FOREWORD
The histories of the Spencer Family’s Heritage and Althorp are so tightly
entwined that they would be impossible to unravel and separate. All the
Spencers’ favourite possessions, which have cascaded down the generations,
have ended up in Althorp, this most English of houses, just an hour north of
London. Enter its 550-acre park, and you find yourself in a peaceful setting that
radiates timeless good taste, with its swathes of fine English oaks stretching out
in every direction, while the family’s rare herd of black fallow deer graze beneath.
It’s a scene familiar to each of the 19 generations of Spencers who have
known and loved this corner of England. When Columbus was sailing towards
America, my family were farming here. When Britain was defying Hitler, it was a Spencer cousin who helped lead the way –
our wartime prime minister’s full family name was Spencer-Churchill, though everyone shortens him to Winston Churchill. All
through history, during the past five centuries or more, it seems you will find a Spencer there or thereabouts, making their
mark, doing their best.
These Spencer ancestors were able to indulge
their tastes – to commission art, furniture,
and all the finer things in life. You can see the
Spencer touch in every corner of Althorp –
this historic house that my family has called
“home” for over 500 years, and which for the
past decade, has been given unprecedented
care and attention. A massive programme of
restoration and repair has taken place, which
our partnership with Theodore Alexander
has certainly helped. I like to think that, for
generations, the house has looked after the
furniture. Recently, the very finest handmade
reproductions of that furniture by Theodore
Alexander have helped restore the house to
the very best condition. It seems right and fair.
It is not just the tangible pieces that make up
a family’s heritage, of course: it is the people
themselves. While the continued ownership
and enjoyment of this great house by my
family is something that I remain always so
grateful for, I never forget the expectations
and hopes of generations gone by.
This house, this family – together, they sum up
something that is authentic and pure, historic
yet still deeply relevant. Althorp has a living
history, yes. But, underpinning it all is that
factor that sets the tone, and sums up the good
fortune, the continuity and the fine taste that
underscore everything tangible and intangible
connected with this exceptional furniture line
- something I call Spencer Heritage.
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