# Pictures from my afternoon out at a Historic country house and gardens



## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

Today I took a drive over to a Historic house and gardens about 1/2 an hour away to have a mooch around. I've been there before some years ago, but on a nice day it's a lovely place to walk around.

 A little bit of background

_'' *Audley end house is largely an early 17th-century house . It was once  renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of its original size,  but is still large, with much to enjoy in its architectural features and  varied collections. It is currently in the stewardship of English Heritage and remains the family seat of the Lords Braybrooke*.''_

Anyway they have preserved the house and  gardens in the way it would have been when it was a normal house with servants back in the late 1800's...and made it almost a museum, but looking as though you were almost transported back a century ago as you wander around. The house was self sufficient and had a dairy, a laundry, and a  walled kitchen garden with hot houses growing everything they needed.. which today is tended and cared for organically..

It sits in large beautiful grounds, and is really a lovely calm place as well as being educational. You can visit the house but you aren't allowed to take pictures unfortunately but you are permitted to take pictures of everything in the servants wing and the gardens. 

This is the front of the house... 






















more to come in a little while...


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## Ameriscot (Jul 10, 2015)

Nice mansion!  Looks like a lovely day as well.


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## applecruncher (Jul 10, 2015)

Nice.  The first view reminds me of a private prep school here in the city where I live.


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

The lawn at the front leads down to a stream, and on further to the kitchen gardens..


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

Over now to the service wing and first the laundry rooms...all set out  and furnished as they would be around 1880 







I have no idea what this is...some kind of linen press perhaps..it's quite big and wide..







This was the washing hanging on the pulleys on the ceiling.. petticoats and underwear...very large too LOL


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

The ''wet' laundry room....

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Mar...ounding villges/DSCF4205.jpg.html?sort=2&o=31

These sinks are wooden and verrrry deep... 






These are the boilers...where they would have lit the burner behind the cover near the bottom until the water reached boiling and then the lined would be washed in there using grated soap..

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Hand wringers, and laundry baskets...also you can see the washing plungers in the sinks on the left


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## Josiah (Jul 10, 2015)

I guess the prohibition on picture taking is to promote business in the gift shop, but it still seems a bit shabby given how unshabby the building and grounds are. Thanks, Holly.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 10, 2015)

The weird gadget is described in the sign you posted - linen press.  Looks very strange.  I love to visit old houses where they show what life was like back in earlier times.  

Lovely grounds!


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## Ameriscot (Jul 10, 2015)

Just asked husband and he said he visited the mansion many years ago.


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

It's not a mansion Annie, it was a Jacobean palace.. oh yes I hadn't noticed the press on the poster *duh*

Yes I think you're right Josiah the gift shop does sell all the paraphernalia about the house..


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

This is the yard behind the kitchen and the  dairy...the 'stables' is now the information centre...with video footage of the history of the house..







These little barrows  in the same yard...






 Servants Entrance to the kitchen from the yard behind the main house..







These copper pots and pans are HUGE...







The sinks are deep and lined with lead


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

This looks quite small but actually the window is very large for the time, the worktop very long...


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

There were no fridges or freezers in those days in domestic settings  so everything was kept chilled in a cold larder room...


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

This tiny little room is situated just off the kitchen for the head cook, where she could keep an eye on her staff while doing her accounts or having a break...







Back in the kitchen







The enormous black leaded kitchen range where all the cooking was done for the whole Main house...as well as 20 servants...it had to be stripped, cleaned and black leaded regularly


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)




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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

Back out in the yard ..and onto the Dairy











a little corner where the housekeeper or butler could have their tea






Inside the dairy room


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

Butter churn..


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## Ameriscot (Jul 10, 2015)

hollydolly said:


> It's not a mansion Annie, it was a Jacobean palace.. oh yes I hadn't noticed the press on the poster *duh*
> 
> Yes I think you're right Josiah the gift shop does sell all the paraphernalia about the house..



It's definitely bigger than I'd want to have to clean all by myself!


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## AZ Jim (Jul 10, 2015)

Very interesting Holly!  I always love your pics.


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## hollydolly (Jul 10, 2015)

Yes I'm with you,  I wouldn't want to clean it either Annie..

Thanks Jim glad you're enjoying them...more to come..tomorrow..


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## Ameriscot (Jul 10, 2015)

How many bedrooms does it have?  I love places like this.  So much history.


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## Raven (Jul 10, 2015)

Holly, It's so interesting to see your pictures of the Historic country house.
I have always loved visiting historic houses to see how people lived years ago.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 10, 2015)

I really enjoyed looking at these photos Holly, thanks for posting!


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

Some of the extensive lawns...


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

These are at the rear of the house...


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

*Out Front.... 












*


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

The pretty path leading down to the Walled  Organic kitchen gardens






entrance to the kitchen gardens


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

More later...


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

Gorgeous!  Massive grounds.  Are English Heritage and Historic England the same organisation? You're likely a member, right?


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## Warrigal (Jul 11, 2015)

Love the kitchen photos, but where was Mr Darcy?


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> Love the kitchen photos, but where was Mr Darcy?



He's not in the kitchens!


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## Warrigal (Jul 11, 2015)

I had my eye on the big pond out front.
Disappointingly devoid of anyone in a wet shirt and tight pants.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

Dame Warrigal said:


> I had my eye on the big pond out front.
> Disappointingly devoid of anyone in a wet shirt and tight pants.



Aye.


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

LOL DW I think the closest we got was Mr Darcy's dad in the red braces and straw hat...( he was very nice man btw softly spoken and a big cricket fan)...who worked at the information centre.. 

