Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11: Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.Dugdale, Thomas
History
Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11: Historical, Entertaining & Commercial; Alphabetically Arranged. 11 Volume set.
Dugdale, Thomas
Great Britain -- Gazetteers
[B] AUDLEY END is principally celebrated for its vicinity to Audley
House, which was sold by the third Earl of Suffolk, to Charles II., for
L50,000., the king, however, left a great part of the sum on mortgage.
The present mansion, though a large and magnificent structure, consists
only of a small part of the original building, owing to its curtailment
at various times. When in its perfect state, it was esteemed one of the
most splendid and capacious mansions in the country; and, if not
superior, was nearly equal to the palaces of Hampton Court, Nonsuch, and
Richmond. At the time when it was first built, large, rather than
comfortable or handsome houses were fashionable. Influenced by these
sentiments, Thomas Howard, the first Earl of Suffolk, (as Walpole
observes,) determined to have "an immense pile of building," and
L190,000. was expended upon its erection. It is said that, when the
house was finished, King James was invited to see it. Having surveyed
the structure with great astonishment, the earl asked him "how he liked
it?" "Very well," replied James, "but troth man," continued he
sarcastically, "it is too much for a king, but it may do for a Lord High
Treasurer." An elegant domestic chapel, constructed by the late Lord
Howard, occupies the north west corner of the house. It is fitted up
with clustered columns, pointed arches, and fan like tracery; and, in
imitation of a cathedral, it has a nave, side-aisles and transepts. The
windows are filled with painted glass, by Pickett of York, who executed
them in 1771, from Biaggio Rebecca's designs.
_Fair_, August 5, for cheese.
[Sidenote: Anecdote of James I.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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