Two collections that were historical and were a deep part of Althorp's legacy were the vast library and the classical paintings that were priceless. In the Earl Charles Spencer's book, 'Althorp, The Story of an English House' he describes in detail many of these paintings, their subject matter, and the artists. A portion of the library was sold off at one time in order to keep Althorp financially stable. Several paintings however were sold off by Countess Raine Spencer after she married the 8th Earl Spencer. This angered Diana and her sisters as they felt she didn't have the right to do this. Therefore it does not surprise me that Louis Spencer would have taken a great interest in art history. He grew up in Cape Town South Africa, but I'm assuming there was still a substantial amount of art there as well. It will be interesting to see how his life and career develops in the future.