Althorp

Today another of my dreams came true. A visit to the ancestral home of Diana, Princess of Wales has always been on my wish-list. As it turns out, Althorp is only an hour and a half from home! The house and garden are only open for the months of July and August.

We had an excellent run up the M1 - right up the backbone of England. We arrived at Althorp at 12.30 and first priority for a hungry little tummy was a picnic lunch. Salad rolls and scones with jam, and grapes. Yum! We sat in a glade of beautiful old trees overlooking the vast rolling parkland of the estate. To our pleasant surprise there was no crowd, only a few other groups of people enjoying the brilliant Saturday sunshine.

From the front gate you approach the house on foot via a tree-lined avenue. There are many oak trees hundreds of years old and a more recent addition of young oaks planted by Charles Spencer in honour of his sister, Diana. I would like to visit again in many years’ time to check on their progress! The drive is lovely and our stroll ends at the striking sandstone stable buildings. Once the hub of the estate the quadrangle now houses the Diana exhibition, café and shop. We passed under the arch and made our way to the grand house she called home from the age of 14 when her father became the 8th Earl Spencer.

The Althorp staff is obviously passionate about their subject and was keen to impart their extensive knowledge of the house and family. We entered through the front door into an impressive foyer richly decorated with the finest European art and sculpture. This set the scene for the rest of the home which amazed us with treasures at every turn. We distracted a wriggly James by pointing out dogs, horses and babies with chubby bottoms in paintings, and fireplaces. He was eager to get down and make his own way, thank you!

We toured both floors and I get the sense of a real family home. Charles Spencer and his young family live at Althorp (he has 6 children) so I was warmed to see photos of them all as well as those of Diana, William and Harry. Amid the riches was a TV and billiard table!

Once outside again (blue sky, lush greenery, birds twittering..!) we walked to the Round Oval, as the nearby lake is called. This is where Diana is buried and instead of sad isolation I felt relieved that she rests in such a peaceful and serene setting. There were still only a few people about so we walked right around the lake, stopping at the Temple. Here is where one can place flowers or tributes. I can’t describe to you how beautiful this little part of the park this is. Ducks and geese provide happy background noises and James was kept laughing with their incessant duck-diving!

Our last stop was to visit the Diana exhibition and it was there that I was quite emotional. Seeing her famous possessions – wedding dress, Spencer tiara – was very moving for me. But it was her private belongings that made me sad – her childish letters to her parents, little school uniform, diary and soft toy – these things belonged to a little girl who grew up to be a Princess. A privileged, but nonetheless ordinary, little girl.

There were home movies taken by her father and footage of her public life. Also many dresses, some of which we had seen in 1999 at Kensington Palace.

By this time I needed a coffee so we sat in the stables courtyard and I got my coffee and, to James’ delight, ice creams! It was a hot day and he wore a lot of his!

Althorp is a beautiful, stately home in the heart of Northamptonshire and we will be going back! It was a lovely experience and nice to know that my favourite angel will always be there.

See the althorp photos here.