#althorp house

[thesixthduke]

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Althorp House, the family home of Diana, Princess of Wales, has undergone significant excavations in recent weeks, as Earl Spencer seeks to learn more about the remains of a Roman villa first discovered in the grounds a century ago.

The 13,000-acre estate in Northamptonshire has belonged to the Spencer family since 1508 when they bought the land after amassing great wealth as sheep farmers.

It is currently the home of the 9th Earl Spencer, the younger brother of Princess Diana who lives at Althorp with his third wife Karen, Countess Spencer, and their 10-year-old daughter, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer.

Earl Spencer, 59, posted a photo on Instagram of a group of archaeologists standing around a long trestle table outside his stately home in the sun.

21 May 2023

Earl Spencer decided to excavate the field following a lifelong interest in the story of the Roman villa on the grounds of the estate.

Earlier this year, he wrote on Instagram:

‘Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the tale of an ancient Roman villa that lies beneath a field at Althorp.’

He added:

‘First located a century ago, it has remained an enigma ever since. Thanks to a brilliant team of experts, we’re now one step closer to unlocking the secrets of the people who lived at Althorp more than a millennium before my family settled here.’

The discoveries have been gradually released on Spencer1508.com, a website dedicated to ‘opening up and sharing all of the exciting developments at Althorp’ with video clips and a weekly newsletter.

Findings on the estate have included the walls of the ancient Villa, along with a roman coin dating from the reign of Constantine the Great, which depicts Romulus and Remus.

The Roman villa is one of many archaeological discoveries at Althorp House.

Others include the wreckage of a Wellington bomber that tumbled from the sky during the Second World War.

In 2021, Earl Spencer assembled a team to hunt for an Anglo-Saxon village buried in the grounds of Althorp House, with the results aired on a Channel 4 show titled Ancient Secrets of Althorp: Charles Spencer.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph at the time, Earl Spencer explained that ‘because the Park was enclosed several hundred years ago, the land within has not been worked or built on since. It has held onto its secrets, undisturbed by archaeological forays until this year.’

Earl Spencer added that following the programme, he developed ‘a sharp taste for archaeology’, writing:

‘I have already identified other points on the estate, which I hope to excavate so that – as in this programme – Althorp can share the extraordinary remnants of unknown figures from many, many centuries ago with the wider world. I hope my grandfather would approve of that.’

Lady Diana Spencer grew up at Althorp with her two older sisters, Lady Sarah and Lady Jane Spencer, as well as her younger brother, now Earl Spencer.

She is interred on a small island at the centre of an ornamental lake in the gardens of the house, overlooked by a Doric-style temple bearing her name.

The heir to Althorp is Earl Spencer’s eldest son Louis, Viscount Althorp.

Lady Eliza Spencer, Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, Victoria Lockwood and Lady Kitty Spencer in Windsor, England, 19 May 2018

[vox-anglosphere]

The ancestral home of Princess Diana still echoes with her memory

Althrop Hall - Earl Spencer.

[allthingsgeorgian]

Guest post by Bibi Cox O'Brien - ‘To Myself’: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire’s newly discovered poem

As many of my regular readers will know, I am extremely interested in the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and have written several articles on here about her, but today I am incredibly thrilled to welcome a new guest to All Things Georgian. Bibi Cox O’Brien graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2022 with a BA and MA in English Literature and is set to go to Oxford University…

[mypepemateossus]

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I remember your submission about H and national security implications. So, with the new Boris revelation- that he had a talk about Harry just before megxit to convince him to stay- what do you think about this from a national security angle?

To me, it seems, that the uk govt also realised what the possible implications could be if Harry's loyalties landed on the wrong side. Do you think that is why, as a last resort, the then PM was recruited to have an informal chat with him? Obviusly harry is so thick and daft, that he would take any allegations of possible defection very poorly. But, surely that must have been a point of discussion at the palace as well as 10 downing.

It seems that everyone but Harry, took his leaving very seriously. And he didn't realise the repercussions until just recently. What else do you will could think might come out about megxit?

So first, the palace has announced that they never asked Boris to speak to Harry. I think what probably happened is one of the following two scenarios:

Scenario A: The Queen discussed Megxit with him in one of their weekly audiences and he thinks she’s asking him to problem solve this, so Boris steps in.

Scenario B: It was Charles/Clarence House that asked Boris to step in and not the palace, but Boris doesn’t know the difference. (Which is very plausible considering that he confirmed in his memoir he never read his briefing papers and often learned things from The Queen herself.)

