17th century landscape park, Audley Park, Audley End House (EHER 407)

Landscape park and gardens to Audley End House. The grounds were first developed in 1614 when monastic ponds were converted into ornamental canals and the River Cam was canalised. New tree lined drives were planted and walled gardens were created. A plan for a more extensive layout was created by Dubois in 1725, however, this was not implemented. A less ambitious layout, possibly by Charles Bridgeman, was executed instead. The park was relandscaped by Lancelot Brown in 1763. His work included the demolition of the park walls and the deformalising of the River Cam. Brown worked at Audley End until he left following a dispute with the owner Sir John Griffin Griffin in 1765. His work was completed by Joseph Hicks. Landscaping of the pleasure grounds took place by Richard Woods in 1780. The deer park was landscaped about 1790. Further gardens were laid out in 1831 by William Sawrey Gilpin and in 1867 when James Pulham II (1820-1898) and James Pulham III (1845-1920), of James Pulham and Son were comissioned to construct a rockery and two ponds, a fishpond and the Otter Pool, situated in what is now known as the Pond Garden. Hitching (2010) has also attributed a fountain with intertwining fish supporting a shell-like basin which stood in the fishpond and is no longer extant and a nearby Rose Pergola to Pulham. The surviving features are good examples of Pulham and Son's work.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Audley End [NR]. <1> Scheduled. <2> Landscape park at Audley End House developed by Capability Brown in 1762-67, and in 1780 by Richard Woods and contains extensive woodland and plantations. <3> Landscape park and gardens to Audley End covering an area of 240 hectares. The formal gardens were first developed in 1614 and a plan for a more extensive layout was created by Dubois in 1725. However his plan was not executed, a less ambitious layout was implemented, possibly to a design by Charles Bridgeman. The park was landscaped by Lancelot Brown in 1763, and work in the pleasure ground was carried out in 1780 by Richard Woods. Further gardens were laid out in 1831 by William Sawrey Gilpin. These were restored during the 1980s. <4> The park and formal gardens were first laid out when the present house was built in 1614. The monastic ponds were converted to ornamental canals and the River Cam was canalised. New tree lined drives and walled gardens were also created. In the early 18th century plans for remodelling the grounds were made but not implemented. The current park layout and appearance is attributed to Lancelot Brown who was commissioned in 1763. was responsible for the demolition of the park walls, deformalising the River Cam, and the relandscaping of the grounds. Brown worked at Audley End until 1765 when he left following a dispute with the owner Sir John Griffin Griffin, his work was completed by Joseph Hicks. The deer park was landscaped circa 1790. <5> - <8> In 1867-68 James Pulham II (1820-1898) and James Pulham III (1845-1920) of James Pulham and Son were commissioned by Lord Braybrooke to build a rock garden and otter pool within the Pond Garden. The features survive and are good examples of Pulhamite. The site has been included in the national Pulham database and subsequently published in the gazetteer. <9> - <11> This source is a detailed guide to visiting Audley End House and Audley Park. It contains illustrations, photographs and plans. <12> This site is listed in the English Heritage members' & visitors' handbook 2009/10. <13> Please see the current (2010) guidebook for detailed information of the gardens surrounding Audley End. <14> James Pulham II and James Pulham III of James Pulham and Son were commissioned in 1867 to construct a rockery and two ponds; a fishpond and the Otter Pool, situated in what is now known as the Pond Garden. Hitching has attributed a fountain which stood in one of the ponds and comprised intertwining fish supporting a shell-like basin, and a Rose Pergola as the work of the Pulhams. <15> This article highlights the restoration of the kitchen garden at Audley End which began in 1999 and is considered to be one of the finest in England. In 1750 the Countess of Portsmouth moved the kitchen garden away from the house and across the estate's parkland. Today, it contains the original Vine House, replica Orchard house and restored gardener's bothy. It is two acres in total and contains the same historic varieties of fruit and vegetables that were grown there in the 19th century. Restoration of the garden has been a joint collaboration between English Heritage and horticultural charity Garden Organic, and all fruit and vegetables are cultivated organically. The garden supplies the Audley End tearoom and shop and any surplus is sold to a local organic box scheme. <16> The grounds of Audley End were landscaped by Capability Brown (1763). In keeping with fashion pieces of garden furnishing were scattered about, hidden, half-hidden or thrown into relief by planting. <17> In 1763-8, Sir John Griffin Griffin, on inheriting the house from his aunt, employed Robert Adam and Lancelot Brown to remodel the house and park respectively. <18> 18th century landscape park and woodland, partly returned to agriculture. All traces of 18th century formal gardens and earlier 17th century gardens were obliterated by Brown. Further landscaping was carried out by Richard Woods (1780), including the 'Elysian Gardens'. <19> 2002. Contour survey. A contour survey was carried out in the East Park, directly to the east of Audley End House and partly on the site of Waldon Abbey. The area surveyed measured roughly 250m from west to east and between 195m and 275m from north to south. No analysis of the survey results was