State Rooms History Events and Weddings Plan a Visit What’s On In 1772 the celebrated writer, Arthur Young, said of Spencer House: ‘I know not a more beautiful piece of architecture… All in richness, elegance, and taste, superior to any house I have seen’. BOOK A TOUR Spencer House is London’s most magnificent eighteenth-century aristocratic palace Built between 1756-1766 for John, first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) it is London’s finest surviving eighteenth-century town house. Spencer House History From its conception the House was 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 first neo-classical interiors in Europe. DISCOVER OUR HISTORY Events & Weddings Spencer House is available for exclusive corporate events and private functions throughout the year, Mondays to Saturdays, with the exception of August. Receptions, Lunches, Dinners, London Weddings and Presentations can all be accommodated within the magnificent State Rooms. PLAN YOUR EVENT Plan a Visit In response to government advice, Spencer House is open again for Sunday Tours. Pre-booked guided tours run at regular intervals throughout the day from 10.30am – 4.00pm (last tour). Please arrive 5-10 minutes before your booking. PLAN YOUR VISIT How to Read Silk As part of London Craft Week, we were delighted to welcome Natalie Jones and Alex Daniels from Humphries Weaving silk mill in Suffolk to talk us through the creation of the bespoke silk damask fabrics commissioned as part of the restoration of Spencer House in the early 1990s. A fragment of original eighteenth-century Pavia damask was used as the basis for the pattern, which was then translated into punch cards for weaving on a Jacquard loom. Although each fabric is woven using only one colour of silk thread, the background is woven vertically (using the warp) and the pattern is woven horizontally (using the weft). The difference in the way these contrasting surfaces reflect the light allows the eye to read the design. Images: © Jarrold Publishing/Spencer House; A Jacquard loom showing information punchcards, National Museum of Scotland, Stephencdickson, released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Quick Links Home House and Collection Events and Weddings Plan a visit What’s On Site Map Recommended Links Accessibility Legal Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Cookies Disclaimer Copyright and Credits Contact Spencer House 27 St James’s Place London SW1A 1NR Guided Tours Tel: 020 7514 1958 Email: tours@spencerhouse.co.uk Events Tel: 020 7514 1964 Email: events@spencerhouse.co.uk Collection Enquiries (including filming and image requests) Tel: 020 7647 6216 Email: collections@rothschildfoundation.org.uk Before contacting us please see our Privacy Policy How To Find Us Click map for full view © COPYRIGHT 2021. SPENCER HOUSE LIMITED.