Audley End House (EHER 402)

Audley End House was built between 1603 and 1614 by Thomas Howard, first Earl of Suffolk, on the site of Walden Abbey. Howard's grandfather, Sir Thomas Audley, initially acquired the Abbey after its dissolution in 1538 by King Henry VIII and adapted the buildings for his own use. The house built by Howard was three times the current size and one of the largest country houses in England at the time. In 1668 King Charles II bought the house as a base for attending Newmarket races but in 1701 it was returned to the Suffolk family by William III. By 1745, however, the Suffolk line had died out and Audley End House was sold to the Countess of Portsmouth for use by her nephew, Sir John Griffin Griffin. During the 18th century, the house underwent several major alterations and much of the present house structure dates from after 1762 when a vast rebuilding and restoration programme was carried out, which included interior work by Robert Adam. The Jacobean style interior, as seen today, dates from a refurbishment carried out in the 1820s by the third Baron Braybrooke. In the Second World War, Audley End House was requisitioned for a number of military uses, primarily as Special Operations Executive "Station 43", for training Polish agents. In 1948 it was sold to the Ministry of Works. It was opened to the public in 1950. Audley End House is three storeys high, ashlar faced and has a copper roof. The entrance elevation faces west and has a two storey central block with porches either end, set forward of a seven window range. The north and south ends have tower shaped blocks and turrets at the corners with round-headed openings, swept copper capping and weather-vanes. The eastern, or rear, elevation features a central, seven window range with a ground floor arcade and central doorway. The wings projecting from either end have a central, full height bay window facing east, and a similar window to each of the inner elevations.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 402 and 26840. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Audley End [NR]. <1> Audley End House is Listed Grade I. <2> This is a scheduled monument. <3> Audley End House was built by Sir Thomas Audley on the site of Walden Abbey by 1544. Construction of the present house took place between 1603-1616 and was designed by Bernard Johnson. It was built around two courtyards and was set within a park and formal gardens. In 1669 the house was sold to King Charles II and by 1670 the Court had been established here. The house was now known as the New Palace and was used by sovereigns until 1701 when it was returned to the Suffolk Family. Changes to the house started from 1721 when Sir John Vanbrugh was employed to remodel the house and included the demolition of the western courtyard. The eastern range of buildings was demolished in 1749. Much of the present house structure dates from after 1762 when much rebuilding and restoration took place and included interior work by Robert Adam. Additional work took place in 1825. <4> - <8> This is a scheduled monument. <9> Audley End is three storeys high, ashlar faced and has a copper roof. It was built on a U-shaped plan and all windows are ovolo moulded with mullions and transoms. The entrance elevation faces west and has a two storey central block with porches either end, set forward of a seven window range. The north and south ends have tower shaped blocks, turrets at the corners with round-headed openings, swept copper capping and weather-vanes. The eastern, or rear, elevation features a central, seven window range with a ground floor arcade and central doorway. The wings at either end have a central, full height bay window facing east, and a similar window to each of the inner faces of both wings. Audley End, as it stands today, is the second house to have been built precisely round the cloister of Walden Abbey, granted by Henry VIII in 1538 to Sir Thomas Audley. The first house was constructed within the church, the north range and claustral buildings to the south. The second house, built by Thomas Howard, Lord Treasurer to James I, overlies the earlier building but had a second, larger outer court to the west. This was entirely demolished by the late 18th century except for the two surviving porches on the west front that appear to belong to the outer court and were built in a second phase of construction, probably to designs by John Thorpe. Research suggests that the two porches were for the king and queen respectively, and that they originally led to two similar sets of royal apartments. Later work includes the total removal in the 18th century of the east range of the inner court that contained the long gallery, council chamber and original chapel. Also, a loggia on the south side was infilled, as it appears today. The house was owned for a short while by King Charles II and has had owners who have retained the Jacobean style in much of the later refurbishment. In 1948 it was sold to the Ministry of Works. <10> Part of a palatial country house constructed between 1605-14 and built for the first Earl of Suffolk, Lord Treasurer to King James I. Charles II bought it in 1668 and used it as a base when he visited the races at Newmarket. The house returned to the Suffolks in 1701. The house has been reduced in size and refurbished several times, this includes the 1721 work by Sir John Vanbrugh and the 1770s work by Robert Adam. A restoration was carried out in 1825-36. The 3-storey house is U-shaped in plan, it is faced in ashlar with copper roofs. <11> A country house constructed between 1605-1614. The house was sold to Charles II in 1668 and extensive works to the took place soon after by Christopher Wren. Improvements to the house during the early 18th century included part demolition in 1721 by Sir John Vanbrugh. Parts of the house were also demolished by John Phillips and George Shakespear circa 1752. Extensive rebuilding and repairs to the house took place from 1763 with construction of the kitchen court from 1762-87 and work by Robert Adam during the 1770s. Henry Harrison restored the house in 1826. <12> Additional information. <13> Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor, was granted Walden Abbey by Henry VIII in 1538. After acquiring the dissolved abbey he adapted the buildings for his own use. Between 1603 and 1614, the house was rebuilt by Thomas Howard, first Earl of Suffolk and grandson of Sir Thomas Audley. One of the largest mansions in England at the time, it was three times the current size. By 1618 however, the Earl of Suffolk was in vast debt and the house fell into disrepair. It was bought by Charles II in 1668, but returned to the Suffolk family in 1701 by William III. Audley End House was sold in 1745 to the Countess of Portsmouth, who bought the house for her nephew and heir, Sir John Griffin. While the house was in his possession he commissioned extensive alterations, including a Gothic chapel and a suite of rooms designed by Robert Adam. He also employed 'Capability' Brown to