About Althorp, where Diana, Princess of Wales is buried
Althorp has been the home of the Spencer family for nearly 500 years. The Althorp estate, now Princess Diana's burial site, dates from 1508 and is currently the home of Princess Diana's brother, the 9th Earl Spencer.
The house, surrounded by 550 acre walled park, has been open to the public for more than 50 years so that visitors could enjoy the fine furnishings and artwork collected by twenty generations of Spencers.
But, today, most visitors to Althorp (pronounced Althrup) come to see Diana's childhood home, to see the award winning exhibition - Diana:A Celebration and to pay their respects at Diana's grave.
Address
Althorp
Northampton
NN7 4HQ
Telephone
+44 (0)1604 770 107
Opening Hours
Althorp has a limited season. The house is open from July to the end of August or the beginning of September, with specific dates announced on the Althorp website every year. In 2008, the house was scheduled to close to the public on August 30.
During the season, Althorp and its exhibitions are open every day, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets for Althorp
Tickets for Althorp can be booked in advance, by phone or online. Admission in 2007 cost:
- Adult,£12.50
- Senior, £10.50
- Child, 5 to 17, £6.00
- Under 5, free
- Family, two adults and three children, £29.50
- Carers, free
Check the latest opening times and prices
All profits from Althorp visitors, including the shop and online shop, are donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, to support charities and causes that were important to Princess Diana. Since 1998, Althorp has contributed more than £860,000 to the fund.
How to Get to Althorp
By car: Althorp is 7 miles west of Northampton off the A428. Directions are signposted from the M1 motorway (Exit 16 Northbound or Exit 18 Southbound). Travel time is approximately 1.5 hours from London, 2.5 hours from York, and 1 hours from Stratford-Upon-Avon, Cambridge, or Oxford.
By train: Althorp, Princess Diana's burial site, is seven miles from Northampton station which has regular train service from London Euston. Bus and taxi services are available from Northampton station.
See Travelling to Althorp for more details.
The Exhibition
Diana: A Celebration includes a wide range of personal items and photographs illustrating Diana's life and work. Clothing in the exhibition ranges from poignant childhood items like Diana's early school uniform, to her wedding dress. Work clothes in the exhibit include the protective, clothing Princess Diana wore when visiting land mine sites. Hundreds of books of condolence, signed by people from all over the world, are also in the exhibition.
