Audley End House & Gardens, Audley End (Essex)
Audley End House was once a palace in all but name and renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England.
Summary
- Gift shop
- Learning facilities
- Gardens
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Food and Drinks
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Introduction
One of England's finest country houses, Audley End is also a mansion with a difference. Following the restoration of its great Service Wing, visitors can now tour the 'parallel world' where armies of servants laboured to ensure the smooth running of this great mansion.
History to the present day
Audley End takes its name from Sir Thomas Audley, Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor who, after 1538, adapted the extensive buildings of suppressed Walden Abbey as his mansion. His grandson Thomas Howard, first Earl of Suffolk, rebuilt the house on a massive scale between 1603 and 1614. Known as 'the Palace of Audley End', this Jacobean 'prodigy house' was three times its present size, and one of the largest mansions in England. But in 1618 Suffolk fell from favour and into massive debt, and his great house went into decline.
Charles II bought Audley End in 1668 as a base for attending Newmarket races: his Queen Catherine of Braganza held court here that Autumn. Repairs were carried out by Sir Christopher Wren, but their cost proved ruinous, and in 1701 William III returned Audley End to the Suffolk family. The witty and accomplished Henrietta Howard lived here, before leaving her 'obstinate, drunken and brutal' husband, the 9th Earl, for a royal lover and her new Thames-side mansion, Marble Hill House (see p.41).
When the Suffolk line died out in 1745, Audley was bought by the Countess of Portsmouth for her nephew and heir, Sir John Griffin Griffin, later the first Baron Braybrooke. He made extensive changes to the house, adding a suite of neo-Classical rooms designed by Robert Adam and a Gothic chapel. His refurbishments included a rare set of English Soho tapestries, now conserved and displayed in the Tapestry Room: this has also been redecorated to depict the room as it would have appeared when the tapestries were first installed there in 1767. Meanwhile, 'Capability' Brown was employed to remodel the grounds.
Today the house's interior largely represents the taste of the third Baron Braybrooke, who during the 1820s redecorated many of its rooms in the Jacobean style. He installed his extensive picture collection, and filled the rooms with inherited furnishings. The fourth Baron Braybrooke's natural history collection also remains an appealing feature of the house.
The Service Wing
Just as appealing for many, Audley End's recently-refurbished Victorian Service Wing provides a unique insight into the 'below stairs' working of this great household during the 1880s. Rooms open to the public include the kitchen, dairy, dry larder and laundries. Refurnished and equipped with original and reproduction Victorian fixtures and fittings, they are also vividly animated with lifelike sights and sounds, film projection and even examples of food eaten in the era. This creates an atmospheric portrait of daily life for the individuals - from butler and cook down to dairy maid and lowly houseboy - who once toiled there, governed by an even more rigid hierarchy than 'above stairs', and coping with problems like keeping food hot over the 200 yards between kitchen and dining rooms.
Incorporating research into the real lives of the 25 or so indoor servants employed here during the 1880s, the Service Wing presentation illustrates how familiar household tasks were conducted on a near-industrial scale, to cater for the needs of the Braybrooke family and their retinue. The Service Wing was also at the heart of a largely self-sufficient community. Food was grown and produced on the estate for consumption by those living on it - in 1884 there were 2,600 strawberry plants in the kitchen garden alone!
Watch out for special days when visitors can see and hear from costumed interpreters cooking, washing and ironing in traditional ways.
The Gardens
Much has been done to restore Audley End's park and fine Victorian gardens to their former glory. An artificial lake runs through delightful 18th-century parkland. The Classical Temple of Concord, built in 1790 in honour of George III, and the restored 19th-century formal parterre garden dominate the views from the back of the house.
Visitors can also see Robert Adam's ornamental garden buildings, and the Elysian Garden cascade. 2009 is the tenth anniversary of the thriving organic walled Victorian kitchen garden, a memorable part of any visit.
Arrival information and how to find us
Address: Audley End House & Gardens, Essex, , United Kingdom
Opening times Service Wing and Gardens:
1 April - 30 September: 10.00am - 6.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun & Bank Holidays
1 October - 31 October: 10.00am - 5.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun & Bank Holidays
1 November - 19 December: 10.00am - 4.00pm Sat Sun
1 February - 13 February: 10.00am - 4.00pm Sat Sun
14 February - 28 February: 10.00am - 4.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
1 March - 31 March: 10.00am - 5.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
Opening times House:
28 July - 30 August: 12.00pm - 5.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun & Bank Holidays (No tours available)
1 September - 30 September: 11.00am - 5.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun (Access by guided tour only)
1 October - 22 October: 11.00am - 4.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun (Access by guided tour only)
23 October - 24 October: 12.00pm - 4.00pm Sat Sun (No tours available)
27 October - 31 October: 12.00pm - 4.00pm Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun (No tours available)
Admission prices:
Adult:£10.70, Children:£5.40, Concession:£9.10, Family Ticket: £26.80
Photographs copyright of English Heritage Photo Library
