Audley End House And Gardens

We have visited Audley End House on about 4 occasions, yesterday being the most recent. On each occasion we have visited we’ve discovered something new. The house is beautiful, as photography my hobby it is a bit disappointing that photography is not allowed in the house, may change who knows. There is always colour in the gardens no matter what season, yes the smaller area of the cafe is a little dark, that doesn’t detract from the food which is very tasty and portion wise very generous. The staff are all very polite, friendly and extremely helpful and accommodating. I have mobility problems and there was no hesitation in arranging for the loan of a mobility scooter which enabled me to spend more time enjoying the grounds too. I’m sure that we will be returning in the not too distant future. I do wish though that other English Heritage sites had the mobility scooter facility it was so very welcome. I have many beautiful photos of the grounds

Thoroughly enjoying our day out at Audley End. Walking around the house was wonderfully relaxed with the volunteers engaging in questions. The cafe was perfect, although some more vegetarian and vegan options would be appreciated.

Listening to the sound check for the evenings entertainment was fun too.

Now off to explore the gardens and grounds. �

Arrived at lunchtime. Spent an hour looking at some of the garden next to the hall as well as the washing house and kitchen. Had a lovely break in the tea room before starting our self guided tour. English heritage guides in each room willing to stop and chat and give information and also there was talks at various times about the house and gardens if you wished to attend. You can take your time walking around at your own leisure and it was easy to navigate with the guides giving you instruction. In the house it was limited to taking photographs. Understandable really as they wouldn't want historic artefacts destroyed by light etc. The gardens are beautiful and plenty of photo opportunities there as well as space for children to play and let off steam. Well worth a visit

Yesterday I took my mum for a 70th birthday treat to watch the 2 cello's. The location was fantastic and you couldn't have asked for a nicer setting. Unfortunately this was about the only thing that was any good. Only living a mer 40 minutes away, the journey transcend ed into a living nightmare, sitting in a queue of traffic and taking over 1.5 hours to go one mile. We missed the support act, and what was supposed to have been a pleasant relaxing evening, turned into a rush to get into the concert and sit down just before the 2 cello's started to play. Needless to say we were right at the back, the sound quality was poor and very quiet. We were both terribly disappointed as had been looking forward to a good evening out, especially as it was a birthday treat. I wonder if the 2 days prior to this were as much of a debacle, if so, whoever designed the concert area and the parking arrangements needs a new job.

This is a beautiful house, set in the idyllic countryside right on the Essex/Cambridgeshire border. The grounds are large enough to enjoy a long walk or simply take a picnic and rug and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We love the fact that it has stables with resident horses and the shows that have been organised this year have been excellent!

The initial approach was confusing as there was a car park on the right but gates on the left, but walkers using the large gates congested the area as it was the only hard standing to approach the house. We finally parked in a very muddy area which I think needs a bit of maintenance.

The house opened at 12pm (Sunday) so we decided to let the rush go ahead and visit the gardens. The kitchen garden was fine but no ornamental area to speak of. The stables were not obviously in use until you went in but a very placid horse was waiting for attention (Harvey).

We decided to get something to eat before viewing the house and found the food area rather confusing. Buying in one area and finding a table in another, not very well laid out. We got a table for the three of us and had tea two cakes and a sausage roll for £12.

When viewing the house, it flowed quite well, but I didn't think there was enough references to the artwork. An audio tour would be a good investment as it's worked at other sites. The necessary steps between floors weren't too steep, but I don't remember seeing any references to access for the disabled. The helpers were quite knowledgeable and answered my questions. As a member I will be back to see more as I'm sure we didn't see it all.

Personally I loved it! Apart from the £8 weak pimms and the £6 for a can of cider! But the food was super reasonable prices. Atmosphere was great and the staff were so welcoming and helpful! Toilets could of been put down the bottom end aswell so it wasn’t such a treck each trip!

We came here for a Heritage live summer concert to see 2cellos. The concert itself was amazing. The organisation was a disaster! Firstly we were not allowed to bring any good or drink into the concert, ok pretty standard but the food and drink availble was RIDICULOUSLY over priced for what it was. I've been to concerts, festivals in the past, and you expect to pay a premium but £7.50 for a SMALL glass of wine and £8 for an even smaller Prosecco is just too much. Not to mention the £10 for fish and chips, the fish was full of bones under cooked and no one knew what the fish was, it it wasn't cod! Next was the car parking. I got there early so didn't have to wait to long to park up but I thought at the time the parking arrangement was really u organised. At the end of the night leaving the car park was a free for all, no stewards no signage just complete confusion. It took over nearly 2 hours to get out of the car park! Overall and amazing experience but ruined by poor organisation. We are English Heritage members and to be honest I expected much better from them.

My wife and I have just joined English Heritage, I hope the properties and organisation get better.

Sad to say this was not what I was expecting. The house itself is a gem, but a gem that has lost some of its lustre.

In some areas of the house it was filthy, namely kitchen, dairy, as well as some of the servant areas open to visitors. I don't know if this was some sort of planned "let's show it in its 1880's glory, cobwebs and all" or just an oversight by the property maintenance team.

