Audley End House (grid reference TL524381) is largely an early 17th-century country house just outside Saffron Walden, Essex, south of Cambridge, England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The English country house is generally accepted as a large House or Mansion, once in the ownership of an individual who also usually owned another Great Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It was once a palace in all but name and renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. The Jacobean style is the name given to the second phase of Renaissance Architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. Audley End is now only one-third of its original size, but is still large, with much to enjoy in its architectural features and varied collections. It is currently in the ownership of English Heritage. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of
The nearby Audley End railway station is named after Audley End House. Audley End railway station serves the small village of Wendens Ambo and the nearby town of Saffron Walden.
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History
Audley End was formerly the site of a Benedictine monastery (Walden Abbey), granted to the Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas Audley in 1538 by Henry VIII. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. Thomas Audley 1st Baron Audley of Walden KG, PC, KS (c1488 &ndash 30 April 1544 Lord Chancellor of England, born in Earls Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of It was converted to a domestic house for him, known as Audley Inn. This dwelling was later demolished by his grandson, Thomas Howard (the first Earl of Suffolk and Lord Treasurer), and a much grander mansion was built, primarily for entertaining King James I. Admiral Thomas Howard 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC (24 August 1561 – 28 May 1626 was a son of Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Earl of Suffolk is a title that has been created four times in the Peerage of England. The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer is an old English (after 1707, British) government position James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James
The layout reflects the processional route of the King and Queen, each having their own suite of rooms. It is reputed that Thomas Howard told King James he had spent some £200,000 on creating this grand house, and it may be that the King had unwittingly contributed. In 1619, Thomas and his wife were found guilty of embezzlement and sent to the Tower of London. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London However, a huge fine secured their release, but Howard died in disgrace at Audley End in 1626.
At this time, the house was on the scale of a great royal palace, and soon became one after Charles II bought it in 1668 for 50,000 pounds, for use as a home when attending the races at Newmarket. Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was returned to the Suffolks in 1701.
Over the next century, the house was gradually demolished until it was reduced to its current size. However, the main structure has remained little altered since the main front court was demolished in 1708, and the east wing came down in 1753. Some rooms have been substantially remodelled, though, especially the huge Hall.
Sir John Griffin, later fourth Baron Howard de Walden and first Baron Braybrooke, introduced sweeping changes before he died in 1797. John Griffin Whitwell 4th Baron Howard de Walden 1st Baron Braybrooke, KB ( March 13, 1719 &ndash May 25, 1797) was a British The Barony of Howard de Walden was created by writ of summons in the Peerage of England by Queen Elizabeth I for Admiral Lord Thomas Howard, a younger Lord Braybrooke, Baron of Braybrooke in the County of Northampton is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. In 1762, Sir Griffin commissioned Capability Brown to landscape the parkland, and Robert Adam to design new reception rooms on the house's ground floor, which he did in the style of the 18th century with a formal grandeur. Robert Adam ( 3 July 1728 &ndash 3 March 1792) was a Scottish neoclassical Architect, Interior designer The Great Drawing Room proved problematic as it had to be the grandest room for receiving guests, but it possessed a very low ceiling, and this was considered most undesirable at that time. Robert Adam solved the problem to a large extent by making the furniture unusually small and lowering the chair rail. His design of the Little Drawing Room for the Ladies was exceedingly odd, based on the style of ancient Rome, and Lady Griffin had difficulty moving between the columns when dressed in her evening gown.
The third Baron Braybrooke, who inherited house and title in 1825, installed most of the house's huge picture collection, filled the rooms with furnishings, and reinstated something of the original Jacobean feel to the State Rooms.
Audley End was requisitioned in World War II for use by the Polish branch of the Special Operations Executive. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers A memorial to the 108 Poles who died in the service stands in the main drive. After the war, the ninth Lord Braybrooke resumed possession, and in 1948 the house was sold to the Ministry of Works, the predecessor of English Heritage. Lord Braybrooke, Baron of Braybrooke in the County of Northampton is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. The Ministry of Works was a department of the UK Government formed in 1943 during World War II, to organise the requisitioning of property for wartime use Lord Braybrooke moved to the Abbey House in the grounds of Audley End, an irregular L-shaped two-storey house with an early 17th timber-framed and 19th century brick core. It was remodelled by Sir Albert Richardson & Eric Houfe in the 1950s and then enlarged to three times its former size by Philip Jebb in 1967-70 for the Hon. Sir Albert Edward Richardson KCVO, FRIBA, FSA, ( London, 19 May 1880 &ndash 3 February 1964 Robin Neville. Symmetrical north front with two canted bay windows in the centre. The building history is most apparent from the south, where the gables of the first house can be seen behind those of the 19th century rear wing. The house has interior decoration in Classical style by Dudley Poplack. The term Classical architecture has a specific Archaeological meaning relating to the architecture of Classical Greece
Gardens and grounds
The Capability Brown parkland still includes many of the mock-classical monuments, although some are not in the care of English Heritage. The grounds are divided by the River Cam, which is crossed by several ornate bridges, and a main road which follows the route of a Roman road. The River Cam is a Tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news The park beyond the river is frequently used for open air concerts. There is also a miniature circular railway in the grounds.
The walled kitchen garden in its grounds was painstakingly restored by Garden Organic, the UK's leading organic growing charity, in 1999 from an overgrown, semi-derelict state. The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager is a seasonally used space separate from the rest of the residential garden - the ornamental plants and lawn areas Garden Organic, formerly known as the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA is the UK's leading organic growing charity dedicated to researching and promoting Organic Renovated to its former glory it now looks as it would have done in late Victorian times; full of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.
References
- Roger Turner, Capability Brown and the Eighteenth Century Landscape, 2nd ed. Roger Turner is a British Garden designer and writer of Gardening -related Non-fiction books Chichester, 1999, pp. 92-93.
External links
- Audley End information at the English Heritage
- Information for Teachers (house) — includes floor plans
- Information for Teachers (gardens)
- Image of Englands (requires free log-in)
- Garden Organic at Audley End
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