Spencer House
The last of London's 18th century townhouses to survive, Spencer house is a
rare treat for any person interested in historic houses. For someone who
is also interested in the London society of the late 1700's and the Spencer and
Cavendish families that played such a large part in that time period, Spencer
house is a must see.
Located in St. James park, near Buckingham Palace, Spencer house
was built for John, First Earl Spencer. If you are a reader of Amanda Foreman's
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire or any of the other books centering on
the Cavendish or Spencer families that have been highlighted in "What Melanie's Reading"
in the past, you will know that the Earl and his wife, also Georgina, had one of
the most famous love matches of the 1700's. This house was built to
celebrate that love. Most of us have to be satisfied with a honeymoon, but not
all of us can be aristocrats. As you can see from the picture at the left, I
can't even manage to get through the gates. This is the view from St. James
Park.
Work began in 1756, but was not complete until 1766. The
Spencers went through two architects and over 50 thousand pounds.
The Earl of Spencer had loads of money, however, and no expense was spared.
He was great-grandson to the famously wealthy Sarah, Duchess of Marlbourough who
will show up in a later house (a small trifle called Blenheim Palace) and heir
to the fortune of the Earls of Sunderland.
During the tour, we saw the many state rooms and other rooms
meant for the public. The Spencers had a lively social life, loved Whig
politics, lavish entertainments, and both had a problem with gambling. By
the time John Spencer died in 1783, he left his son with a pile of money
problems and his widow in greatly reduced circumstances.
The house was built for political and social gatherings during
the times when the family was in London. Spencer House was not in use all year,
for the family also owned Althrop and other smaller properties. Althrop, a
house that still stands, is where the former Diana Spencer, of Princess Diana
fame, grew up and is buried.
The Painted Room, pictured above, is one of the most
breathtaking rooms in the house. It was meant as a large gathering room
for balls or parties, but it also doubled as a gallery. Luckily, the
Sunday we were there was a beautiful day, and the natural light showed the room
off even better than this picture (no picture taking is allowed in the house). The room was heavily damaged during
WWII, but because it was one of the most famous interiors of the 18th century,
it was faithfully restored to what it looked like during the time it was
originally built.
Although Spencer house is still technically owned by the Spencer
family, it is on a 125 year lease-type situation. Another famous family,
the Rothschilds, now use the house as part of their vast economic
empire. They are responsible for most of the massive restoration necessary
to repair the damage of WWII and general neglect and abuse.
The Palm Room, pictured to the right, is an example of one of
the most successful restorations. This is where the Earl gathered with his male
cronies after dinner (the Countess had her own social room where the ladies
retired). They did not have to worry about the dishes, but they did need to see
to the comfort of their guests. The men would perhaps smoke, gossip, and have a
drink. The ladies would gossip, play music, or play cards. The men
would perhaps eventually join the ladies unless there was a hot and heavy
political debate going on in the Palm Room. The Palms were meant to
signify marital fertility.
Fertility brings me to one of the highlights of the tour for me.
We had a wonderful tour guide who has been with the house since it re-opened to
the public in the 1980's. She was extremely knowledgeable about the original
building of the house and the 20th century restoration. I, however, had
the opportunity to correct her about the number of children that the First Earl
and his Countess had. She said they had 2, the Second Earl and the famous
Georgiana. They actually had 3 surviving children, Harriet being the
second daughter, but also had 2 daughters who died in infancy. Even in
this age of high mortality for children, the death of their small children
greatly impacted the couple who were so grief stricken that they never
recovered from the loss. They traveled extensively, throwing themselves
into religious fervor and gambling at equal rates, to try to avoid their grief.
I was brave and
only mentioned Harriet to the tour
guide. I did not want to be too much of a cat. Harriet, although not nearly
as famous as her sister Georgiana, is well known for her long correspondence
with another one of my obsessions, Lord Granville Leveson Gower (seen at left).
You can wonder why I am so obsessed with this family, but to give one
interesting story about Harriet: Leveson Gower was Harriet's lover (and
father of her two illegitimate children) before he married her niece,
Georgiana's daughter, another Harriet. Both Harriets were wildly in love
with him, and, although the affair ended at his marriage, the elder Harriet kept
a frequent correspondence with him until her death. Come on, this is better than
a soap opera!
Although the restoration is amazing, the house, unlike others I
have seen, does not have a feeling of a home at all. In fact, during the
week it is a bustling office. The house is only open on Sundays for tours.
Part of the lease means that the house must be opened for entertainment so many
times a year. This means that the government, and sometimes the Queen
herself, hold meetings and dinners here. Most of the furniture and almost all of the art are not original. Most of
the original art and furniture were moved to Althrop before the war and some was
sold during the 1980's under the guidance of the then Lady Diana's
hated stepmother.
You can learn more about
Spencer House on their
website, where a few of the pictures are from. The picture of the one of
the hottest men of the late 17th and early 18th century (Leveson Gower) is from
the Regency
Collection, a great Web site on Regency England.
Home