Spencer House
Spencer House
4.5
About
Restored to the full splendor of its late eighteenth-century appearance, this manor house was once the residence of the Spencer family, whose famous member was Diana, Princess of Wales.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: St. James's
Perennially fashionable since the days of Henry VIII, the aristocratic “Clubland” of St James's is a premier destination for high end craft and bespoke design. Here you’ll lose count of the Royal Warrants (which indicate that the Royal Family patronizes the establishment) seen in shop front windows, even during a short stroll to bordering Green Park or St James’s Park. With the brightly lit and constantly buzzing junction of Piccadilly Circus at its northeast corner and none of Central London too far away, this is an surprisingly central and accessible part of town, especially given its prosperous demeanor.
How to get there
- Green Park • 4 min walk
- Piccadilly Circus • 6 min walk
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10,000 within 5 kms
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2,771 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- speerbuzBrisbane, Australia54 contributionsHistoric house with stunning interior.A lovely 18th Century mansion restored to its original splendour, this is a beautiful building. The interior is complete with furnishings and artworks of the era and is quite stunning. We had a guided tour led by Betty, who provided many amusing anecdotes about the history, some of the occupants and subsequent restorations. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about the house. The Palm Room and Painted Room are each particularly noteworthy. We found the other staff at the house to be very friendly as well.Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 November 2023
- Ben B37 contributionsSuperbBrilliant 75 mins tour by Norma, a Blue Badge guide. Great stories of the people who lived there and the men who built and worked on the property. Tours only available to the public on Sundays. House has been superbly restored. Tip: Go to nearby Chutney Mary Indian restaurant for Sunday Brunch afterwards.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 3 June 2024
- GailW2100Norwich, United Kingdom217 contributionsSuperb tourWe really enjoyed our tour of Spencer House this Sunday. We had previously caught glimpses of this superb house from St James Park but only recently found out you can pre-book tours on a Sunday. The tours make this a very special experience, we were in a small group and led by a guide (Norma) who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the house and the skilled craftsmen who restored it to its current glory. Highly recommendedVisited September 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 11 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
169 reviews
Excellent
123
Very good
31
Average
11
Poor
3
Terrible
1
GAS
10 contributions
Apr 2022
Lovely very lady as guide, got visitors involved into the conversation, there were interesting contributions from the mixed international group. I think one gent was an art historian, I remember seeing him somewhere. Unusually for UK many features& pieces are restored, not original. Perfect house in a perfect location.
Shame photography is only allowed in two rooms, but there are plenty of pictures on internet anyway.
Shame photography is only allowed in two rooms, but there are plenty of pictures on internet anyway.
Written 24 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
speerbuz
Brisbane, Australia54 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
A lovely 18th Century mansion restored to its original splendour, this is a beautiful building. The interior is complete with furnishings and artworks of the era and is quite stunning. We had a guided tour led by Betty, who provided many amusing anecdotes about the history, some of the occupants and subsequent restorations. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about the house. The Palm Room and Painted Room are each particularly noteworthy. We found the other staff at the house to be very friendly as well.
Written 20 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Qualityscot
Scotland296 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
We have thoroughly enjoyed our year exploring historic buildings with Historic Homes. Spencer House was one of these visits. A delightful 80 mins spent with a lovely lady called Betty. So much information to share and as other people have mentioned, our fellow visitors also added their knowledge to the overall picture. In the rush that is London, this pool of tranquility was just perfect. Thank you.
Written 24 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John
Northamptonshire, UK21 contributions
Sept 2021
We had the most lovely time at Spencer House a few weeks ago, our guide Nick was so knowledgeable and answered all our questions with ease. we loved the beauty of the house, it's stunning architecture and being made of its importance in the architectural history of London. A great afternoon activity.
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve
London, UK21 contributions
July 2023 • Solo
Magnificent! Tour may seem expensive but worth every penny. The interior are astounding and the interiors will take your breath away. The lady guiding the 3pm tour I was on was brilliant. It's hard to find a hoodbtour guide but she was superb. She encouraged us to stay and go back in after garden tour. House has welcoming feel unlike some houses which are static and museum like. I cant wait to go back! A hidden gem. Ive never seen a house so well restored and presented
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben B
37 contributions
June 2024 • Couples
Brilliant 75 mins tour by Norma, a Blue Badge guide.
Great stories of the people who lived there and the men who built and worked on the property.
Tours only available to the public on Sundays.
House has been superbly restored.
Tip: Go to nearby Chutney Mary Indian restaurant for Sunday Brunch afterwards.
Great stories of the people who lived there and the men who built and worked on the property.
Tours only available to the public on Sundays.
House has been superbly restored.
Tip: Go to nearby Chutney Mary Indian restaurant for Sunday Brunch afterwards.
Written 3 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DCL
Banchory, UK34 contributions
July 2022
We were looking forward to an exciting day and it didn’t disappoint! On arrival we were warmly greeted by a lovely gentleman on reception who wished us a happy 45th Wedding Anniversary. We were then asked to await our guide and host. The visit was amazing! At the conclusion of our tour we were surprised with a gift bag containing lots of lovely items one of which was a Christmas Tree Ornament.