required. <20> 2002. Building survey. A brick structure was investigated and recorded, situated in a stream on the eastern edge of the former 'Elysian Garden'. The structure is interpreted as a fish hatchery, probably built in the 20th century. <21> 2004. Desk-based assessment. Desk based assessment for the Audley End Visitors Facility: Development proposal: Orchard Estate Yard, Barn Yard and Stable Yard. <22> 2009. Watching brief. A single trench, c.11m long and 0.45m deep was excavated in an area to the north of the service wing. This revealed a layer of ash, coke and clinker with occasional fragments of red brick and lime mortar. <23> 2009-2010. Aerial photography and lidar analysis. A number of Post Medieval parkland features were identified as cropmarks and earthworks on aerial photographs and in lidar data. Each is recorded separately, for clarity. <24> 2009-2014. Historic landscape investigation. Extensive landscape investigations were undertaken in and around Audley End, Essex, between 2009 and 2014 in order to support the development and presentation of the site. These included aerial photography and lidar mapping of 16km2 around the house, analytical earthwork survey within the grounds, architectural assessment of the estate buildings, and sediment sampling. For the sake of completeness the results of the previously published geophysical surveys were also summarised, with an architectural commentary on the identified remains. The aerial survey showed the value in re-visiting areas previously subjected to such mapping, adding significant new information ranging from prehistoric sites to temporary Second World War structures, and the lidar data allowed the identification of earthworks within woodland. Geophysical survey provided extensive evidence for the Jacobean courts to the west of the existing house. It also recorded remains of the earlier monastery and post-Dissolution house as well as other remains in the wider grounds associated with all periods. The architectural commentary on the geophysics identified Thorpe as the architect of the outer court and confirmed the accuracy of the Winstanley views and plans of the 1670s. Analytical earthwork survey recorded archaeologically significant features across the whole survey area from a wide range of periods, perhaps from the pre-medieval to very recent, though earthworks associated with the 1780s Elysian Garden were particularly numerous. The architectural assessment provided considerable detail on the buildings of the estate and corrected several attributions. It has also provided a picture of the varying interests of the holders of the estate during the 19th century. The results of the initial sediment sampling were disappointing and no further work was undertaken. <24> Historic assessment. Audley End occupies a rural setting immediately to the west of the Essex town of Saffron Walden. The irregularity shaped about 240 hectare site is bounded to the north-west by Windmill Hill, to the east by properties on the edge of Saffron Walden, to the south by an early 17th century wall (listed Grade II*) along Audley End Road, and partly by the estate village of Audley End, the River Cam and Gamages Wood. The boundaries to the west and north-west are formed by farmland. The village of Littlebury lies just beyond the north-west corner of the park. The ground at Audley End slopes down from the east and west towards the winding course of the River Cam, which flows from south to north through the park. Audley End House stands c. 300m to the east of the river, with rising ground further to the east. There are extensive views into and out of the site, particularly from the road which runs through the park to the west of the Cam. The main entrance to Audley End enters the park about 150m to the south-west of the House via the Lion Gate (dated 1616, remodelled 1786, listed Grade II*), built of plaster-rendered brick with a carved Coade stone lion over the central arch, standing beside the Lion Lodge (also known as Main Gate or Audley End Lodge). Lion Lodge (listed Grade II) built of red brick with stone dressings in the Elizabethan style, was added in 1834 by Thomas Rickman. The drive curves north-east to arrive at the west front of the House. A secondary drive enters the park about 400m to the north-west of the House. Gates and gate piers (listed Grade II) stand on the London Road beside Cambridge Lodge (listed Grade II) which was built of red brick in the Jacobean style in 1834 by Thomas Rickman. The drive runs east past the late 16th century stables across the River Cam via the Stable Bridge (listed Grade II) to arrive at the west front. There are several further lodges on the boundaries of the estate which are not connected to drives. They are Icehouse Lodge and gateway (mid 19th century, listed Grade II) about 600m east-south-east of the House, Nursery Lodge and gateway (mid 19th century, listed Grade II) about 650m to the north-west of the House, Walden Lodge (19th century, listed Grade II) about 900m east-north-east of the House, Swan Lodge about 1.1km to the north-north-west of the House, the 'Tudor style' Northend Lodge (mid 19th century, listed Grade II) 1km to the north-north-west of the House, Gamages Lodge (listed Grade II) about 850m south-south-west of the House, and London Lodge about 400m west of Gamages Lodge. Keeper’s Lodge, about 1.35km west-south-west of the House on the westernmost edge of the park was estate cottages rather than a park lodge. Audley End House (listed Grade I) is part of a palatial country house of face ashlar under lead roofs. It is built to a U-shaped plan in three storeys with mullioned windows, and parapets to hide the roof line. It was first built between 1605 and 1614 by John Thorpe, earl of Northampton with Bernard Janssen, mason, for