I have to agree with others, the car parking and it's directions were somewhat odd. Driving in front of the house to reach the car park seemed somewhat disrespectful to a beautiful old house.

The gardens were lovely, stable block was a missed opportunity in my opinion, it is obviously older than the main house, having Tudor bricks and design, but nothing was said of its origins.

The cafe areas were somewhat drab affairs, the one near the kitchen was dark and uninviting. The one near the child's playground had years of dust accumulating on the white painted walls. Shame...

I am glad I used our free entry to gain access, would I pay £20 for an adult? Quite simply, No.

A beautiful Jacobean house that looks on first approach like one of those old houses turned into a conference centre.

Went to see 2 Cellos last night. We have been to many concerts here which have all been fabulous, well organised and we were able to take our own food and drink. Last nights actual concert was amazing however the total unorganisation of the access to and exit from was a complete disaster. We are fortunate to live a relatively short journey from saffron walden however 11/2 hrs and a horrendous long walk from where we had to park our car , carrying our chairs and then the same going home. Crowds massed into groups no apprpropriate lighting on uneven ground an accident waiting to happen. This marred our evening with our family and friends. You are too greedy

We went to a music event (80s night), not our first event, and we brought a beautiful picnic to enjoy in glorious sunshine on the grass - but were told we had to leave it in the car! It was of course ruined, and we were hungry. Had to pop out (a long walk to car) between acts and guzzle some wine and food in shifts like delinquents! Worse, the car parking attendants could see lots of people like us carrying our baskets etc and said nothing - we were only told it was now forbidden at the gate - so another long trip back to the car! We wont ever go back!

I visited audley end house,not as a southern luvvy, looking for some reason for my children's bizarre names, but more as a prehistoric northerner, desperately looking for some sense of being, and hoping to find some reason for my being able to operate with thumbs, a skill I was sure only started when coronation street went nationwide, and everybody south of luton stopped believing in a flat and amusedly a rather short, flat earth. We ( as I was accompanied by a fellow northern mouth breather) arrived shortly after tea time ( in the south referred to as night) and were greeted by a southern female demanding £5 for parking. Now, not to seem churlish, but "oop north" that kind of money can buy you a vehicle not merely pay for it's safe storage, whilst 2 immigrants play their fiddles for your pleasure. Without blinking we paid the fee (must be due to the effects of hard water) and took our seats for the performance.

After being charged £6 for what appeared to be a quite ordinary can of lager, we assumed the levy charged was for the quite striking effects of flight, which would surely kick in after full consumption. Adequately satisfied as to the magic properties of the brew we paid £10 for a rather sad looking fish, accompanied on it's trip to the never never by a handful of insipid looking chips and something that once looked like grass, but laughingly described as peas.

As the evening wore on, and the dawning realisation that the effects of flight, raising the dead, telekinesis. were not associated with the price of refreshments, we sat back and enjoyed the music of the, I believe, non world cup winners, who despite their obvious remorse, put on a brave face, and tried to cheer us all up, despite the French winning Wimbledon.

We did try to escape early, but the gypsy community apparently have a tradition of kidnap and shock, which in this instance took the form of a surprise firework attack, and we were forced to gaze upon the oriental wonders, for a period not exceeding 15 minutes, whilst waiting to get back to our, surely washed and valeted cars. Imagine our surprise when we were finally allowed to return to our cars, and we emerged from the 1.5 hike like a consumer would emerge from the warehouse section of ikea, clutching his bag of tea lights, (like Tom hanks, in that film) only to find the valeters were playing on stage, and every single car was untouched!!

In shirt, I would recommend the car wash at Audley, but keep your expectations in check.

Attended the 2Cellos on July 15th. Great concert!



Rip off food prices!

RIP off beer prices!

Major parking issues!



Be like Kew Gardens where I was only 2 nights earlier! Allow food and drinks. Pass out bin bags. Provide recycling. You’d be viewed far more favourably instead of just out to make as much money as physically possible with no thought to your customers.



Ah yes...being screamed at by a useless parking attendant. He wanted us to park so close together we wouldn’t be able to get out to f our cars, let alone out of the parking space after he tried to park cars so tightly there was no space to reverse! And to park under a tree where you would a) scratch your car with low hanging branches and b) be fighting with said branches!



Then the toilets! Only toilets at the back of the arena? Really? Why? Half locked or not working as too full! Disgusting.. not cleaned... no toilet rolls... even Glastonbury can manage better!



All in all NEVER again! Which is a shame! Much rather drive to London and Kew from Suffolk. Costs less, more options, better facilities and better organised!

A group of us went to see Tokio Myers and 2 Cellos yesterday for a special celebration. The performances were wonderful and the setting beautiful. However, the evening was marred by outrageous prices for food and drink, a very limited selection of food stalls and ridiculously long queues. We had organised a taxi to drop us and pick us up at the end of the evening. Getting out of the car park from the pick up point was a nightmare. The young, inexperienced stewards were clearly out of their depth resulting in a lot of angry and frustrated drivers...and passengers. What should have been a lovely, relaxed evening was overshadowed by queues galore. I recently joined English Heritage but if this is typical of their events I won't be returning. Such a shame.

