Lord Charles Spencer

The 9th Earl Spencer, current resident of the centuries old Althorp estate with its legacy of exquisite furniture, on sharing the fine designs and pieces of workmanship to make them live forever

- Mridula Sharma

Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl who in his restoration endeavour of Althorp Estate opened the doors to none other than Theodore Alexander to replicate some of the finest pieces held by the family, has created (the) Althorp Living History in the process.

Is everything at Althorp open for Theodore Alexander, or do you edit the selection? If it is edited then what is the criterion for the edit?

When I was first approached by Theodore Alexander the owner and his design chief asked if they could look round Althorp House. “Of course!”, I said. They re-emerged three days later with 10,000 images of pieces and designs they wanted to work with. Theodore Alexander have had a similarly free-range access to the house and all it contains ever since. I, of course, have the right to veto anything going into the collection – but I’ve never had to exercise that right. They have always respected the richness, breadth and authenticity of my family’s collection.