redesign the grounds. In the 1820s the house was refurbished in the Jacobean style by the third Baron Braybrooke. <14> The Second World War brought many changes to Audley End, in 1940 prior to it being requisitioned the grounds and estate were fitted with a system for detonating the bridges on the estate in case of invasion. Two young members of the family owning the house were killed whilst on active service. From the spring of 1941, the house and grounds were requisitioned for military uses. Temporary use was made of the house or grounds by the Rifle Brigade and the Royal Artillery. However its main wartime use was by the Polish branch of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) as "Station 43" (and possibly for a short time as "STS 61"- a number shared by a similar institution at Gaynes Hall). Its then highly secret function was as the principle training site for Polish agents from 1942-1944, and in 1943 it was exclusively under Polish SOE control. The agents were known in Polish as the "Cichociemni" - "the Silent and Unseen". In addition to courses in "Underground Warfare", rooms were used as workshops for producing faked documents and authentic clothing for use by the agents once on missions. SOE left the house in 1944 as a command centre was established in Italy, although it was not officially decommissioned until 1945. In the main driveway is a memorial dedicated to the 108 Polish soldiers who died in service. Source 16 contains details of training, the specific planned use of space in the house and covers the actions that the agents carried. <15> Audley End House opened to the public in 1950. <16> A possible part of the Medieval Abbey and early Audley End House is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs taken in 1951, before the parterre garden was restored. The site comprises a ditch which forms an L-shape centred around TL 5251 3817. It may mark the location of robbed out partitions in the eastern range as marked on Winstanley's general ground plan of 1688 (see Archive Material). <17> Following the death of Henry, the tenth earl of Suffolk, the estate of Audley End was subdivided between a number of recipients, including Elizabeth, Countess of Portsmouth and her sister, Mrs Anne Whitwell. The house did not pass to the sisters, however Lady Portsmouth purchased it, along with surrounding parkland, in 1751. This source is a detailed guide to the history of Audley End House which was built between 1603 and1614. The guide provides information on each room open to the public and what can be seen on a visit to the house. It contains many photographs as well as plans of the house and grounds. <18> The Audley End guidebook published in 2010 provides detailed information on the history of Audley End House and Gardens. It provides a tour of the rooms that are open for public viewing and includes many photographs, plans and illustrations. Furthermore, there are features on the experiences of servants at Audley End, 'Capability' Brown and the landscape of Audley End, early Royal visitors to the house, as well as its role as the headquarters of the Polish Section of the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. <19> This article investigates the history of a set of tapestries which had been in store at Audley End since 1979 and recently (2007) undergone conservation. See source for further details. <20> The abbey buildings were converted to a house about 1538-1544 by Sir Thomas Audley. From 1603-1616 a Jacobean `prodigy house' was built by Thomas Howard the 1st Earl of Suffolk. Originally there were 7 ranges enclosing 2 courtyards-most of them were demolished in the 18th century. A corridor or gallery was added on the east side of the middle range to replace the connection between the 2 sides. The building was restored in the 18th and 19th centuries and is now half-H in plan with wings extending towards the east. "The house remains a handsome example of Jacobean work". Noteworthy features: the 17th century screen and ceiling in the Great Hall, the north south staircases, various 17th century fireplaces. <21> In 1668 the house was bought by Charles II, in 1701 it was returned to the Howards. Alterations in the 18th century included the infilling of the loggia, remodelling of the house by Robert Adam, the raising of the pavilions of the north and south ranges to 3 stories. According to Vertue, Thomas Howard's surveyor was Bernart Janssen. Pevsner suggests various alterations by Vanbrugh, (who advised on the demolitions) including consciously neo-Jacobean details. <22> Article in 'Heritage' (English Heritage Magazine) on the reconstructed Victorian garden. <23> 1950-1952. Excavation. Features located in 1950-2 flights of steps and a wall-seem to be associated with the first house. Foundations in he southwest corner also seemed to be of the first house. Excavations have indicated much continuity between the Abbey and the later houses, with the inner court of the latter being on the site of the Abbey Cloister (see EHER 401). <24> 1979. Excavation In advance of reconstruction of the Red Bedroom and the Red Dressing Room floors, excavations were carried out in 1979. This located a framed timber floor, built over vaulted brick and stone 'dry drains' and brick sleeper walls, built in 1763-1764 as part of the alterations done by Robert Adam for Sir John Griffin Griffin who inherited the house in 1762. <25> 1985-1987. Excavation. Further recording in 1985-87 involved the excavation of the 19th century parterre garden in advance of reconstruction. Pre-19th century features encountered in flower beds and later features were recorded but not excavated. The evidence suggested that the cloister was largely retained by the Tudor house but superficially much altered. The interior of the buildings was much altered although part of the south aisle of the nave with its decorated tile paving was retained as a small chamber. The Jacobean house abandoned the line of the cloister but rose from the stubs of the Tudor house, now massively thickened with brickwork. The only area of difference was the west wall of the east range, carrying the arcaded loggia of seven bays on independent piers (two alone survived) on the line of the pre- existing wall but not incorporating it. The demolition of the east range in the 18th century was manifested by a spread of demolition rubble. <26> 1997. List. List of archive from excavations carried out between 1979 and 1995 and suggestions of further work. Cross ref. 26840. <27> 2005. Excavation. Excavation of test pits and monitoring of c.850m of cable trench uncovered archaeological remains dating mainly to the 17th century or later. However, fragmentary structural remains that date to the earlier phases of the house and, possibly, Walden Abbey were also discovered. Most finds were datable to the later 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and, although some medieval pottery recovered, the few sherds were residual in later demolition layers. <28> 2009 -2010. Geophysical survey. <29> See also: <30> - <60>