Went to see Jess Glynne Not very good for getting in to park , police advised no food or drinks allowed in but when you get in £5 a can £2.50 bottle water a portion of chips £4. Coffee and two bags of crisps £8.50. It would be better if the police advised you to bring your bank with you, great night but ripped off

We visited Audley House Sunday the 15th of July to watch a concert of Tokyo Meyers and 2Cellos. I am a South African, who has lived in Britain for almost 15 years and currently I am working in Belgium. I love England, being a member of both English Heritage and National Trust in the past.



I would say I am pretty much well travelled and being in the hospitality trade as well, I can honestly say, I have never seen such a poor, unorganised, overpriced, understaffed, under qualified outdoor event.



I had to make travel arrangements as my partner lives in Kent and we gave ourselves 3 hours to enjoy the gardens and the bit of precious time we have with each other... what we did, was sit in a queue, missed Tokyo Meyers completely and just made it in time to see the 2Cellos..... (who was amazing btw..)



Queues for the bathrooms, half of it was locked, why?? Queues for the food (which was so expensive and unimaginative) and bar.... £6 for a small beer??? Really? When we had to leave, young inexperienced (and I use to term loosely) 'parking attendents' making things even worse, with no structure, no direction and no clue. Almost an hour just to crawl to the main gates.



As for the concert, I have waited to see 2Cellos for many years being a massive fan, this is the first time I saw them,just a great shame it'll was marred by such poor event co-ordination.



You were being greedy Audley House, and you failed.

Like others I went to 2 Cellos concert.



Yes it was a torture turning up so you could see the car park then having to queue just over 2 hours to go about 1 to 1 and a half miles to get in the car park. One of the hottest days of the year with a 7 year old in the back made it no fun when we arrived having missed the support act. My summary - you weren't allowed to take your own food, you werent; allowed to take your own drink and when you arrived you weren't allowed in. Shocking and poor value.

I had booked tickets for Tokio Myers and the 2Cellos as Christmas presents for my mum and also my in laws. It was close to £250 that we paid in total. We live 20 minutes away from Audley End but anticipated that it would be busy at the entrances. We allowed ourselves 2 hours - plenty of time to get parked up and and seated befor Tokio Myers came on stage. What we did not anticipate was the total lack of organisation at the car park - the queue was backed up for MILES and was actually causing the road to become exceptionally hazzardous given that cars were flying down the inside lane with young children trying to get out of cars and lots of padestrians walking down the road. Car park marshals were lying and sitting in the road causing more of a hinderance and danger to drivers. We missed Tokio Myers as a result of the terrible car parking service. We had already prepaid for car parking in order to avoid hassle as the car par but this didn’t seem to make any difference.



Having been to other much larger events such as Glastonbury they are really well organised and the car parking is no way near as bad!



I’ve requested a refund of my tickets as a result.

Flew over from Belfast on Saturday to see the 2Cellos on Sunday which was a birthday present for my partner. Had already planned that we would be walking to and from Audley End train station which was to take about 34 minutes. Cars were queued from the point where we got onto London Road, all the way to the venue so I'm very glad we didn't hire a car.

However, whichever piece of information I read that said there was a path all the way from the train station to the venue - are you kidding?!! The English Heritage site needs updating to say that as well as the 'busy main road', there is not a light along the majority of the path and it is extremely dangerous! I had to use the torch on my phone as it was pitch black.

I wish I had been advised of this in advance so that I would have made sure to book a taxi. Absolutely disgraceful. I will not start on the queues for food/drinks.

We have visited Audley End House on about 4 occasions, yesterday being the most recent. On each occasion we have visited we’ve discovered something new. The house is beautiful, as photography my hobby it is a bit disappointing that photography is not allowed in the house, may change who knows. There is always colour in the gardens no matter what season, yes the smaller area of the cafe is a little dark, that doesn’t detract from the food which is very tasty and portion wise very generous. The staff are all very polite, friendly and extremely helpful and accommodating. I have mobility problems and there was no hesitation in arranging for the loan of a mobility scooter which enabled me to spend more time enjoying the grounds too. I’m sure that we will be returning in the not too distant future. I do wish though that other English Heritage sites had the mobility scooter facility it was so very welcome. I have many beautiful photos of the grounds

Thoroughly enjoying our day out at Audley End. Walking around the house was wonderfully relaxed with the volunteers engaging in questions. The cafe was perfect, although some more vegetarian and vegan options would be appreciated.

Listening to the sound check for the evenings entertainment was fun too.

Now off to explore the gardens and grounds. �

Arrived at lunchtime. Spent an hour looking at some of the garden next to the hall as well as the washing house and kitchen. Had a lovely break in the tea room before starting our self guided tour. English heritage guides in each room willing to stop and chat and give information and also there was talks at various times about the house and gardens if you wished to attend. You can take your time walking around at your own leisure and it was easy to navigate with the guides giving you instruction. In the house it was limited to taking photographs. Understandable really as they wouldn't want historic artefacts destroyed by light etc. The gardens are beautiful and plenty of photo opportunities there as well as space for children to play and let off steam. Well worth a visit

Yesterday I took my mum for a 70th birthday treat to watch the 2 cello's. The location was fantastic and you couldn't have asked for a nicer setting. Unfortunately this was about the only thing that was any good. Only living a mer 40 minutes away, the journey transcend ed into a living nightmare, sitting in a queue of traffic and taking over 1.5 hours to go one mile. We missed the support act, and what was supposed to have been a pleasant relaxing evening, turned into a rush to get into the concert and sit down just before the 2 cello's started to play. Needless to say we were right at the back, the sound quality was poor and very quiet. We were both terribly disappointed as had been looking forward to a good evening out, especially as it was a birthday treat. I wonder if the 2 days prior to this were as much of a debacle, if so, whoever designed the concert area and the parking arrangements needs a new job.