Second, there’s no national security angle to this. It was made very clear that take away their demands in the Megxit Manifesto - which the BRF did at the Sandringham Summit - the Sussexes didn’t actually have a plan for what they were going to do. Where would they live? Were they going to lease/rent or buy? What would they do about transportation? How would they pay for their expenses? For childcare? For security? What would they do for work? Would they immigrate or just live there? What kind of visas did Harry need? Could they keep their diplomatic passports or did they need to get regular ones? Etc, etc. That’s probably how they got the 1-year trial period; there was no plan and the little plan there was wasn’t realistic.

The BRF was doing everything they could to make the Sussexes wake up to the reality that the grass wasn’t greener on the other side and that Harry, especially, was too dependent on the machinations of the monarch - living expenses paid for, generational wealth, do-nothing career, household staff, drivers - to be able to manage it exclusively and entirely alone without support. Since the Sussexes weren’t listening to the BRF, someone thought an “outsider” might be able to make them listen and Boris (who’s very much equally privileged and tone-deaf on similar issues) was chosen. Or self-appointed.

I think had the BRF called the Spencers in to help, they might’ve had a chance but it was still too late because once Meghan got Archie out of the country, she was gone and if she was gone, so was Harry. The opportune time to get the Spencers involved would’ve been Summer 2019 or right after Africa. But even then, I’m not sure that the Spencers would’ve been able to do anything; at that time, Harry wasn’t speaking to the Earl (he either no-showed or was NFI to Archie’s christening) and he was probably the only one that could’ve made the Sussexes happy, by allowing them to stay in Diana’s home. I know, Althorp wasn’t really her home but the association of Diana to the estate is really strong and probably would’ve mollified the Sussexes long enough for things to cool down but it doesn’t address the issue that Meghan hates the UK and desperately wants the golden glorious glamor of Hollywood.

Harry does seem to have better relationships with Diana’s sisters but I’m not sure they could’ve convinced the Sussexes to change their mind without being able to give them Diana in the way that only Earl Spencer could, as he is the current occupant for Althorp.

But for all I know, maybe they did call the Spencers for help and it just didn’t work. But I don’t think they did, because it would’ve leaked out. Maybe they tried to and Meghan blocked it because she knew once Diana was invoked, it was game over and she’d be stuck. Or maybe she had already invoked Diana to Harry and that’s how she convinced him to do this in the first place and now Diana’s sisters coming in with their version of Diana would undo her hard work.

Anyway. Not really a national security analysis. Personally, I don’t like doing hindsight analysis - where you take everything you know now and apply it to a situation years ago in the last - because then you’re making assumptions and assumptions end up turning opinion into fact. That’s not objective.

I prefer to focus hindsight analysis on “what we knew then” with “what we know now about what we knew then.” Specific to the January 2020 bro-chat, there isn’t much context for that. The only thing that changes is how much anger Harry had at the time, with revelations in all the royal books, towards not being treated exactly the same as William by everyone - his wife, the public, the family, the monarchy, etc.

I can’t comment on the national security aspects of why the PM may or may not have decided to speak with Harry about Megxit because at the time in January 2020, there weren’t concerns about defection or bought loyalty. Not publicly, at least. At the time, the public concerns were about Harry’s relationship with the press, and with that we knew that Harry was friendly with certain members of the press and liked speaking to them because they made him feel important. Remember, the interview with the Russian pranksters where the general public began to realize “wait a minute…” wasn’t until March 2020.

I don’t know that I have anymore predictions for Megxit. Obviously the biggest issue is whether Archie is “of the body” as there’s been a lot of speculation Megxit happened (partially) to obscure that. I’m not sure we’ll ever get the answer to that.

Some other guesses:

Exactly when, where, and with whom all the contract negotiations for their content deals (Quibi, Netflix, Spotify, The Bench, Penguin Random House, and Oprah) began. There’s a lot of very plausible speculation that these talks (and Netflix filming) began way before 2020.

The press lawsuits - who, what, where, when, and how. I want to know everything - who finally convinced Harry to sue? What role did Elton really have in it? Who’s bankrolling the lawsuits? Did Harry seek lawyers out or did lawyers seek Harry out? How much influence did Meghan have on the lawsuits? Were the lawsuits preemptive to get Fleet Street to stop investigating or talking about the inconsistencies in Archie’s birth?