Thomas Howard, first earl of Suffolk. Reduced in size and remodelled on several occasions, particularly by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1721 including demolition of the outer decaying court; by John Phillips and John Shakespear in about 1752 including demolition of the east wing and parts of the north and south wings for Lady Portsmouth; reconstruction and repair work in two phases from 1763 onwards for Sir John Griffin Griffin, including the addition of the kitchen court about 1762-1787 and work by Robert Adam in the 1770; and restoration work by Henry Harrison for the third Lord Braybrooke in about 1825-6. The late 16th century stable block (listed Grade 1) lie about 300m to the north-west of the house. It is built of red brick and has gabled wings extending from the centre and the north and south ends of the range (listed Grade 1) lies about 300m to the north-west of the house. It is built of red brick and has gabled wings extending from the centre and the north and south ends of the range. The garden lies to the south and east of the House. It is enclosed to the north and east by a ha-ha (Lancelot Brown mid 18th century) and is bounded to the south by a high red brick wall (listed Grade II), part of which survives from the early 17th century formal garden where the Mount Garden was situated. The Mount Garden was altered by Lancelot Brown in the mid 18th century and was laid out in its present form of undulating lawns leading to paths through trees and shrubberies in the 1830s. Below the east front is a complex flower parterre cut into the lawn, with a central basin and fountain. The eastern boundary of the garden is formed by a raised walk (steps listed Grade II) running alongside the ha-ha, which gives views back over the parterre and out into the park. The parterre garden stands on the site of the 17th century bowling green, which was remodelled by Lancelot Brown in the 18th century to create an informal flower garden. The parterre, which is based on a 18th century pattern book, was started in about 1831 by the third Lord Braybrooke, who had received advice in its layout from William Sawrey Gilpin (guidebook 1995). It was restored by English Heritage in the 1980s. Two further garden areas lie detached from the House, about 350m to the north-west outside the east wall of the kitchen garden. Between the River Cam and the east wall of the kitchen garden lies the Pond Garden. Wrought iron hoops clad with roses run beside a gravel path along the banks of the river overlooking small areas of lawn cut with flower beds. The Garden contains a rockery at the southern end and two square stone ponds, the Otter Pond and the Fish Pond, all of which were constructed by James Pulham and Son in the mid 19th century for the sixth Lord Braybrooke. From the Pond Garden a footbridge leads east into the Elysian Garden, laid out as a walk on either side of the Cam. The bridge runs over the top of a cascade (Richard Woods 1770s) which drops the water of the Cam into a lower section on the north side of the bridge. The Elysian Garden runs up to the boundary of the park and where the Cam leaves the garden the river is crossed once again, at this point by the Palladian Tea Bridge (listed Grade I), built of brick clad with ashlar stone in about 1780 by Robert Adam. This area was detailed in the early 1780s by Placido Columbani to a design by the Essex landscaper Richard Woods and featured elaborate gateways, temples, and statues along a walk decorated with flower beds. The Garden proved to be a frost trap and the borders were grassed over in the 1830s when a number of the structures were demolished. The park at Audley End extends to the west, south-west, east and north-east of the House and is bounded by belts of trees. The north-east quarter is partly wooded and partly open and is currently (2000) used as a golf course. It contains an obelisk (listed Grade II*) located c. 800m north-north-east of the House, designed by Robert Adam in 1763 and erected in 1774 as an eyecatcher against Spring Wood. To the east of Audley End House is open parkland well scattered with mature trees. The brick, stone and Coade Temple of Concord (listed Grade II*) which stands about 400m east of the House was designed by R.W. Brettingham in 1790 in the open park conceived by Lancelot Brown, some thirty years before. An open level lawn off the west front leads to the banks of the River Cam which was widened by Brown in the mid 18th century to form a sinuous lake. It is crossed by a three-arch bridge (listed Grade I) about 300m west-south-west of the House, designed by Robert Adam and erected in 1764 (altered in 1784). Beyond the Cam the west park, divided from the House by the London Road rises up to Ring Hill, at the summit of which stands the Temple of Victory (listed Grade II*) about 1km west-north-west of the House. It was built by Robert Adam in 1772 to complete Lancelot Brown’s western prospect and gives fine panoramic views to the east. Ring Hill is flanked to the north and south by woodland belts which flow down the slopes of the park and help to focus the view. South of the three-arch bridge, to the south-south-west of the house, much of the park is covered by Gamages’s Wood, and the northern end of which contains a 20th century miniature railway. The walled garden lies about 350m to the north-west of Audley End House. It contains four enclosures and has been partly restored to its 19th century form (2000). An early 19th century vine house survives in one of the compartments. The walled gardens were established in the 1750s by the countess of Portsmouth and extended in 1768 by Sir John Griffin Griffin who added glass houses and an orangery. These were demolished in 1802 when the vine house was built. Area = 300 See also: <25> - <35>