This is a beautiful house, set in the idyllic countryside right on the Essex/Cambridgeshire border. The grounds are large enough to enjoy a long walk or simply take a picnic and rug and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We love the fact that it has stables with resident horses and the shows that have been organised this year have been excellent!

The initial approach was confusing as there was a car park on the right but gates on the left, but walkers using the large gates congested the area as it was the only hard standing to approach the house. We finally parked in a very muddy area which I think needs a bit of maintenance.

The house opened at 12pm (Sunday) so we decided to let the rush go ahead and visit the gardens. The kitchen garden was fine but no ornamental area to speak of. The stables were not obviously in use until you went in but a very placid horse was waiting for attention (Harvey).

We decided to get something to eat before viewing the house and found the food area rather confusing. Buying in one area and finding a table in another, not very well laid out. We got a table for the three of us and had tea two cakes and a sausage roll for £12.

When viewing the house, it flowed quite well, but I didn't think there was enough references to the artwork. An audio tour would be a good investment as it's worked at other sites. The necessary steps between floors weren't too steep, but I don't remember seeing any references to access for the disabled. The helpers were quite knowledgeable and answered my questions. As a member I will be back to see more as I'm sure we didn't see it all.

Personally I loved it! Apart from the £8 weak pimms and the £6 for a can of cider! But the food was super reasonable prices. Atmosphere was great and the staff were so welcoming and helpful! Toilets could of been put down the bottom end aswell so it wasn’t such a treck each trip!

We came here for a Heritage live summer concert to see 2cellos. The concert itself was amazing. The organisation was a disaster! Firstly we were not allowed to bring any good or drink into the concert, ok pretty standard but the food and drink availble was RIDICULOUSLY over priced for what it was. I've been to concerts, festivals in the past, and you expect to pay a premium but £7.50 for a SMALL glass of wine and £8 for an even smaller Prosecco is just too much. Not to mention the £10 for fish and chips, the fish was full of bones under cooked and no one knew what the fish was, it it wasn't cod! Next was the car parking. I got there early so didn't have to wait to long to park up but I thought at the time the parking arrangement was really u organised. At the end of the night leaving the car park was a free for all, no stewards no signage just complete confusion. It took over nearly 2 hours to get out of the car park! Overall and amazing experience but ruined by poor organisation. We are English Heritage members and to be honest I expected much better from them.

My wife and I have just joined English Heritage, I hope the properties and organisation get better.

Sad to say this was not what I was expecting. The house itself is a gem, but a gem that has lost some of its lustre.

In some areas of the house it was filthy, namely kitchen, dairy, as well as some of the servant areas open to visitors. I don't know if this was some sort of planned "let's show it in its 1880's glory, cobwebs and all" or just an oversight by the property maintenance team.

I have to agree with others, the car parking and it's directions were somewhat odd. Driving in front of the house to reach the car park seemed somewhat disrespectful to a beautiful old house.

The gardens were lovely, stable block was a missed opportunity in my opinion, it is obviously older than the main house, having Tudor bricks and design, but nothing was said of its origins.

The cafe areas were somewhat drab affairs, the one near the kitchen was dark and uninviting. The one near the child's playground had years of dust accumulating on the white painted walls. Shame...

I am glad I used our free entry to gain access, would I pay £20 for an adult? Quite simply, No.

A beautiful Jacobean house that looks on first approach like one of those old houses turned into a conference centre.

Went to see 2 Cellos last night. We have been to many concerts here which have all been fabulous, well organised and we were able to take our own food and drink. Last nights actual concert was amazing however the total unorganisation of the access to and exit from was a complete disaster. We are fortunate to live a relatively short journey from saffron walden however 11/2 hrs and a horrendous long walk from where we had to park our car , carrying our chairs and then the same going home. Crowds massed into groups no apprpropriate lighting on uneven ground an accident waiting to happen. This marred our evening with our family and friends. You are too greedy

We went to a music event (80s night), not our first event, and we brought a beautiful picnic to enjoy in glorious sunshine on the grass - but were told we had to leave it in the car! It was of course ruined, and we were hungry. Had to pop out (a long walk to car) between acts and guzzle some wine and food in shifts like delinquents! Worse, the car parking attendants could see lots of people like us carrying our baskets etc and said nothing - we were only told it was now forbidden at the gate - so another long trip back to the car! We wont ever go back!