The exact details and timing of how Megxit went down. Who stayed with Archie, and where, while the Sussexes were in the UK each time? Who financed their expenses? When did Trudeau learn that he was footing their entire bill and how long before he booted the Sussexes - was it immediate or was it only when the public began complaining? When did Meghan start complaining about Canada and began demanding they move to the US? When did Oprah and Tyler Perry come into the picture? How long did they really plan to stay in Canada before moving to the US? Did they take advantage of the Covid panic to expedite their US move or were they already in the US before the revenge tour? What did/does Dan Wootton know that he didn’t publish? What did/does Scobie know about Megxit? Was the BRF aware that the goal was always to move to the US? Did the BRF really believe it was the media that made the Sussexes quit? Did the Sussexes really quit monarchy or did The Queen actually fire them as speculated

[foxeia]

Althorp House

[labuenosairesfrancaise]

Althorp House, Northamptonshire

Hi guys!!

I'm sharing Althorp House, the seat of Spencer Family. This is one of the most recognizable states in the UK, whose owners have a rich family history.

House History: A hamlet named Althorp existed here in medieval times, believed to have been situated on the southwest side of the park, east of West Lodge. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having a population of ten at the time, and being part of the parish of Brington.

In 1469 John Spencer's uncle – also named John Spencer – had become feoffee (feudal lord) of Wormleighton in Warwickshire and a tenant at Althorp in Northamptonshire in 1486. The family's administration of their Northamptonshire and Warwickshire estates gained them admiration and a following throughout England, and their sheep-rearing business earned large profits.[12] After beginning construction of Wormleighton Manor the previous year with some 60 relatives, John Spencer bought Althorp in 1508 for £800 from the Catesby family.

King Charles I is documented to have visited Althorp during his reign. The drawing room was built and the main hall enlarged for the occasion, with £1,300 spent on the banquet, an exorbitant sum for the period.

Robert Spencer built the current house in 1688 and made a series of changes to Althorp park.

More history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althorp

This house fits a 64x64 lot and features the following rooms:

Wooton hall

The painter's gallery

South Drawing room

Billiard room

Long Library

Marlborough room

Sunderland room

State dining room

Principal salon (1st floor) and Spencer's gallery (2nd floor of the salon)

Picture Gallery

Private chapel

The great room

9 Bedrooms/bathrooms

This time I decorated most of the rooms for picture purposes. Hope you like it.

Be warned: I did not have the floor plan for the 2nd floor (Just for the gallery, great room and chapel) The distribution is based on my own decision.

You will need the usual CC I use: all of Felixandre, The Jim, SYB, Anachrosims, Regal Sims, TGS, The Golden Sanctuary, Cliffou, Dndr recolors, etc.

Please enjoy, comment if you like it and share pictures with me if you use my creations!

Early acces: 7/15

[nothwell]

A thrilling new story begins on Patre♡n! Welcome to Vampires Vampires Vampires , a M/M/M Victorian vampire romance.

~

“There’s the old hulk now, my lad! What d’you think o’ her?”

At his captain’s bidding, Octavio Peixinho peered out the coach window at the mansion appearing through the trees at a bend in the long winding road. Sitting as he did with his back to the horses, he had to lean forward quite a ways to catch sight of it.

The sight proved worth catching. Ferndale Priory loomed over the landscape like a palace. Bigger, certainly, than the bark Octavio and his captain had left behind in New Bedford. Captain Ferndale had told him how the house stood on the ancient ruin of a monastery, and Octavio could see some hints of it in the style of the house now—the pointed arch of the tall and narrow windows, the notched rim of the roof and towers, and the spires springing up like whale-spouts from every corner. One of the spires, however, had broken off, and this, combined with the patches of crumbling stone, the empty shadows lurking behind most of the windows, and the sunken-in look of the roof over the eastern flank, marred the magnificence of its immense size.

Octavio turned back to his captain. “Seems hardly seaworthy.”

Captain Ferndale gave a hearty laugh. He’d seen some fifty-odd years of life—and most of them at sea—yet he wore his wisdom well, with a handsome smile showing through his close-trimmed beard. “I’d say ‘thar she blows,’ but the chimneys ain’t lit. Daresay my nevvy can’t afford to, with what debts my brother left him.”

~

Joining me on Patre♡n will give you access to “drawer fic” – aka the 500k+ words worth of manuscripts that have been shelved until I figure out how to fix or finish them. You’ll also be invited to join an exclusive Discord server just for patrons!

