It must be nice to experience or at least have a taste of the life of the noble family. Well, lucky for the commoners who want to get a brief look at how the royal family lives, the Althorp Estate will open its gates from July 1 until August 31, to the public.
The Althorp House
The Spencer’s family home highlights a variety of tremendous and historic art including Mario Testino’s unpublished portraits of the late Princess Diana for the Vanity Fair’s cover. There are a total of fifteen iconic photographs displayed in the Althorp’s gallery.
The estate has been passed on within nineteen generations of the Spencer family since 1508. The property approximately holds more than 500 acres of woodland where various animals such as a black fallow deer, freely stroll around.
The Wootton Hall
The entryway itself is already a tourist’s spot. Named after its painter John Wootton, The Wootton Hall was Princess Diana’s favorite spot to practice tap dancing. Aside from the wide space it provides, the acoustic echoes add to its majestic vibes.
Althorp’s Picture Gallery
One of the main attractions of the house is the 115-foot art-filled gallery. It has a collection of paintings and portraits like Rehab, Britannia, and the rest of the The Promise Land series. Van Dyke’s War and Peace is one of the rarest and most precious portraits in the display room.
Staterooms
The house has several states rooms with rich stories of their own. The Queen Mary bedroom, for example, it served as the accommodation for King George V and his spouse when they visited the Spencers in 1913. Among all the guest rooms, The King William bedroom was Princess Diana’s personal pick whenever she visited as a guest.
The Stables
The stables will be part of the house tour as well. Although there may not be any horses in it nowadays, there is a souvenir shop and a café where tourists can shop and dine. According to the guide, one hundred years ago, there were 100 horses with 40 different breeds in the horse barn.
Princess Diana’s Grave
In just five minutes of a stroll from the Althorp House’s backyard, you’ll be able to reach Princess Diana’s resting place. The grave is on a small island at the center of the Round Oval Lake. However, for the family’s privacy, the burial pit isn’t open for the public.
The tour starts every 12 noon until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. There will be special workshops on certain days like the Craft Fair on August 9-11 and the Children’s Week on August 24-30. Tickets are available on the official website.