I visited audley end house,not as a southern luvvy, looking for some reason for my children's bizarre names, but more as a prehistoric northerner, desperately looking for some sense of being, and hoping to find some reason for my being able to operate with thumbs, a skill I was sure only started when coronation street went nationwide, and everybody south of luton stopped believing in a flat and amusedly a rather short, flat earth. We ( as I was accompanied by a fellow northern mouth breather) arrived shortly after tea time ( in the south referred to as night) and were greeted by a southern female demanding £5 for parking. Now, not to seem churlish, but "oop north" that kind of money can buy you a vehicle not merely pay for it's safe storage, whilst 2 immigrants play their fiddles for your pleasure. Without blinking we paid the fee (must be due to the effects of hard water) and took our seats for the performance.

After being charged £6 for what appeared to be a quite ordinary can of lager, we assumed the levy charged was for the quite striking effects of flight, which would surely kick in after full consumption. Adequately satisfied as to the magic properties of the brew we paid £10 for a rather sad looking fish, accompanied on it's trip to the never never by a handful of insipid looking chips and something that once looked like grass, but laughingly described as peas.

As the evening wore on, and the dawning realisation that the effects of flight, raising the dead, telekinesis. were not associated with the price of refreshments, we sat back and enjoyed the music of the, I believe, non world cup winners, who despite their obvious remorse, put on a brave face, and tried to cheer us all up, despite the French winning Wimbledon.

We did try to escape early, but the gypsy community apparently have a tradition of kidnap and shock, which in this instance took the form of a surprise firework attack, and we were forced to gaze upon the oriental wonders, for a period not exceeding 15 minutes, whilst waiting to get back to our, surely washed and valeted cars. Imagine our surprise when we were finally allowed to return to our cars, and we emerged from the 1.5 hike like a consumer would emerge from the warehouse section of ikea, clutching his bag of tea lights, (like Tom hanks, in that film) only to find the valeters were playing on stage, and every single car was untouched!!

In shirt, I would recommend the car wash at Audley, but keep your expectations in check.

Attended the 2Cellos on July 15th. Great concert!



Rip off food prices!

RIP off beer prices!

Major parking issues!



Be like Kew Gardens where I was only 2 nights earlier! Allow food and drinks. Pass out bin bags. Provide recycling. You’d be viewed far more favourably instead of just out to make as much money as physically possible with no thought to your customers.



Ah yes...being screamed at by a useless parking attendant. He wanted us to park so close together we wouldn’t be able to get out to f our cars, let alone out of the parking space after he tried to park cars so tightly there was no space to reverse! And to park under a tree where you would a) scratch your car with low hanging branches and b) be fighting with said branches!



Then the toilets! Only toilets at the back of the arena? Really? Why? Half locked or not working as too full! Disgusting.. not cleaned... no toilet rolls... even Glastonbury can manage better!



All in all NEVER again! Which is a shame! Much rather drive to London and Kew from Suffolk. Costs less, more options, better facilities and better organised!

A group of us went to see Tokio Myers and 2 Cellos yesterday for a special celebration. The performances were wonderful and the setting beautiful. However, the evening was marred by outrageous prices for food and drink, a very limited selection of food stalls and ridiculously long queues. We had organised a taxi to drop us and pick us up at the end of the evening. Getting out of the car park from the pick up point was a nightmare. The young, inexperienced stewards were clearly out of their depth resulting in a lot of angry and frustrated drivers...and passengers. What should have been a lovely, relaxed evening was overshadowed by queues galore. I recently joined English Heritage but if this is typical of their events I won't be returning. Such a shame.

Went to see Jess Glynne Not very good for getting in to park , police advised no food or drinks allowed in but when you get in £5 a can £2.50 bottle water a portion of chips £4. Coffee and two bags of crisps £8.50. It would be better if the police advised you to bring your bank with you, great night but ripped off

We visited Audley House Sunday the 15th of July to watch a concert of Tokyo Meyers and 2Cellos. I am a South African, who has lived in Britain for almost 15 years and currently I am working in Belgium. I love England, being a member of both English Heritage and National Trust in the past.



I would say I am pretty much well travelled and being in the hospitality trade as well, I can honestly say, I have never seen such a poor, unorganised, overpriced, understaffed, under qualified outdoor event.



I had to make travel arrangements as my partner lives in Kent and we gave ourselves 3 hours to enjoy the gardens and the bit of precious time we have with each other... what we did, was sit in a queue, missed Tokyo Meyers completely and just made it in time to see the 2Cellos..... (who was amazing btw..)



Queues for the bathrooms, half of it was locked, why?? Queues for the food (which was so expensive and unimaginative) and bar.... £6 for a small beer??? Really? When we had to leave, young inexperienced (and I use to term loosely) 'parking attendents' making things even worse, with no structure, no direction and no clue. Almost an hour just to crawl to the main gates.



As for the concert, I have waited to see 2Cellos for many years being a massive fan, this is the first time I saw them,just a great shame it'll was marred by such poor event co-ordination.



You were being greedy Audley House, and you failed.

Like others I went to 2 Cellos concert.



Yes it was a torture turning up so you could see the car park then having to queue just over 2 hours to go about 1 to 1 and a half miles to get in the car park. One of the hottest days of the year with a 7 year old in the back made it no fun when we arrived having missed the support act. My summary - you weren't allowed to take your own food, you werent; allowed to take your own drink and when you arrived you weren't allowed in. Shocking and poor value.