A new chaper will go up every week. Missing (unwritten) scenes will be indicated by brackets describing what would probably happen if the scene were written. Example: [in this scene Aubrey and Lindsey ride a carousel]

Currently posting… ♡ Vampires Vampires Vampires (mmm)

Completed works… ♡ the Aubrey & Lindsey solar fantasy project (mm) ♡ A Willing Canvas – John Halloway x Lord Cyril Graves (mm) ♡ The Train Job – Rowena Althorp x Rebekah (ff) ♡ Hold Fast 2 – Hold Faster (mm)

See you on Patre♡n!

[saintmeghanmarkle]

If Harry and Meghan did want to move back to the UK now would be the time to do it... by u/Aware-Impression8527

If Harry and Meghan did want to move back to the UK, now would be the time to do it... (*Before you downvote me into oblivion--I'm not saying, I want them to; just that it would make sense.)American Riviera Orchard is dead in the water. Lemonada Media is being sold ... and if it's sold to Spotify then Meghan's podcast is dead, too. They've fulfilled their filming obligations for the Netflix deal. The Penguin Random House deal is over. The mansion is costing them a fortune in running costs, while the kids are about to start school and H&M can't bleat on about how their kids aren't safe in England if they have to wear bullet-proof backpacks to class in America.They will run out of money and there is nothing keeping them in California. Harry's immigration/tax status will also come into play as some point. They will say they can't go back unless they are given special security blah blah blah but I can see Charles bending on that if it means he'll get to spend time with his grandchildren. As much as I hate to say it, they would shore up the monarchy. Catherine might never return to her public duties, while Charles, Camilla and Anne are only getting older; they can't expect Edward and Sophie to do everything.Frogmore Cottage is still empty but we already know it's not grand enough for Meghan. They'll probably buy an estate in the Cotswolds somewhere. Or maybe Harry has been cosying up to the Spencers in the hope they'll let him live on the Althorp estate... post link: https://ift.tt/Qj1blSG author: Aware-Impression8527 submitted: September 05, 2024 at 12:33PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[thesixthduke]

[sussex-newswire]

"On August 28, Prince Harry and Prince William were both in attendance at the Norfolk funeral of their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, brother-in-law of Princess Diana and a longtime aide of Queen Elizabeth II. According to People, Harry also made a visit to his mother’s family estate, Althorp House, where he stayed with his uncle, Charles Spencer, during his trip to the UK.

"The memorial service for Fellowes, who died on July 29, took place at St. Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk, about two hours away from the Northamptonshire estate where Diana lived during her teen years and where she is buried. Saturday marked the 27th anniversary of the princess’s death and on his Instagram account, Spencer observed the date by sharing newspaper clippings from her 1964 christening. (Earl Spencer did not immediately return a request for comment.)

...

"During the service, which was also attended by Diana’s sisters Baroness Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Harry and William sat with different groups of their maternal cousins. Over the weekend, The Daily Beast reported that Diana’s extended family has been working to repair the relationship between the two brothers, who have reportedly not been on speaking terms for years."

[theduchessgeorgiana]

Georgiana Cavendish

Born to the Spencer family at Althorp, Georgiana was the eldest of three children born to John, the future 1st Earl Spencer and his wife Margaret Georgiana. Aged just 17, Georgiana married the Duke and became mistress of Chatsworth, Hardwick Hall, Chiswick House and Lismore Castle, as well as the estates at Londesborough and Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire.

Embarking on her marriage full of optimism, Georgiana was described as having a warm and vivacious personality, while her husband was regarded as being more reserved. The new Duchess enthusiastically established herself at the heart of London society, welcoming fellow aristocrats, royalty, actors, playwrights and musicians to her home. She also entertained prominent members of the Whig political party.

In 1782 Lady Elizabeth Foster (1759-1824) and Georgiana began a friendship which would last the rest of Georgiana’s life. Elizabeth, known as Bess, became a companion and support to the Duchess but Bess also had a relationship with Duke.

After nine years of marriage, the Devonshires would celebrate the birth of their first child, Georgiana (1783-1858) known as Little G, who was followed two years later by Harriet (1785-1862), known as Harryo. The sisters were joined by a brother William, known as Hart, who would become the 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858) in 1790.

