This September Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, embarked on a whirlwind tour of North America to promote the 500th Anniversary of the Althorp Estate. Selected showrooms from California to New York hosted customer events where Earl Spencer autographed pieces of furniture and spoke of his love for the Althorp estate and the collection it inspired.

“This is the accumulation of 19 generations of different people from one family and their different tastes. The common denominator is that my family has been lucky enough to be able to use the best craftsmen in Europe for their furniture,” he stated in one press interview.

Earl Spencer at Southeastern Galleries, Charleston, South Carolina
In Virginia, as in showrooms across the States, Earl Spencer turned chairs and tables upside down and signed his name on the undersides leaving a lasting reminder of the personal connection between the pieces and the Althorp estate. Ted Pound, owner of McArthur Fine Furniture in Calgary, Alberta said, “He took the time to autograph every single piece in our extensive gallery.”

Isle of Palms resident Margaret Marsh Crawley said “I feel that it’s such a privilege that Earl Spencer has done this, and he’s brought this beautiful furniture to share with America”, a sentiment echoed across the country. In Florida Dick Greenfield, owner of Livingston Furniture said that “Earl Spencer’s visit was definitely the most exciting thing to happen in this store” whilst in Charleston Bill Cooper, President and CEO of Southeastern Galleries said, “The Althorp event with Charles Spencer at my store was a huge success. We sold one-third of the total volume from last year with Althorp in just one event period. This event drove the best attendance of any special event gathering that I have had at Southeastern Galleries in recent memory.”
Earl Spencer addresses the audience at Sheffield Furniture and Interiors, Malvern, Pennsylvania
According to Earl Spencer the “jewel in the crown of the collection” is the George II mahogany and rosewood secretary desk, the original of which is found in the King William bedroom at Althorp. However, the Earl’s favourite item is the Washington Chest. He told the crowd at Southeastern Galleries that he was ‘flabbergasted’ when he saw Theodore Alexander’s version, with every nick and scar in the appropriate place.
“The George Washington family were distant relatives of mine, and if you look in the family records, they not the fell on hard times in the early 1600s and we put them up in a house in the local village, and the young Washington girls worked at Althorp as nannies to the Althorp children. The original chest I actually use for my tennis and cricket gear, but it has a sworn affidavit inside from a 19th century English priest saying it did belong to the Washingtons before they emigrated from England to America,” stated Earl Spencer
The collection illustrates how family heirlooms can be integrated into modern spaces, such as an urban townhouse. A couple of Althorp Living History furniture fans in Tampa, Florida bought some pieces for their new house - “We’re trying to mix Southern charm with the formality of Washington D.C., she said, “I think it should be functional, (my husband) thinks it should be beautiful. The furniture fits that absolutely.”

David Koehler, President of Theodore Alexander, North America summed up the Tour when he said, “The record attendance and sales that occurred as a result of the Althorp events illustrate the high level of consumer interest and desire for this unique and very special collection. As Earl Spencer noted, “these pieces are timeless classics.”

For more information on the Tour or Althorp Living History by Theodore Alexander contact lizzy@theodorealexander.com