I had booked tickets for Tokio Myers and the 2Cellos as Christmas presents for my mum and also my in laws. It was close to £250 that we paid in total. We live 20 minutes away from Audley End but anticipated that it would be busy at the entrances. We allowed ourselves 2 hours - plenty of time to get parked up and and seated befor Tokio Myers came on stage. What we did not anticipate was the total lack of organisation at the car park - the queue was backed up for MILES and was actually causing the road to become exceptionally hazzardous given that cars were flying down the inside lane with young children trying to get out of cars and lots of padestrians walking down the road. Car park marshals were lying and sitting in the road causing more of a hinderance and danger to drivers. We missed Tokio Myers as a result of the terrible car parking service. We had already prepaid for car parking in order to avoid hassle as the car par but this didn’t seem to make any difference.



Having been to other much larger events such as Glastonbury they are really well organised and the car parking is no way near as bad!



I’ve requested a refund of my tickets as a result.

Flew over from Belfast on Saturday to see the 2Cellos on Sunday which was a birthday present for my partner. Had already planned that we would be walking to and from Audley End train station which was to take about 34 minutes. Cars were queued from the point where we got onto London Road, all the way to the venue so I'm very glad we didn't hire a car.

However, whichever piece of information I read that said there was a path all the way from the train station to the venue - are you kidding?!! The English Heritage site needs updating to say that as well as the 'busy main road', there is not a light along the majority of the path and it is extremely dangerous! I had to use the torch on my phone as it was pitch black.

I wish I had been advised of this in advance so that I would have made sure to book a taxi. Absolutely disgraceful. I will not start on the queues for food/drinks.

We have visited Audley End House on about 4 occasions, yesterday being the most recent. On each occasion we have visited we’ve discovered something new. The house is beautiful, as photography my hobby it is a bit disappointing that photography is not allowed in the house, may change who knows. There is always colour in the gardens no matter what season, yes the smaller area of the cafe is a little dark, that doesn’t detract from the food which is very tasty and portion wise very generous. The staff are all very polite, friendly and extremely helpful and accommodating. I have mobility problems and there was no hesitation in arranging for the loan of a mobility scooter which enabled me to spend more time enjoying the grounds too. I’m sure that we will be returning in the not too distant future. I do wish though that other English Heritage sites had the mobility scooter facility it was so very welcome. I have many beautiful photos of the grounds

Thoroughly enjoying our day out at Audley End. Walking around the house was wonderfully relaxed with the volunteers engaging in questions. The cafe was perfect, although some more vegetarian and vegan options would be appreciated.

Listening to the sound check for the evenings entertainment was fun too.

Now off to explore the gardens and grounds. �

Arrived at lunchtime. Spent an hour looking at some of the garden next to the hall as well as the washing house and kitchen. Had a lovely break in the tea room before starting our self guided tour. English heritage guides in each room willing to stop and chat and give information and also there was talks at various times about the house and gardens if you wished to attend. You can take your time walking around at your own leisure and it was easy to navigate with the guides giving you instruction. In the house it was limited to taking photographs. Understandable really as they wouldn't want historic artefacts destroyed by light etc. The gardens are beautiful and plenty of photo opportunities there as well as space for children to play and let off steam. Well worth a visit

Yesterday I took my mum for a 70th birthday treat to watch the 2 cello's. The location was fantastic and you couldn't have asked for a nicer setting. Unfortunately this was about the only thing that was any good. Only living a mer 40 minutes away, the journey transcend ed into a living nightmare, sitting in a queue of traffic and taking over 1.5 hours to go one mile. We missed the support act, and what was supposed to have been a pleasant relaxing evening, turned into a rush to get into the concert and sit down just before the 2 cello's started to play. Needless to say we were right at the back, the sound quality was poor and very quiet. We were both terribly disappointed as had been looking forward to a good evening out, especially as it was a birthday treat. I wonder if the 2 days prior to this were as much of a debacle, if so, whoever designed the concert area and the parking arrangements needs a new job.

This is a beautiful house, set in the idyllic countryside right on the Essex/Cambridgeshire border. The grounds are large enough to enjoy a long walk or simply take a picnic and rug and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We love the fact that it has stables with resident horses and the shows that have been organised this year have been excellent!

The initial approach was confusing as there was a car park on the right but gates on the left, but walkers using the large gates congested the area as it was the only hard standing to approach the house. We finally parked in a very muddy area which I think needs a bit of maintenance.

The house opened at 12pm (Sunday) so we decided to let the rush go ahead and visit the gardens. The kitchen garden was fine but no ornamental area to speak of. The stables were not obviously in use until you went in but a very placid horse was waiting for attention (Harvey).

We decided to get something to eat before viewing the house and found the food area rather confusing. Buying in one area and finding a table in another, not very well laid out. We got a table for the three of us and had tea two cakes and a sausage roll for £12.

When viewing the house, it flowed quite well, but I didn't think there was enough references to the artwork. An audio tour would be a good investment as it's worked at other sites. The necessary steps between floors weren't too steep, but I don't remember seeing any references to access for the disabled. The helpers were quite knowledgeable and answered my questions. As a member I will be back to see more as I'm sure we didn't see it all.