Sadly Georgiana was denied the opportunity to raise her fourth child, Eliza Courtney (1792-1859) because she had been conceived during an affair with politician Charles Grey (1764–1845). The Duke exiled Georgiana, forbidding her to return until invited and only on the condition that the baby was placed elsewhere. Georgiana was able to see Eliza as she grew up, acting as an unofficial god-parent, but Eliza was only told of her parentage after Georgiana’s death.

After years of ill health and enduring blunt and brutal medical interventions which had impaired her sight and left her weakened, Georgiana’s final illness occurred in March 1806. She died at Devonshire House, the family’s townhouse in Piccadilly, aged just 48.

[royalpain16]

Inside Princess Diana's £995k family home that's up for sale!

The late Princess of Wales' family used to own Dallington Hall

JANUARY 27, 2023 - 10:34 GMT BY RACHEL AVERY

Princess Diana grew up at Althorp House, which is a Grade-I listed property that her brother Earl Charles Spencer has acquired now, but her family also used to own Dallington Hall in Northamptonshire.

Jackson Stops estate agents have listed the grand property for sale on their website, for an asking price of £995,000

The gorgeous period property looks as though it could be taken straight from a postcard, with a striking exterior and pristine gardens around it.

The late Princess of Wales' family used to own Dallington Hall

Princess Diana grew up at Althorp House, which is a Grade-I listed property that her brother Earl Charles Spencer has acquired now, but her family also used to own Dallington Hall in Northamptonshire.

The property is being sold

Highlights in the listing include the "two storey high staircase hall" with a "Georgian oak staircase" – quite the entrance! There's a vast drawing room, a dining room and magnificent breakfast room.

The games room is another plus to the five-bedroom home which we are sure will be snapped up by a lucky buyer soon.

It has a wonderful history after it was built around 1720. As well as the Spencer clan, it was owned by the Raynsford family, and also once was a convalescent home for wounded soldiers during the Second World War.

Althorp House is still within the Spencer family, and the late Princess of Wales' brother, Earl Spencer, opens the doors to his family residence each summer for visitors to come inside.

In the meantime, you can get your Althorp fix as Charles and his wife Karen have launched a video series dedicated to educating people on their property, taking royal fans behind the scenes.

Prince Harry's leaked memoir, Spare also detailed his desire to be buried at Althorp alongside his mother, and the royal goes on to say that wasn't possible so he was forced to select elsewhere.

The Oval Lake is where Diana is buried, meaning visitors can't access her gravesite but they can leave flowers and tributes at the memorial temple on site with a bench and portrait dedicated to the late Princess.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

What do you see happening to Harry when the inevitable divorce happens? The kids will be in the US so he can't really move to the UK. Though he doesn't seem that attached to them considering how much he travels and is away from them. Would he be set up in the UK if he did return? What is there to be done with him? He can't return as an official working royal even if Charles refuses to remove him from the website. He obviously needs someone to babysit him so he can't just be let left alone. Would he just play polo until he's too old? I wonder if the BRF actually have a plan if he was to return because I can't think what they'd do with him.

Ask from August 3rd

There are three and a half options for Harry post-divorce if it should happen.

Option 1: if Meghan gets custody of the kids and keeps them in the US, he’ll stay in the US, probably remaining in the LA area or moving up to his corporate BetterUp apartment in San Francisco and commuting down to LA when it’s his custody time. There is a chance he could move to New York since the East Coast is more “old money” and he probably fits in better, society-wise, there (but I think it’s a very low chance). Harry will continue being the BetterUp mascot and travel all over the world playing polo and “running” Invictus Games. He’ll be like a Vince Vaughn/Jon Hamm-type character (perpetual bachelor, kinda dickish but without the charm), still very much living with PTSD, and the kind of weekend dad who’s all fun and games so Meghan/the nannies will always be the bad guys.

Harry will probably trauma-bond to the first woman that can get her claws in him and it’ll probably be another Meghan/Durek-type (holistic, new agey, controlling). I don’t think they’ll marry because Meghan will make their lives a living hell being that close. (But good news, Meghan will probably move her target from Kate to the new girlfriend.)

Option 1B: If by some miracle Harry gets out of California and moves someplace else in the US - like to NYC/northeast, Texas, or Jackson Hole, then he might not be as dickish and might actually level out from all the mental health trauma Meghan put him through. The risk is still high for him to be with a new agey/holistic woman but she’s probably be more of a Shannon Beador-type (from Real Housewives of Orange County; well-meaning but kinda nutty) than a charlatan grifter-type and I can see her influence being calmer and more stabilizing on Harry, perhaps even to the point that he stops the constant PR blitz and just lives his life. If this is what happens, then there’s a good chance that Charles and Eugenie could reach out and relations with the BRF thaw out to the point that Harry can see people when he goes to the UK for “work” instead of getting the door slammed in his face.