Written 13 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
littlemissredsoles
Sydney92 contributions
June 2013 • Solo
Having read 'The Duchess', and interested in English history more generally, I joined one of the Sunday morning tours of Spencer House. Visiting the house is only available by tour, unless you book or attend an event there. The tour was immensely informative and enjoyable, and worthwhile even if you don't usually visit grand homes - it was interesting to hear the history of the house, how it developed over time, and particularly what modifications needed to be made to protect it during the Blitz. If you have a spare few hours on a Sunday morning in Lindon, I would recommend - it's easily accessible, right near the West End, and a very short walk from Buckingham Palace.
Written 7 December 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ElaineSL
New York City, NY196 contributions
27 St Jamess Pl, tube Green Park, open Sundays only. Phone 207 499 8620. closed entirely in August and January. See their website. Ancestral London home of the Spencers, Princess Diana's family, though the family hasn't lived in this house since 1926. They had to rent it out as offices to raise money, and now it is run by a trust. Seeing this house was one of the best things I did on my Feb 02 trip. The house was magnificently restored in the late 1980s and I can best describe it as a miniature palace: rich furnishings, mirrors, gilded or silk-covered walls, etc. Admission with a tour guide only, tours last about 80 minutes. Go early in the day (it opens about 10:30) because as the Sunday goes on you'll likely have to sign up and then wait for a tour.
Written 19 November 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian T
London, UK8,046 contributions
June 2022 • Solo
This is a beautiful stately home to visit. It’s a magnificent eighteenth-century private aristocratic palace which was built between 1756-1766 for John, the first Earl Spencer and an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997). Today it’s recognised as one of the most sumptuous private residences ever built in London and a building of unique importance in the history of English architecture.
Designed by John Vardy and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, the State Rooms are amongst the finest neo-classical interiors in Europe. Over the years the house has been the Spencer family home and has been subject to restoration and renovation work to help bring the house back to its former grand state. Today, the house has regained the full splendour of its eighteenth-century appearance after a painstaking ten-year restoration under the Chairmanship of Lord Rothschild.
My visit to the house in late June was outstanding, and I fully recommend it as a historic and beautiful place to visit.
Here’s a couple of things you will need to keep in mind.
1. The house is only open on Sunday, and you can only visit it on a a pr-booked guided tour.
2. Much of the house is still let out as office space, but 8 state rooms have been restored to their 18th-century splendour, and are open to the public. These rooms are on the Green Park side of the building.
3. Photography is not permitted in some of the rooms; the guide will indicate which rooms can be photographed.
4. The tour I booked allowed access to the garden. I’m not sure if that was just a ‘summer’ thing; you will certainly be taken onto the balcony overlooking the garden, if you are not permitted to access the garden.
5. The tour of the state rooms takes about an hour. Our guide, a French lady, was excellent: knowledgeable, informative, interesting and very amusing. You can stay as long as you want in the garden.
6. The entrance to the house is on St James’s Place. Arrive about ten minutes before your designated tour time; you’ll be warmly welcomed, and will wait in a side room on the ground floor until the tour group is complete. There were 20 people in the tour group I was on.
7. Adult tickets cost £18.50; as a senior my ticket cost £15.50. For the quality of the tour I got, I thought it represented very good value.
The mansion overlooks Green Park and you will see some of the graceful front facade from Green Park.
Designed by John Vardy and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, the State Rooms are amongst the finest neo-classical interiors in Europe. Over the years the house has been the Spencer family home and has been subject to restoration and renovation work to help bring the house back to its former grand state. Today, the house has regained the full splendour of its eighteenth-century appearance after a painstaking ten-year restoration under the Chairmanship of Lord Rothschild.
My visit to the house in late June was outstanding, and I fully recommend it as a historic and beautiful place to visit.
Here’s a couple of things you will need to keep in mind.
1. The house is only open on Sunday, and you can only visit it on a a pr-booked guided tour.
2. Much of the house is still let out as office space, but 8 state rooms have been restored to their 18th-century splendour, and are open to the public. These rooms are on the Green Park side of the building.
3. Photography is not permitted in some of the rooms; the guide will indicate which rooms can be photographed.
4. The tour I booked allowed access to the garden. I’m not sure if that was just a ‘summer’ thing; you will certainly be taken onto the balcony overlooking the garden, if you are not permitted to access the garden.
5. The tour of the state rooms takes about an hour. Our guide, a French lady, was excellent: knowledgeable, informative, interesting and very amusing. You can stay as long as you want in the garden.
6. The entrance to the house is on St James’s Place. Arrive about ten minutes before your designated tour time; you’ll be warmly welcomed, and will wait in a side room on the ground floor until the tour group is complete. There were 20 people in the tour group I was on.
7. Adult tickets cost £18.50; as a senior my ticket cost £15.50. For the quality of the tour I got, I thought it represented very good value.
The mansion overlooks Green Park and you will see some of the graceful front facade from Green Park.
Written 24 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Certainly no shop, and no other obvious means of purchasing anything on site.
Written 11 March 2023
What is there to do and see?
Written 10 October 2017
I think it depends on the guide you get as to the extent of information provided. When I was there it centred more on how some of the restoration work was carried out by the Rothchild Foundation. There was little about the Spencer family - if you want to hear more of the Spencer family, I think it's better to visit Althorp, the family home of the Spencers. There is more atmosphere and information on the family and the house contents - paintings, furniture, etc.
Written 11 October 2017
I wouldn't take a child of any age unless he/she knew what was there and still wanted to go!
Written 15 October 2017
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