3 July 2016 - Cambridge Club Site, Great Shelford, near Cambridge

Today was the most perfect day to visit Audley End; not a speck of rain in this part of the country and warm enough to wear sandals. We set off just early enough to arrive at opening time, soon travelling the short distance back south on the M11 and then more minor roads to Saffron Walden. 

The two sides of Audley End

Within a couple of hours, there were at least 1,600 others there at the estate and the car park was overflowing. But Audley End is large enough to accommodate a crowd of that size and even more, and still provide a quiet refuge away from the hustle and bustle. This 100 acre property, administered by English Heritage, has a chequered history, including its origin as an abbey, change of circumstance resulting from the dissolution and finally “gifting” caused by impossible death duties.

Audley End like so many of these properties, began its life as an abbey, a Benedictine monastery established about 1139 by Geoffrey de Mandeville. When it fell into private hands, it remained in the

one family, passing through obscure branches  where there were no immediate male successors, and was alternatively sold off in part and then repurchased when funds allowed, through to 1948 when it was taken over by the Ministry of Works. This was after it had been offered to the National Trust who turned it down recognising the property was debt ridden, and soon after it had been requisitioned during the years of World War II providing the headquarters of the Polish Section of the Special Operations Executive.

The house is brilliantly presented, and the grounds are just lovely. Today apart from the obligatory aimless wandering about, we took the introductory tour which was actually a short lecture rather than a “tour”, and watched a falconry exhibition before lunch, then later in the afternoon, a similar display but from horseback; all very impressive.

Chris had visited the house over fifty years ago, and had been keen to call again; today it did not disappoint.