Palatial in scale, the fabulous early Jacobean Audley End House was clearly designed to place its creator, the first Earl of Suffolk, at the top table of the English gentry. The house eventually did become a royal palace when it was purchased by Charles II in 1668. The rooms inside are lavishly decorated with priceless furniture, oil paintings, woodcarvings and taxidermy. The elegant gardens, designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown, include a walled kitchen garden full of traditional varieties.
Today's enormous building is actually only one-third of its original size. The sumptuous interior was remodelled in Gothic style by the third Baron Braybrooke in the 19th century; many of his creations remain today. You can also explore a service wing, restored to feature the sounds and smells of servant life in the 1880s, and a Victoria-era stable yard, home to the estate horses.
Audley End House is a mile west of Saffron Walden off the B1383, 1¼ miles from Audley End train station. Taxis from the town marketplace cost around £7.
