Audley End

Despite having travelled through Audley End railway station (and there was a covenant on the land saying that the trains had to stop there) thousands of times and having lived within day tripping range of Audley End house for a score of years, we never made it to the house until the 22nd of May just past.

First impression was of the fine specimen trees dotted around the house, a week or two behind our Surrey trees, it being a bit colder this far north, second impression was of a marvelous hedge screening what is now the servants court yard, to the left as you face the house. Mainly yew but with a touch of box and sculpted in a marvelous free style sort of way. I don't think it is a particularly old hedge, but it was certainly very impressive.

Next stop the pond where there were some ducklings who already knew that tourists might be a food supply. Not clear whether this was an inherited or learned trait although they seemed a bit young for learning. There were also a lot of small tadpoles lurking on the bottom of the shallows. Do the ducks eat them? They will certainly eat small frogs from the ground if they get a chance.

On into the house where we found that as this day did not count as a busy day, it was not thought worth while to put a trusty on guard in every room, so free flow (a trusty term I had not come across before) was not allowed and one had to take the tour, a tour which included a fairly hefty talk, delivered more or less by rote by the trusty in front, with the trusty behind sweeping up strays and generally discouraging loitering. Not a bad effort by the trusty in front, but if we go again, as we intend, we shall make sure we go on a day when free flow is allowed. Or perhaps you can stump up the necessary to become a Patron of Audley End and be granted more or less free access when you remember to carry your seal.

We learned that the house had at one time been several times larger than it is now, but this was not economic and the place had to be carved down to a more manageable size. But a carving which has resulted in the preservation of a lot of old and fancy ceiling plaster and a lot of old and fancy fireplaces. There were a lot of pictures, some of them quite good but the collection of stuffed birds make a bigger impression. Particularly a large albatross.

Did not spend much time in the formal gardens which were a bit between spring and summer clothes. Outside - other than the shop and the café - rather neglected. So all in all plenty to do on another occasion; an interesting change from our more usual Polesden Lacey, much newer, much less grand and quite possibly a lot more comfortable for the people who once had to live there. And not National Trust!

Lunch was a sort of chicken stew, the extensive saucing being rather yellow in colour and quite thick in texture. Don't think that the yellow was red lentils, but the stew was quite acceptable nonetheless. We also grazed some small cakes which had been supplied for the break of some party and left over, at least until we were spotted from the kitchen and the cakes removed. Not clear what sort of a party it was; neither training nor pensioners although of middle or more years.