etc. of noblemen and gentlemen in England:: accompanied with historical descriptions of the mansions, lists of pictures, statues, &c. and genealogical sketches of the families, of their possessors: forming part of the general series of Jones' Great Britain illustrated, ..... Jones & Co.. p. 245. https://books.google.com/books?id=-M4HAAAAQAAJ&pg=PT245. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ The Spectator. 1864. p. 123. https://books.google.com/books?id=LNI9AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA123. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ Charles Spencer (1998). Althorp: the story of an English house. Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-88322-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=woVnAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ a b Palmer, Nicola J. (2008). Royal tourism: excursions around monarchy. Channel View Publications. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-84541-080-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=EznE61Gfn-0C&pg=PA152. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
External links [link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Althorp House |
- Althorp's Website
- Althorp entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses
- BBC guide to Althorp
- Map sources for Althorp
- Althorp in the Domesday Book
https://wn.com/Althorp
Althorp (lost settlement)
The lost village of Althorp is within the grounds of the Althorp estate in the English county of Northamptonshire. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book. In the 15th century, the manor was held by the Catesby family who were probably responsible for clearing the settlement, for by 1505, the records show that there were no tenants. In 1508, the parish, including the cleared settlement of Althorp, was sold to John Spencer of Wormleighton in Warwickshire. By 1577, the land in the parish had been divided into four large sheep pastures.
Remains today
There are some signs of earthworks on the site but much has been damaged by later activities such as ploughing. The main feature is a broad hollow way which runs up the hillside and is 1.5 metres in depth. There are several platforms on the south side of the hollow which are thought to be the sites of dwellings.
References
Coordinates: 52°17′N 1°00′W / 52.28°N 1.00°W
