Autumn walk at Audley End

A couple of weeks ago I visited Audley End, a grand 17th Century house just outside Saffron Walden. The weather was perfectly autumnal and the grounds were full of colour.

Originally a Benedictine monastery, Audley End was entirely rebuilt by Thomas Howard between 1605 and 1614. The house is currently undergoing large restoration work, with most of the facade hidden by scaffolding. The gardens are still worth a visit, as they offer views of unspoilt Essex countryside as well as formal and kitchen gardens.

Plus its fun to play in the leaves!
   

We were lucky that some of the flowers were still in bloom. 

  more autumnal pictures after the cut: 

"There is a part of me that will forever want to be walking under autumn leaves"

"There is a part of me that will forever want to be walking under autumn leaves, carrying a briefcase containing the works of Shakespeare and Yeats and a portable chess set. I will pass an old tree under which once on a summer night I lay on the grass with a fragrant young woman and we quoted e.e. cummings back and forth."

- Roger Ebert