Option 2: If Harry gets custody of the kids or the kids go to a UK boarding school, he’ll go back to the UK and be welcomed back in on the family side. No royal work and no public engagements/appearances unless the entire BRF is there (eg, like the Platinum Jubilee service) or it’s exclusively a private family event (like the Easter and Christmas walks). King Charles will throw Harry a bone every once in a while by supporting Invictus Games. His mental health will be addressed and Harry will probably begin healing from all this trauma so he may not be dickish at all, just his usual entitled prince self which someone, probably younger and blonder, will eventually find charming and she’ll “take over” Harry for the BRF in return for a cushy paid-for life (allegedly this is what they offered Meghan but Meghan wasn’t aware of how bad Harry’s mental health was and kept demanding more and more money to stay).

Since it sounds like Harry is pivoting again to the Spencers, he’ll probably settle close to them near Althorp (otherwise King Charles will probably buy a lease for him at/around Highgrove House since William never goes there). Maybe Earl Spencer will take pity and give Harry a small cottage house on the Althorp estate (if there are any).

William might thaw out eventually but their relationship will never be the same and Harry won’t ever be back in the Waleses’ inner circle, and of course, it will depend on whether Harry continues all of his PR. (If Harry continues PR and continues using William for PR, there’s no thawing but if Harry shuts up and stops talking to press, he has a chance of William acknowledging he exists.)

Option 3: Harry moves to Africa or someplace else in the Commonwealth, regardless of custody rulings. Probably the best option for Harry. He just needs to get far, far away from the press, Meghan, and the BRF as possible, reset, and start over. King Charles will take care of/pay for everything. King William will probably continue supporting Harry in this case since it keeps him away from the UK but again, the issue is PR. If Harry stops talking to the press, then his chances with William are better. If he keeps talking to the press, he keeps running PR stories about olive branches or the good old days or wanting to come back, then nothing will change.

[danielleasbureaucouk]

Holiday in Virginia Waters, to see Osterley Park, Spencer House, Marilyn exhibition, Windsor Castle and Ham House.

The house was very noisy, last minute booking, especially after mother threw a tantrum earlier in the week and father caught a cold so naturally we both have one now too. A lot of things tend to happen again with holidays, colds and tantrums are a common theme at the moment. There's the threat of a fight every evening too, especially last night.

The house has a noisy heating and water scheme that comes on very early and seems impossible to change how we want it. It's also not far from the train station and Heathrow, because Spencer House and the Marilyn exhibition required public transport.

White bed linen, bin men at 6.45 am, uncomfortable furniture, no regular TV transmission only on demand. Outrageous fines if you break rules. Smart locks and ring doorbell, which parents don't quite understand what it does and doesn't see.

Osterley was good despite the conservation scheme, though the food hall has gone downhill like all NT places.

Spencer House was really interesting although it makes you want to go to Althorp again.

The Marilyn exhibition was a little disappointing, not a lot of real items, replicas that were not really identical. The audio tour was good, but extra and the shop was expensive rubbish.

The jubilee line was busy and a frantic nightmare.

Windsor was busy, there was a queue for the Queen Mary Doll house. We spent longer in the queue than looking at the house because you couldn't linger.

The state rooms were good. The Undercroft was too busy, though a welcome addition. The shop and guides were not at all helpful, rather officious, put me off buying things. I planned on getting a lot more than a bookmark, but felt it would be better online.

St George chapel and shops felt rushed because of the need to get back to the carpark. If there hadn't been a queue for the doll house it would have been better.

It's the last day and I feel like shit because of the cold, conscious of disturbing people with blowing my nose yet I've been awake since six because of the boiler.

The tablets worked for Ham House so I was able to enjoy it, although not all the rooms were open, which was slightly disappointing. I thought that was the case in the summer because of the heat, but apparently it's a lack of guides, but then the majority of them don't do that much anyway.

The food was the usual NT fare, though I enjoyed my stew and doughnut.

The journey back avoided the M25 circular, though we got back in the dark. At one point it's like the war, with no signs or lights except those from on coming cars which are too bright.