Personally I loved it! Apart from the £8 weak pimms and the £6 for a can of cider! But the food was super reasonable prices. Atmosphere was great and the staff were so welcoming and helpful! Toilets could of been put down the bottom end aswell so it wasn’t such a treck each trip!

We came here for a Heritage live summer concert to see 2cellos. The concert itself was amazing. The organisation was a disaster! Firstly we were not allowed to bring any good or drink into the concert, ok pretty standard but the food and drink availble was RIDICULOUSLY over priced for what it was. I've been to concerts, festivals in the past, and you expect to pay a premium but £7.50 for a SMALL glass of wine and £8 for an even smaller Prosecco is just too much. Not to mention the £10 for fish and chips, the fish was full of bones under cooked and no one knew what the fish was, it it wasn't cod! Next was the car parking. I got there early so didn't have to wait to long to park up but I thought at the time the parking arrangement was really u organised. At the end of the night leaving the car park was a free for all, no stewards no signage just complete confusion. It took over nearly 2 hours to get out of the car park! Overall and amazing experience but ruined by poor organisation. We are English Heritage members and to be honest I expected much better from them.

My wife and I have just joined English Heritage, I hope the properties and organisation get better.

Sad to say this was not what I was expecting. The house itself is a gem, but a gem that has lost some of its lustre.

In some areas of the house it was filthy, namely kitchen, dairy, as well as some of the servant areas open to visitors. I don't know if this was some sort of planned "let's show it in its 1880's glory, cobwebs and all" or just an oversight by the property maintenance team.

I have to agree with others, the car parking and it's directions were somewhat odd. Driving in front of the house to reach the car park seemed somewhat disrespectful to a beautiful old house.

The gardens were lovely, stable block was a missed opportunity in my opinion, it is obviously older than the main house, having Tudor bricks and design, but nothing was said of its origins.

The cafe areas were somewhat drab affairs, the one near the kitchen was dark and uninviting. The one near the child's playground had years of dust accumulating on the white painted walls. Shame...

I am glad I used our free entry to gain access, would I pay £20 for an adult? Quite simply, No.

A beautiful Jacobean house that looks on first approach like one of those old houses turned into a conference centre.

Went to see 2 Cellos last night. We have been to many concerts here which have all been fabulous, well organised and we were able to take our own food and drink. Last nights actual concert was amazing however the total unorganisation of the access to and exit from was a complete disaster. We are fortunate to live a relatively short journey from saffron walden however 11/2 hrs and a horrendous long walk from where we had to park our car , carrying our chairs and then the same going home. Crowds massed into groups no apprpropriate lighting on uneven ground an accident waiting to happen. This marred our evening with our family and friends. You are too greedy

We went to a music event (80s night), not our first event, and we brought a beautiful picnic to enjoy in glorious sunshine on the grass - but were told we had to leave it in the car! It was of course ruined, and we were hungry. Had to pop out (a long walk to car) between acts and guzzle some wine and food in shifts like delinquents! Worse, the car parking attendants could see lots of people like us carrying our baskets etc and said nothing - we were only told it was now forbidden at the gate - so another long trip back to the car! We wont ever go back!

I visited audley end house,not as a southern luvvy, looking for some reason for my children's bizarre names, but more as a prehistoric northerner, desperately looking for some sense of being, and hoping to find some reason for my being able to operate with thumbs, a skill I was sure only started when coronation street went nationwide, and everybody south of luton stopped believing in a flat and amusedly a rather short, flat earth. We ( as I was accompanied by a fellow northern mouth breather) arrived shortly after tea time ( in the south referred to as night) and were greeted by a southern female demanding £5 for parking. Now, not to seem churlish, but "oop north" that kind of money can buy you a vehicle not merely pay for it's safe storage, whilst 2 immigrants play their fiddles for your pleasure. Without blinking we paid the fee (must be due to the effects of hard water) and took our seats for the performance.

After being charged £6 for what appeared to be a quite ordinary can of lager, we assumed the levy charged was for the quite striking effects of flight, which would surely kick in after full consumption. Adequately satisfied as to the magic properties of the brew we paid £10 for a rather sad looking fish, accompanied on it's trip to the never never by a handful of insipid looking chips and something that once looked like grass, but laughingly described as peas.

As the evening wore on, and the dawning realisation that the effects of flight, raising the dead, telekinesis. were not associated with the price of refreshments, we sat back and enjoyed the music of the, I believe, non world cup winners, who despite their obvious remorse, put on a brave face, and tried to cheer us all up, despite the French winning Wimbledon.

We did try to escape early, but the gypsy community apparently have a tradition of kidnap and shock, which in this instance took the form of a surprise firework attack, and we were forced to gaze upon the oriental wonders, for a period not exceeding 15 minutes, whilst waiting to get back to our, surely washed and valeted cars. Imagine our surprise when we were finally allowed to return to our cars, and we emerged from the 1.5 hike like a consumer would emerge from the warehouse section of ikea, clutching his bag of tea lights, (like Tom hanks, in that film) only to find the valeters were playing on stage, and every single car was untouched!!

