A - Audley End
It seems appropriate somehow that an embezzler should end his life at
The large building was expensive to maintain and the Howard family eventually demolished more than half of it. What remains is still one of the biggest houses in Britain.
King Charles II bought the house in 1668 for the sum of £5 as somewhere to stay when he went to the races at Newmarket; it was returned to the Suffolks in 1701.
Capability Brown was commissioned to landscape the parkland in 1762.
During WWII Audley End became the base for the special-operations paratroops of the Polish Army in exile. A memorial to the men they lost stands in the drive to the house.
In 1948 the Braybrooke family sold the house to the Ministry of Works, the predecessor of English Heritage under whose stewardship Audley End remains. The house and gardens are open to the public at certain times of the year.
Photo attribution:
It seems appropriate somehow that an embezzler should end his life at
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| Audley End |
Thomas Howard, !st Earl of Suffolk, King James I's Treasurer helped himself to royal funds to build the splendid home of Audley End in 1614
However he was removed from there when convicted and sent to the Tower of London. After his release he returned to Audley End and died there in 1626.
The large building was expensive to maintain and the Howard family eventually demolished more than half of it. What remains is still one of the biggest houses in Britain.
King Charles II bought the house in 1668 for the sum of £5 as somewhere to stay when he went to the races at Newmarket; it was returned to the Suffolks in 1701.
Capability Brown was commissioned to landscape the parkland in 1762.
During WWII Audley End became the base for the special-operations paratroops of the Polish Army in exile. A memorial to the men they lost stands in the drive to the house.
In 1948 the Braybrooke family sold the house to the Ministry of Works, the predecessor of English Heritage under whose stewardship Audley End remains. The house and gardens are open to the public at certain times of the year.
Photo attribution:
- Creative commons - Misterzee, 2008 - CC BY-3.0
12 comments:
Wow, what a house!
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Name: Eva
Blog: Mail Adventures
#AtoZ Challenge Theme: Postcards
Letter A: Adventurers. Because any postcard is a little adventure, isn't it?
And what an opening line to your post! Sounds like the opening of a program like 60 minutes here in the US. Not sure what the UK equivalent would be. I can hear the serious voice of the presenter now!
Intrigued to see what you have for the not real houses coming up.
Phillip | A is for artistamps
Hi Bob - I didn't know any of that ... could I buy it now for £5??? A lot of houses and land were sold to the Ministry of Works weren't they ... one day I must visit. A great start to your Homes at the A-Z ... fascinating ... cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/a-is-for-aurochs.html
Today’s A - Z Challenge 2017 post
Interesting history.
I'd never heard of that house either. Has quite a history doesn't it? Even if one could still buy it for £5 I wouldn't want the cost of its upkeep thanks.
How beautiful. I love learning the history of grand homes.
Stacy's Books
I'm amazed he was allowed to keep the house and return to it after leaving the tower without even being beheaded.
Finding Eliza
That was an interesting history lesson. The UK has many such palatial homes, yes? I've only ever been to London (way back in 1969) and loved that experience. Thanks for coming over to The Den. Cheers!
Debbie @ THE DOGLADY'S DEN
Latest post: Azzurro: Going AWOL in Switzerland
Despite living in Epping for over 20 years and now still passing Audley End as I whizz up the M11 back to Norfolk, I've still never visited the house or gardens... one of these days!
Looking forward to the rest of your houses. (A plague on both of them!!)
Jemima
Very interesting! I like this theme very much. This house would be fascinating to see.
A-to-Z-er Jetgirl visiting via Forty, c'est Fantastique
I just want to go explore the whole house! My imagination would be filled with stories about who lived there and things that happened (fiction, but still...)
So much history! Thank you for sharing.
DB McNicol, author & traveler
Theme: Oh, the places we will go!
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