Scheduled MonumentsEnglandAudley End Mansion

Audley End Mansion

England
List entry 1002163
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002163
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
42.56 hectares
Grid reference
TL 52526 38229
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Audley End is a Jacobean country house in Saffron Walden, Essex, built for Thomas Howard, Lord Chancellor, in the early seventeenth century and largely completed by 1614. The mansion represents one of the grandest domestic architectural achievements of its era, constructed on a vast scale with multiple courtyards and displaying the sophisticated design principles of early Stuart aristocratic building. The house was substantially reduced in size during the eighteenth century when the outer courtyards were demolished, leaving the inner ranges that survive today as a remarkable example of Jacobean mansion architecture. Now in the care of English Heritage, Audley End retains significant interior decoration and furnishings that reflect its importance as a seat of one of England's most prominent noble families.

Audley End Mansion is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002163. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Audley End Mansion?

Audley End is a Jacobean country house in Saffron Walden, Essex, built for Thomas Howard, Lord Chancellor, in the early seventeenth century and largely completed by 1614. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002163.

Who is responsible for protecting Audley End Mansion?

Audley End Mansion is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002163.

What other scheduled monuments are near Audley End Mansion?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman villa at Chinnel Barn (2.9 km), Moated site 400m south-east of Shortgrove Hall (3.3 km), Thunderley Hall moated site and fishponds (4.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Audley End Mansion

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Audley End Mansion's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Audley End Mansion

Audley End Mansion stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.