Althorp Review

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Althorp

Fodor's Review:

Deep in the heart of Northamptonshire sits Althorp, the ancestral home of the Spencers, the family of Diana, Princess of Wales. Here, on a tiny island within the estate park, is Diana's final resting place. Back in 1765 Horace Walpole described the setting as "one of those enchanted scenes which a thousand circumstances of history and art endear to a pensive spectator." As it turns out, Princess Diana and her siblings found the house ugly and melancholy, calling it "Deadlock Hall." What the house does have are rooms filled with Van Dycks, Reynoldses, and Rubens—all portraits of the Spencers going back 500 years—and an entry hall that architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner called "the noblest Georgian room in the country." To these attractions, Earl Spencer has added a visitor center devoted to Diana, which includes her wedding dress, childhood memorabilia, and an exhibition on her charitable work. A percentage of ticket income is donated to the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. On the west side of the estate park is Great Brington, the neighboring village where the church of St. Mary the Virgin (Daily noon-5) holds the Spencer family crypt; it's best reached by the designated path from Althorp.

  • Cost: £12
  • Open: July-Sept., daily 11-5; closed Aug. 31
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