Spencer House, St James, London, England (photo)

Built in the mid-18th century for the first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Spencer House is the city's most ambitious aristocratic town house ever built and the only private palace from that period that remains intact to this day. John Spencer initially employed the Palladian architect John Vardy, a pupil of William Kent. Vardy was responsible for the external elevations of Spencer House and the design of the ground floor rooms including some of the furniture. James 'Athenian' Stuart, then newly returned from Greece, superseded Vardy as Lord Spencer's architect in 1758. As a result, the House became the first example in London of the application of accurate Greek detail to interior decoration, making it one of the pioneer examples of neo-classical architecture. Although originally designed in the classical vein, the house was intended as a place of pleasure and has much decoration aimed at creating an atmosphere of fun and celebration. In their day, the first Earl Spencer and his wife were social movers and shakers of the highest calibre, and during their lifetime Spencer House was often the setting for extravagant high society parties.