Today began our mini-adventures this year. Last year, we'd intended to bicycle out to a small medieval market town near Cambridge, Saffron Walden. Since we intend to rent bicycles tomorrow, Chris planned a day trip to the town today by train instead. Just outside the town is a stately home, owned now by the National Trust, Audley End (above). The main wing of the house dates from 1603, with the two side wings later. The grounds were designed by Capability Brown, and include a millrace, what looks like an electricity-generating dam, and faux antiquities. Here are Chris and Diane (who came with us) in front of the Temple of Concord, an important faux viewpoint from the house.
We had walked a mile and a half from the train station to Audley End, about a mile on the grounds and in the house, and then a mile or so into the town, where we saw the market square, the ruins of the keep of a castle, the historical museum, and several historic buildings dating from the Elizabethan period or before.
Audley End itself is probably one of the more beautiful great houses I've seen; what sets it apart are two things: first, cases of taxidermy and other geographical collections (shells, rocks and so on), by a Victorian collector, and second, the excellent windows that generally flood the huge house and its large rooms with light. The 11,000 volume library wasn't bad either. Here are Chris and Diane in the Saffron Walden market square.
After Audley End, we decided to get tea (but really dessert). After touring the town, we stopped in a pub for dinner. The taxi company, very busy, picked us up at 8:15 and we arrived on the platform just in time for the train back to Cambridge. We did walk the mile and a half from the train station back to Chad's, however.
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