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A farmhouse on the Althorp Estate, the childhood home and final resting place of Princess Diana, has been destroyed in a suspected arson attack, prompting an outpouring of shock and sadness from her family and the public.
Charles Spencer, Diana's younger brother and the current Earl Spencer, revealed the incident via social media on May 28. "Stunned to learn that one of @AlthorpHouse's farmhouses – fortunately, unoccupied at the time – was apparently burnt down by vandals last night," he posted. "So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do."
The fire occurred at the late 18th-century Dallington Grange farmhouse, located on Mill Lane in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. The Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service reported receiving a call at approximately 1:30 a.m. on May 28. Upon arrival, they found the two-story building "fully on fire." Four fire crews worked through the night using hose-reel jets to contain the blaze. One crew remained on-site into the afternoon to dampen down hotspots.
David Fawkes, Chief Executive of the Althorp Estate, confirmed that "the house and farm buildings have been unoccupied for several years," and that "the site is scheduled for redevelopment as part of the Dallington Grange development." He added, "The farmhouse was built in the late 18th Century, and it has been completely destroyed by the fire, but the surrounding outbuildings are undamaged."
Adey Greeno, the estate's conservation manager, also shared his distress: "The farmhouse that we lost to a deliberate act of vandalism last night has now had to be razed to the ground for safety reasons. So sad. The world we live in."
Northamptonshire Police stated that the incident "has not been recorded as a crime at present, but this could change if there is evidence to indicate it was started deliberately."
Althorp House, which has been in the Spencer family since 1508, was where Diana grew up. Following her death in 1997, she was buried on a secluded island on the estate's Oval Lake. A public memorial known as the 'temple' receives around 150,000 visitors annually. Thirty-six oak trees line the path to the lake, symbolizing each year of Diana's life.
