Lose yourself in the grounds of this grand Jacobean house. Much has been done to restore Audley End's park and fine gardens to their former glory giving you magnificent outside spaces to explore.
With ornamental buildings, magnificent trees and feature gardens like the Parterre and the Organic Kitchen Garden, you are sure to be delighted by all there is to discover.
The Parkland
The stunning pastoral parkland was designed by 'Capability' Brown and includes a pretty lake, restructured from the river Cam and a 'natural' landscape style of large trees and vast grassy areas.
Here you will find the Elysian Garden and Robert Adam's ornamental garden buildings, including the elegant Tea House bridge.
Don't miss the Temple of Concord where you can admire the house from afar.
The Parterre
The magnificent Parterre garden is a must see for all visitors. Boasting a glorious host of seasonal blooms, this spot is a perfect place in which to relax at any time of year.
Throughout May and June the peonies and roses will delight with their full blooms and gorgeous fragrances. Look out for:
- The pale pink Rosa damascena ‘Ispahan’
- The white Rosa damascena ‘Madame Hardy’
- The purple Rosa gallica ‘Charles de Mills’
- The large, white flowered Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchess de Nemours’
The Organic Kitchen Garden
The Organic Kitchen Garden at Audley End House is managed on behalf of English Heritage by Garden Organic. Over the last 11 years, the dedicated staff and volunteers who work in the Organic Kitchen Garden have nurtured a variety of fruit and vegetables, including 120 apple trees and 40 to 50 pear and plum varieties, as well as various other herbs, flowers and grasses in keeping with those grown and used in the house around 1880.
The Orchard House warms the peaches, nectarines and apples that would struggle to grow outdoors. The Vine House primarily houses grapes which, in Victorian times, would have been supplied for 10 months of the year, a testament to the incredible skill with which they were grown.
For more information about the work of Garden Organic, please visit: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/
Pond Garden
The secluded Pond Garden, adjoining the Organic Kitchen Garden, is stunning and features roses which are trained to cover the walls. Look out for:
- The creamy white Rosa ‘Felicite et Perpetue’
- The light orange flowered Rosa Gloire de Dijon’
- Clematis Montana ‘Elizabeth’
- Clematis viticella ‘Royal Velours’
