Audley End House, English country house and heritage site in Saffron Walden, United Kingdom.
Audley End House is a Jacobean country house in Saffron Walden, United Kingdom, with 32 rooms featuring decorated ceilings and detailed furnishings. The property extends across wide gardens designed by Capability Brown that roll through the Essex landscape.
A Benedictine monastery stood here from the 12th century until it was closed in 1538 and passed into private hands. The current house took shape in the early 17th century when Thomas Howard built a large mansion on the site.
The Victorian Service Wing shows how household staff worked and lived, with rooms for cooking, laundry, and sleeping quarters laid out as they were used. These areas reveal the daily routines behind the formal rooms and make the running of a large 19th-century household easy to picture.
English Heritage looks after the estate and offers guided tours, education programs, accessible routes, a restaurant, and facilities for families. The gardens cover a wide area, so comfortable shoes and enough time to explore the different sections are recommended.
During the Second World War, the house served as a training site for Polish Special Operations Executive agents preparing for missions in occupied territory. This secret use remained unknown for a long time and reveals a little-known side of the property's past.
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