British mansion: Audley Hall – a stunning example of Jacobean architecture in Essex

Built to impress the King, Audley End House is a grand residence with grand ambitions and is one of the finest examples of 17th-century Jacobean architecture in England . Thanks to ambitious restoration work during the Victorian era and continued careful conservation, Audley Manor remains one of the grandest and most luxurious country houses in Britain. About Audley Manor Audley Manor is located outside the town of Saffron Walden in Essex, England. This huge country house was built in the 17th century by Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, on the site of the former Walden Abbey. Audley End is now managed by English Heritage. Historic Houses

Audley End was once the site of a Benedictine monastery known as Walden Abbey. In 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII granted Walden Abbey to the Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, who converted the building into a country house and converted it into a country house. It was renamed the Audley Inn. In 1582, Sir Thomas Audley's grandson Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk and one of the Drake's captains, inherited the Audley estate. Thomas Howard, a rising star who aimed to impress the then monarch, James I, demolished the Audley Hotel and set out to build a Jacobean prodigy palace fit for a king.

Construction work began quickly in 1582 but was not completed until 1614. Audley House cost ￡200,000 to build, a huge sum of money at the time, and left the Howards deeply in debt. The completed Audley Hall is in the Elizabethan style, with its attractive front displaying towers, spires, parapets and large windows that appear to cover the exterior. The design is symmetrical, with the great hall's bay window being central and two porticoes, presumably for the king and queen, leading to suites on either side of the house.

In 1619 Thomas Howard and his wife were convicted of embezzlement and sent to the Tower of London for a year. Howard died in disgrace at Audley Hall in 1626, never receiving a visit from King James I and the Queen.

However, Howard's desire to entertain royalty was not entirely in vain, as in 1666 Audley Hall was leased by Charles II so that he could be close to the racecourse of Newmarket. In 1701, when title passed to the Howard family, the money paid by the King for the use of Audley End did not reduce the debt hanging on the house. Although the house has undergone dramatic changes, at this time it was that of a royal palace in size and grandeur.

Sir John Vanbrugh demolished much of the forecourt in 1708 and built a Baroque screen to the main staircase. In 1753 the east wing was demolished and in 1762 the new owner Sir John Griffin commissioned Capabiliy Brown to beautify the grounds. Griffin also hired Robert Adams to design new reception rooms on the first floor of the Audley End and renovated its south wing in the grand, formal style of 18th-century classicism.

The Adams Suite was destroyed by the third Lord Braybrooke in the 1830s and subsequently restored in the 1860s at the public's expense. What we see today in this English heritage is a complete restoration of what Adam originally created, with two living rooms, a lobby and a dining room decorated in exquisite neoclassical finery. This small living room is a favorite among visitors and is said to be one of Adam's most impressive little creations. Traditionally, the ladies would retreat to this room and lie down beneath the jewel-like decorations on the walls and ceiling, leaving the gentleman to continue drinking and gesticulating in a nearby restaurant.

Audley End is an eclectic Jacobean mansion as a result of a massive restoration project undertaken by the 3rd Baron Braybrooke to restore the house's original Jacobean character Style, with a touch of Victorian and Elizabethan. The town hall is full of spears, guns, and bans