Audley End School Trip

English Heritage

Saffron Walden Essex CB11 4JF

There’s so much to see and do during a school visit to Audley End. Let your pupils discover what life was like for the people who lived and worked in this noble 17th century mansion, complete with Victorian Service Wing, Nursery and Stables. Explore the extensive grounds and enjoy the award-winning gardens that were remodelled by Capability Brown.

Cover a range of topics across the key stages:

KS1 History: Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

KS1-3 History: A local history study

KS1-2 Science: Audley End House has a large expanse of formal gardens and parkland to explore. There is also a walled kitchen garden and with greenhouses, which grows a variety of plants, fruit and vegetables

KS1-4 History: There is a strong collection Royal portraiture on display, with many monarchs being represented, such as Henry VIII and George III

KS1-4 Art & Design: There is an impressive collection of Old Master paintings and portrait miniatures in the House

KS2 History: Study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066

KS3 History: The development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509 - 1745

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments
Inspection Visits
Free Places for Teachers
Free Places for Students

What activities are available during educational visits?

Enjoy a free self-led visit and experience parts of the beautiful 17th century mansion, service wing, kitchen garden and grounds. Say hello to our resident horses in the stable block and visit the Coal Gallery, once a hive of activity, as we recreate the hustle and bustle of servants' daily routines. Use our new outdoor learning kit for KS1-4 to explore the different species of trees around the estate and understand how and why the gardens were created. We also offer free planning visits for group leaders once you have made a booking.

Expert-led Discovery Visit available where pupils explore the life of a Victorian servant. Meet Mrs Warwick, formidable housekeeper to the Braybrooke family. Students are divided into two groups. While one group finds out about life as a servant and tries activities with the housemaids in the education room, the second group is left in the capable hands of Mrs Warwick. The groups then exchange places. Students are encouraged to come dressed in Victorian costume, and aprons are provided.

You can also download our free teaching resources to help support learning before, during and after your visit.

Which curriculum topics do we cater for?

Art School Trip

Drawing Sculpture Painting

Discover Audley End's impressive collection of portrait miniatures and Old Master paintings, including works by Hans Holbein, Hans Eworth, Pieter Claesz and Jan van Goyen. You can also use our outdoor activity pack for inspiration and draw the flora in Audley End's extensive and beautiful grounds.

Victorian School Trip

Queen Victoria Childhood and Schools

Click to read full text Enjoy a free self-led visit and experience parts of the beautiful 17th century mansion, service wing, kitchen garden and grounds. Say hello to our resident horses in the stable block and visit the Coal Gallery, once a hive of activity, as we recreate the hustle and bustle of servants' daily routines. Use our new outdoor learning kit for KS1-4 to explore the different species of trees around the estate and understand how and why the gardens were created.

During a Discovery Visit, learn about the life of a Victorian servant: explore the service wing of Audley End and meet Mrs Warwick, housekeeper to the Braybrooke family. To enhance your learning experience, students (and teachers!) are encouraged to come dressed in Victorian costumes. Please note that we aren’t running Discovery Visits at this site at the moment – we’re unable to adapt our session in a way that would still provide a quality, immersive education experience

What size groups do we cater for?

There are generally no limits to the size of education group, provided the group meets our ratios for leaders to learners. Our Discovery Visit workshops are suitable for groups of up to 30. Please see our school visit terms and conditions on our website for further details.

On-site classroom facilities?

Many of our sites have education rooms that can be booked. Please check the relevant schools property page before making a booking.

Is there first aid on site?

Yes

Access for visitors with disabilities

Yes – please see our website for further details.

Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Our facilities have been designed to be as accessible as possible in order to meet the different needs of our visitors. A summary of the facilities provided can be found on our schools property pages.
If you or anyone in your group has particular access needs, please let us know at the point of booking or get in touch with our bookings team before you visit. Please note that some facilities may require booking in advance.

Anything else?

All teachers or group leaders can book a free planning visit and there is free coach parking available, please book in advance with our bookings team.

Who are English Heritage?

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to a Cold War bunker. Through these, we bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year, over 300,000 of whom are education visitors.
We’re the largest heritage provider of school trips and provide a wealth of free educational resources, alongside expert-led, paid-for workshops for KS1-4. The high-quality of our education provision has been recognised most recently with a number of Sandford awards. Caring for our places and their collections, for the benefit of this and future generations is a cornerstone of everything we do.
We are a charity, no. 1140351, and a company, no. 07447221, registered in England.