36 BRITAIN http://www.britain-magazine.com
added to the family’s meals before they were taken upstairs
to the servery. All the rooms below stairs are presented
much as they would have been in the late 19th century.
Once of the most opulent houses in Jacobean England,
Audley End House is a beautiful 17th-century country
house in Saffron Walden, Essex. Considered a prodigy
house, originally built to entertain King James I, it was
later owned by King Charles II, who would stay here
when he attended the races at nearby Newmarket.
Many visitors are struck by the grandeur of the Great
Hall (which has stood in for Balmoral and Windsor on
screen), or the state bed, commissioned ahead of a royal
visitin 1794.However,toreallygeta senseofthehard
labourthatwentintorunninga houseofthisscale,a visit
tothe1880sservicewingis a must.
HereyoucanseetheCoalGalleryandtheWetLaundry,
andlearnaboutthespeci chierarchy,notjustbetween
thosewholivedbelowandabovestairs,butalsobetween
theservants,whothemselveshada clearpeckingorder.
OnweekendsfromApriltoSeptember,youcanalsowatch
thecookandherstaffpreparedishesusingtraditional
methodsandadheringto therecipebookof AvisCrocombe,
whowastheheadcookherein the1880s.Herjobwasno
smallfeat:oneChristmasalone,LordandLadyBraybrooke
andtheirguestsconsumed541lbofmeatand 34 rabbits.
Roastedswanwasoccasionallyonthemenu,too.
Andthenthereis BlenheimPalace,thehousebuiltby
theDukeofMarlboroughandhiswife,theformidable
SarahChurchill,onlandgiftedbyQueenAnnefollowing
theDuke’svictoryin theWaroftheSpanishSuccession.To get a sense of the hard labour that
went into running a house of this scale,
a visit to the service wing is a must
Clockwise from this image:
Audley End’s Great Hall
retains much of its original
character; ‘Mrs Crocombe’
prepares puddings;
the dry laundry room PHOTOS:©PAT PAYNE/CHRISTOPHER ISON/ALAN BULL/ED SHEPHERD/ENGLISH HERITAGE