A Trip to Audley End

On a very hot Friday in July we set off on a CABAHS coach trip to Saffron Waldon in Essex, to visit Audley End House and Gardens.

The Audley End site was originally a Benedictine monastery, but following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the land was acquired by Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk between 1604 and 1612, who built a very grand house on the site on a par with a royal palace.  It has been altered and added to throughout the years, and the grounds were originally designed by Launcelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the usual parkland style of the time, together with a temple in the distance. 

Our group decided to visit the Parterre first at the side of the house. There were beautifully shaped beds and lovely planting just humming with bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Plants included lavenders, Nepeta, day lilies and Phlomis which were being watered in the very hot sun. 

We then crossed the bridge over the river and  went to the lovely walled garden which was restored in the 1990s by Garden Organic and led by Head Gardener Mike Thurlow. I remember meeting him when I first visited – there was a series on television at the time which followed the restoration. I just love a walled garden and this has a beautiful working glasshouse the length of one wall. There were rows of espaliered fruit trees, vegetables and annual flowers (for cutting I presume). Long grass is allowed to grow in parts with wild flowers like yarrow and wild scabious to bring in the pollinators. A row of buildings back the glasshouse including the garden office, boiler room and a tool store with the tools all beautifully polished and displayed.

There’s a smaller walled garden to the side with fruit trees and various Clematis with a bridge over the river complete with swans leading to a shady woodland, which was a welcome relief from the hot sun. 

There’s the original stables complete with resident horses and interactive screens and sounds, although our group ran out of time for a visit. We had lunch in the cafe and then did a tour of the house complete with a grand hall which I won’t cover here – suffice to say it’s a really good example of how a grand house works and the kitchen below stairs was really interesting.  

The planting in the grounds is lovely, especially the roses, and if this was your first visit it’s definitely worth going back for a second visit to take it all in.  The huge beautiful lumpy yew hedge to the left of the house is a sight to behold and the parkland is full of lovely tree specimens, including a giant redwood or two.  

Many thanks to Anna for her excellent organising, as ever… a good time was had by all. 

Pat K