Althorp The Story of an English House Charles Spencer 9781523858958 Books
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The story of the great house and grounds of Althorp is the story of a family, a family whose driving passions include art and the enjoyment of books the Spencers.
Acquiring the 300-acre Northamptonshire estate in 1508, Sir John Spencer built the first house, and for over 500 years twenty generations of the Spencer family have lived and died at Althorp.
In recent times it has taken on added significance as the burial place of the most loved princess of the twentieth century, Diana. In 1998 there was further major work with the adapting of the quite beautiful Stable Block — once home to 100 horses and forty grooms into a centre for visitors incorporating an exhibition celebrating the life of Diana.
This fascinating account, written by one who acted as a guide there at just twelve years old, ripples with both personal insights and an appreciation for the architecture, art and characters of Althorp, and is a perfect guide to one of England’s greatest houses.
Charles, Viscount Althorp, became the ninth Earl Spencer on the death of his father in 1992. Since then, he has undertaken extensive refurbishment of the house and supervised the changes made to accommodate the many thousands of people who wish to visit the home and grounds following the death of his sister. An acclaimed, bestselling historian of works regarding Althorp and his family’s history, he founded the Althorp Literary Festival in 2003. He was educated at Eton College and obtained his degree in Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He is the author of five books, including the Sunday Times bestseller ‘Blenheim The Battle for Europe’ (shortlisted for History Book of the Year, National Book Awards), 'Killers of the King The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I' and ‘The Spencer Family’.
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Althorp The Story of an English House Charles Spencer 9781523858958 Books
Enjoyed Charles Spencer's history of his family and their ancestral home Althorp but was very disappointed that there were no accompanying photographs as was in the print edition. Only giving this two stars as I feel rather cheated as in many places the narrative assumes the reader is also referencing photographs of the rooms or works of art being discussed. Without any accompanying photographs, this Kindle Edition of the book is disappointing.Product details
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Tags : Althorp: The Story of an English House [Charles Spencer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>The story of the great house and grounds of Althorp is the story of a family, a family whose driving passions include art and the enjoyment of books: the Spencers.</b> Acquiring the 300-acre Northamptonshire estate in 1508,Charles Spencer,Althorp: The Story of an English House,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1523858958,ARCHITECTURE History Baroque & Rococo
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Althorp The Story of an English House Charles Spencer 9781523858958 Books Reviews
Thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It's well written and relaxing to read. Amazing how each generation to own the house renovated and renovated over and over. It made me wonder how ANY of the original walls held up to so much renovation. I did not realize Diana came from such aristocracy and lived in a true palace before marrying Charles.
Of course I vividly remember Diana's life from her wedding to Prince Charles to her tragic death. What I had no idea about was her lineage. She was "somebody" and as her brother said, "she didn't come from nowhere. I wonder why this wasn't touted more at the time of her marriage. Also, there was some correlation to Downton Abbey in Althorp. I trust Diana's sons, William and Harry are aware of her heritage.
Having been a huge admirer of Diana, Princess if Wales, I jumped at the chance to read this book. I was not disappointed! It was a most interesting history of Althorp and of the Spencers through the years. Anyone who is interested in English history and English historic houses this is a must read. And not just because it was Diana's ancestral home. I highly recommend Althorp The Story of an English House!!
This is a fascinating book, filled with family stories going back five centuries. It's obvious that Charles Spencer has great pride in his ancestors, while realistically recounting their foibles as well as their great successes. I would have given it 5 stars, but the constant and repetitive spelling errors detracted from my enjoyment of the content. Still I recommend it, despite every single use of the word earl being written as Karl among the other misspellings.
The information in this book was fascinating, but the misspellings, incorrect grammar, punctuation errors and other mistakes were laughable. One fellow went to "prop" school, and one room was a "silting" room. One example of poor grammar was " the public do" something or other.
One mistake was so funny I laughed right out loud in the airplane coming home from Costa Rica. Wish I could remember what that one was. There were spaces in words (li ke) It was getting so that I was looking for errors more than reading the book. He needs a better editor..
The story of the many Earls of Spencer is one that is completely captivating. I now know so much more about the Spencer family and the family history with its' place in English history. I did not have a hard time keeping the different Earl's straight (as another reviewer complained) thanks to a chart of Spencer descendants in the front of the book. A handy floor plan also in the book was a great referance tool also.
This family, though perhaps not quite as distinguished as some others is certainly more "Royal" than those presently residing at Buckingham Palace. It is an amazing story of the family over the centuries the building of the home and the way in which different generations had to cope with taxes, building remodels, upkeep and general changing times.
The current Earl Spencer does touch briefly upon his sister, the famous Lady Diana, but graciously does not use her as a pawn to sell his book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning the history of Lady Diana's family and the history of one magnificent family home.
This book starts off with a incredible family tree. It shows that a John Spencer first rented Althorp in 1486! A Sir John Spencer bought Althorp in 1508. The first Spencer to be made Baron was Sir Robert in 1603. Then Henry, the 3rd Baron Spencer, was elevated to Earl of Sunderland in 1643. In 1765, another John Spencer was made the 1st Earl Spencer. Go ahead another eight generations, and you find the author of this book, Charles Edward Maurice, 9th Earl Spencer.
He may be better known as the brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana is covered in this book with personal remembrances. But, also, a book on Althorp needs to include her gravesite and memorial to her at Althorp, which is open to the public two months a year.
But there is so much more to Althorp, and Charles takes us on a personal journey of his remembrances and the house's history before him. There is a lot of humor in these stories. Such as when he remembers visiting his grandfather, the 7th Earl "The food was always indescribably bad – the epitome of overcooked English ghastliness, which was acceptable in the 70s but wouldn't be countenanced even in a prison canteen today. I know my memory isn't playing tricks when I recall with a shudder that the vegetables were boiled onions. Yes, it was that grim."
I much enjoyed his explanation of the name "Althorp" (an original structure was listed in the 1087 Domesday Book!) and its pronunciation. He has some lively ancestors and Althorp has had some great visitors. Charles also writes, "I have never seen a ghost", and then proceeds to tell about guests who have seen ghosts at Althorp.
The only part of his stories that has a touch of bitterness is when he talks of his step-mother's "sale-a-thon" of Althorp treasures. And her poor taste in decorating. Contrast his photos of the Althorp library after her alterations, such as the impossibly busy carpet and dark green pillars, with his restoration of the room to it's original elegance and classical columns.
To see more of Althorp, I recommend its installment in the Secrets of Iconic British Estates. More stories and great visuals.
As "big house" books go, this is a slim volume at 168 pages and a smaller size (it is not the typically large coffee-table book). The writing, however, is engaging and personal. The only big-house book I've purchased which has an even better personal story is the late Duchess of Devonshire's magnificent coffee-table-sized book on Chatsworth, .Chatsworth The House
Happy Reader
Enjoyed Charles Spencer's history of his family and their ancestral home Althorp but was very disappointed that there were no accompanying photographs as was in the print edition. Only giving this two stars as I feel rather cheated as in many places the narrative assumes the reader is also referencing photographs of the rooms or works of art being discussed. Without any accompanying photographs, this Edition of the book is disappointing.
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