Audley End House dates from the 17th century, and the house and gardens are managed by English Heritage. The property, located in Essex, is only a third of its original size today. The location was the former site of a monastery, which was then converted into a house by the owner who was gifted it by Henry VIII after the monasteries were dissolved. This house was visited by Queen Elizabeth I, and the original was demolished for a grander one to impress King James I. The family were disgraced after being found guilty of embezzlement, although the house was later given back to the disgraced family by King Charles II. This was my second visit to the house, and my visit was in mid-October.
I first went to check out the gardens, which were looking lovely with fall colour and late summer flowers still in bloom.
Dahlia and zennia flowers made a lot of colour in the gardens.
When I first visited the house, there was a pandemic, so I did not get to check many of the rooms. The garden buildings were open to visit, and I got to take a look inside the walled garden working gardener houses and the bothy, which some of the staff lived in.
Three men lived in the small garden building.
The fruit trees were laden with fruit - apples and pears.
I helped myself to a free apple.
After a quick walk around the pond and bridge, I made my way to the house to check out the formal gardens. The gardens were landscaped by Capability Brown.
Although it did get sunnier a bit later, I still appreciated the view and landscaped park land.
I then went inside the house. The first main room was the Great Hall.
There were a series of other rooms, such as this room used by ladies to withdraw to after supper. The ceiling is beautifully painted with scenes from the classical Greece period, and the walls were designed in Egyptian style.
This cozy corner of one of the long gallery rooms looks beautiful. It may have been a breakfast area.
A lot of cabinets of taxidermy were also located in the house. Most of them were birds, but there were also some mammals, including a house cat.
There is also a chapel inside.
A large nursery also takes up a large area upstairs.
There is also a coal room for heating water.
After the visit to the house, I enjoyed a pumpkin spice scone from the cafe. It was delicious.
The last rooms to visit were the kitchens and the servants' rooms - the milk room, laundry, larder, game room, and more.
To see my previous visit to Audley End House and Gardens, see below.
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