In shirt, I would recommend the car wash at Audley, but keep your expectations in check.

Attended the 2Cellos on July 15th. Great concert!



Rip off food prices!

RIP off beer prices!

Major parking issues!



Be like Kew Gardens where I was only 2 nights earlier! Allow food and drinks. Pass out bin bags. Provide recycling. You’d be viewed far more favourably instead of just out to make as much money as physically possible with no thought to your customers.



Ah yes...being screamed at by a useless parking attendant. He wanted us to park so close together we wouldn’t be able to get out to f our cars, let alone out of the parking space after he tried to park cars so tightly there was no space to reverse! And to park under a tree where you would a) scratch your car with low hanging branches and b) be fighting with said branches!



Then the toilets! Only toilets at the back of the arena? Really? Why? Half locked or not working as too full! Disgusting.. not cleaned... no toilet rolls... even Glastonbury can manage better!



All in all NEVER again! Which is a shame! Much rather drive to London and Kew from Suffolk. Costs less, more options, better facilities and better organised!

A group of us went to see Tokio Myers and 2 Cellos yesterday for a special celebration. The performances were wonderful and the setting beautiful. However, the evening was marred by outrageous prices for food and drink, a very limited selection of food stalls and ridiculously long queues. We had organised a taxi to drop us and pick us up at the end of the evening. Getting out of the car park from the pick up point was a nightmare. The young, inexperienced stewards were clearly out of their depth resulting in a lot of angry and frustrated drivers...and passengers. What should have been a lovely, relaxed evening was overshadowed by queues galore. I recently joined English Heritage but if this is typical of their events I won't be returning. Such a shame.

Went to see Jess Glynne Not very good for getting in to park , police advised no food or drinks allowed in but when you get in £5 a can £2.50 bottle water a portion of chips £4. Coffee and two bags of crisps £8.50. It would be better if the police advised you to bring your bank with you, great night but ripped off

We visited Audley House Sunday the 15th of July to watch a concert of Tokyo Meyers and 2Cellos. I am a South African, who has lived in Britain for almost 15 years and currently I am working in Belgium. I love England, being a member of both English Heritage and National Trust in the past.



I would say I am pretty much well travelled and being in the hospitality trade as well, I can honestly say, I have never seen such a poor, unorganised, overpriced, understaffed, under qualified outdoor event.



I had to make travel arrangements as my partner lives in Kent and we gave ourselves 3 hours to enjoy the gardens and the bit of precious time we have with each other... what we did, was sit in a queue, missed Tokyo Meyers completely and just made it in time to see the 2Cellos..... (who was amazing btw..)



Queues for the bathrooms, half of it was locked, why?? Queues for the food (which was so expensive and unimaginative) and bar.... £6 for a small beer??? Really? When we had to leave, young inexperienced (and I use to term loosely) 'parking attendents' making things even worse, with no structure, no direction and no clue. Almost an hour just to crawl to the main gates.



As for the concert, I have waited to see 2Cellos for many years being a massive fan, this is the first time I saw them,just a great shame it'll was marred by such poor event co-ordination.



You were being greedy Audley House, and you failed.

Like others I went to 2 Cellos concert.



Yes it was a torture turning up so you could see the car park then having to queue just over 2 hours to go about 1 to 1 and a half miles to get in the car park. One of the hottest days of the year with a 7 year old in the back made it no fun when we arrived having missed the support act. My summary - you weren't allowed to take your own food, you werent; allowed to take your own drink and when you arrived you weren't allowed in. Shocking and poor value.

I had booked tickets for Tokio Myers and the 2Cellos as Christmas presents for my mum and also my in laws. It was close to £250 that we paid in total. We live 20 minutes away from Audley End but anticipated that it would be busy at the entrances. We allowed ourselves 2 hours - plenty of time to get parked up and and seated befor Tokio Myers came on stage. What we did not anticipate was the total lack of organisation at the car park - the queue was backed up for MILES and was actually causing the road to become exceptionally hazzardous given that cars were flying down the inside lane with young children trying to get out of cars and lots of padestrians walking down the road. Car park marshals were lying and sitting in the road causing more of a hinderance and danger to drivers. We missed Tokio Myers as a result of the terrible car parking service. We had already prepaid for car parking in order to avoid hassle as the car par but this didn’t seem to make any difference.



Having been to other much larger events such as Glastonbury they are really well organised and the car parking is no way near as bad!



I’ve requested a refund of my tickets as a result.

Flew over from Belfast on Saturday to see the 2Cellos on Sunday which was a birthday present for my partner. Had already planned that we would be walking to and from Audley End train station which was to take about 34 minutes. Cars were queued from the point where we got onto London Road, all the way to the venue so I'm very glad we didn't hire a car.

However, whichever piece of information I read that said there was a path all the way from the train station to the venue - are you kidding?!! The English Heritage site needs updating to say that as well as the 'busy main road', there is not a light along the majority of the path and it is extremely dangerous! I had to use the torch on my phone as it was pitch black.

I wish I had been advised of this in advance so that I would have made sure to book a taxi. Absolutely disgraceful. I will not start on the queues for food/drinks.