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The Royal Treatment
For nearly five centuries Althorp, in pastoral Northamptonshire, has been home to the Spencers. The home’s rich legacy and its warm, beautiful interiors played muse for high-end furniture maker Theodore Alexander’s line of furniture and upholstery pieces, Althorp Living History. Althorp’s current owner, Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer and brother of Althorp’s most famous former resident, Diana, Princess of Wales, came this fall to Jarrettsville Furniture, where the line is sold, to share a cup of tea and talked to PaperDoll about growing up in the palatial estate, the difference in tastes on this side and that side of the pond, and the extraordinary history of his favorite piece in the collection.
Today, 25 years later, the Kellogg collection has expanded from just rugs to include an entire collection of comfortable, classic, English-style home furnishings and accessories in five locations, including one in Baltimore. Designer upholstery, hand-crafted furniture, pine antiques, English ceramics, silver frames, luxurious throws and other special touches that turn a house into a home are specialties of the shop. The exquisite items and boutique services—including its one-day-to-a-new-room Immediate Interiors program—keep loyal customers coming back year after year.
Did your ancestors use any of the grand English designers to decorate?
My family was lucky, because it had access to the great English designers over several centuries—we’ve lived at Althorp since 1508. So you’ll see pieces especially designed for the Spencers by Chippendale, Vardy, Seddon and Stuart. The fabrics and decorations at Althorp have changed, pretty much every generation. We’ve found evidence of 8 or 9 different paints or wallpapers lying underneath the most recent decoration.
How do American tastes differ from British tastes?
Americans are very diverse in their tastes. A lot of what I’ve observed is obvious: Texans like the big pieces; people from Arizona and Colorado lean towards the more rustic furniture; those in Manhattan prefer the smaller, finer objects. The British tend to love traditional, middle-of-the-range, pieces.
George I mahogany and rosewood cross banded bureau cabinet (original circa1740).
The Washington chest, a reproduction oak piece whose original (1877) was authenticated as having belonged to the Washingtons before emigration to America.
Late Regency style upholstered sofa with padded scroll arms on lobed bun feet (original circa1825).