Friday August 28, 1981

John and Raine Spener at Althorp.

 _. Hot day. After a couple of hours at the YP with a very bronchil Mrs Slocombe and Kathleen I was met by Ally at 12:30 and off we went for our Bank Holiday break. It was a warm and clammy journey down the M1, in chugging Audrey. We arrived at Althorp House at 3. A splendid house, and not too large. We were given a guided tour around the Spencer pile by an old lady with a blue rinse and pearls. Sadly, the Spencers are away. Johnny sometimes greets the guests himself. It is obvious that Raine [Countess Spencer] has made her mark here. The guide hurried us past the Van Dycks and the Rubens and the Vermeers to bring our attention to a shoddy portrait of Raine's grandfather by Oswald Birley. The desks too, all Chippendale, groaned beneath Raine's family album snaps. Althorp is undergoing some renovation work and some of the rooms are beneath dust sheets, and scaffolding clings to some of the facades. But all the same it's an excellent joint. We also inspected the gardens. We had salad sandwiches in the car.

After a three hour drive we were in Martyr Worthy [our only other stop was at Brackley, where we had 'flat' lager in a pub there].

Bessie was in her usual state of high fluster and Frank was in his study, and this too is undergoing some renovation. Graham and Gill came in from a night at the Plough. He is more delightfully silly than ever.

-=-