Audley End House

Audley End House stands near Saffron Walden in north-west Essex. It began as a Benedictine monastery before becoming a Tudor mansion owned by Thomas Audley. In the early 17th century, Thomas Howard, the first Earl of Suffolk, demolished the old house and built a grand Jacobean mansion large enough for King James I. The house once had two courtyards but was reduced to one-third of its original size in the 18th century. It passed through the Howard family and later the Barons Braybrooke before becoming a public site managed by English Heritage. The house witnessed royal visits from James I and Charles II, and during World War II it trained Polish SOE agents. Samuel Pepys visited in 1660 and called it ‘very fine’. The Earl of Suffolk spent £200,000 building it, though his extravagance led to debt and imprisonment. Later, Sir John Griffin Griffin spent £100,000 improving the house and grounds with Robert Adam and Capability Brown. The site includes a chapel, library, great hall and service block open to visitors. The surrounding park was landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century. It features a Grecian temple, a parterre garden, a kitchen garden and a Tudor stable block. A ha-ha separates the lawns from the parkland, and a temple on the hill commemorates George III’s recovery. The River Cam was widened and bridges added, creating a sweeping landscape. The house still holds pictures on loan from the Braybrooke family, and the gardens remain a key part of the estate.