Audley End House - Life and Work in Service

Audley End House is situated near Saffron Walden, Essex, UK. It is an early 17th century country house and is one of the finest examples of Jacobean architecture in England. It was built to entertain royalty, and the garden and Victorian Service Wing offer an insight into the lives and diversity of staff required to run such a vast estate. In the images below you will see the kitchen, dairy, laundry, service yard and kitchen garden. Notice the kitchen with its gleaming copper pans and jugs; take a peek into the dry larder and housekeepers room! You'll notice the dairy is fully tiled to keep the temperature cool. The process of butter-making is shown from straining the milk up to patting and shaping the butter. Over in the laundry you may be surprised to learn that it took a whole week to complete the laundry process! Two laundry maids processed 600 items a week; starting with lighting the boilers at 4am! Then the daily activity of soaking, scrubbing, boiling, drying, airing and ironing could begin! Don't forget the people who worked outside, taking care of coal and wood for the fires, organising the game larder and the gardeners who worked to keep their master and his family well fed!

I have included some artists impressions throughout this gallery to illustrate the lives of those who worked in service. Audley End House is currently under guardianship of English Heritage.