Yes Annie..English heritage and Historic England are now a joint venture.. yes I'm a member.. 

Today, there's a huge event on there at the house..but I prefer it when it's quiet like yesterday because seriously it's like Oxford street when there's an event on, you can't get to see anything for crowds of people..


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

One side of the Walled organic garden...






One of several hothouses...this one is growing grapes as well as hot house flowers....


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

all the little trees on the left of the picture are apple trees..


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)




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## Ken N Tx (Jul 11, 2015)

Beautiful pics....Thanks....


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

Returning back to the House...


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## Warrigal (Jul 11, 2015)

Sensational photos. thanks for the vicarious experience. It's been delightful.


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

There are benches strategically placed under lots of shady trees all around the lawns and by the streams and rivers..











These were a bunch of students...having a great time singing and dancing and playing games..


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

Back near the house...











into the yard near the laundry and the shop...












More later..if you're not already fed up with these...


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## Warrigal (Jul 11, 2015)

Yes please


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## Ken N Tx (Jul 11, 2015)

Have you ever wondered how this construction was done in the 17th century without our modern tools???


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## Lara (Jul 11, 2015)

Incredible photos of an incredible time capsule.Thanks for posting them, holly.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

Very nice, Holly!  They must have a massive team of gardeners. 

We're members of Historic Scotland and National Trust and we get 50% off on Historic England sites.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

Ken N Tx said:


> Have you ever wondered how this construction was done in the 17th century without our modern tools???



Just try to imagine how they built the ones still here from the 12th century.


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## Cookie (Jul 11, 2015)

Amazing spread, holly. So interesting to see how the other half lived. Thanks for the pics.


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## Cookie (Jul 11, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> Just try to imagine how they built the ones still here from the 12th century.



All heavy manual labour done by the underlings.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

Cookie said:


> All heavy manual labour done by the underlings.



Aye!  Very hard labour back then.  Not as hard as moving all the giant stones to make the stone circles and standing stones way back in 3000 BC. Oh to be able to time travel!


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## AZ Jim (Jul 11, 2015)

Just beautiful Holly.  What an amazing structure.  Those grounds rival many parks.


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## Cookie (Jul 11, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> Aye!  Very hard labour back then.  Not as hard as moving all the giant stones to make the stone circles and standing stones way back in 3000 BC. Oh to be able to time travel!



Something like building the pyramids I suppose, lots of ropes and pullies.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 11, 2015)

This is a quite interesting history of the house and former abbey site.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audley_End_House

and this one:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/audley-end-house-and-gardens/

I was trying to find out how many acres it looks never ending in Holly's photos.


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## hollydolly (Jul 11, 2015)

Thank you all for your lovely comments, I've been out almost all day and it's late now, so the last few will be posted tomorrow..


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 11, 2015)

Lovely!


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## hollydolly (Jul 12, 2015)

Between my house and the Big House.. is a continual route of typically English small country villages many with old thatched cottages, I took a few photos of the villages on route for you to see..remember our country lanes roads) are very narrow, and many only one car wide..


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## Ameriscot (Jul 12, 2015)

Love the wee villages in the UK (and Ireland).


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## hollydolly (Jul 12, 2015)

A little tiny Baptist church in the same village as the picture above..






In the first picture on the right, you can see a very old white house circa 1700 which has been a village pub with a pretty garden. for many many years . Inside it's small but with loads of original beams etc..and still has very old sash windows..although not the original ones...

They have very large hanging baskets from each window, so I took a photo of one window..and on the windowsill I hope you can see an old Pewter jug..( I've tried to be a little bit arty with it, making it look like a polaroid snap)..but anyway I hope you like it...







This is inside the pub looking out of the same window..


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## Ameriscot (Jul 12, 2015)

These old buildings have character.  Something seriously missing from almost all new buildings, IMO.


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## applecruncher (Jul 12, 2015)

Holly, a relative (cousin) worked for a large pharmaceutical company. He had to move to a different location every few years. From 2000 – 2003 he lived in London and I recall him talking about the narrow streets.  But he and his family liked the UK; they said the people were warm and friendly.


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## Shirley (Jul 12, 2015)

OMG! Holly, those are gorgeous pictures. You did good.  I so envy you.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 12, 2015)

Very quaint, thanks for sharing!


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## NancyNGA (Jul 12, 2015)

Those thatched roofs are interesting and beautiful!  I didn't know they still existed.


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## Jackie22 (Jul 12, 2015)

Holly, the pictures are just beautiful and interesting, thank you for sharing with us.


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## Underock1 (Jul 12, 2015)

The outdoor shots of the main building look like the building in "To the Manor Born", an English comedy series that we enjoyed many years ago.


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## hollydolly (Jul 13, 2015)

Thanks everybody...I'm glad you enjoyed them. 

Nancy, we have thatched roof cottages in just about every Village and Hamlet around here.. 

Underock..yes I can see where you might see a similarity...but the building used for the location of ''To the Manor Born''  is quite substantially smaller and is actually a Hotel in Somerset called Cricket St Thomas.. Remember these? 





AC yes your relative was correct our roads are very narrow in the countryside often just one car wide, but of course not so much in the cities..albeit often  gridlocked...and we have normal 4 and 5 lane motorways around the cities , towns and villages. like anywhere else  .


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## applecruncher (Jul 13, 2015)

Wonder how the thatched roofs hold up under rain, snow, ice?


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## Glinda (Jul 13, 2015)

Holly, these were all beautiful pics and brought back so many lovely memories of my trips to England.  I hope to go again next year and visit friends in London and Ipswich.  Thanks for posting!


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