Audley End 2010-11-07 011

W. front from SW. For history, see set page. This front is mostly Jacobean, although the recessed section above the central hall is part of an eighteenth-century link designed to improve the connection between the two sides of the house following the removal of the E. range. The twin porches were probably primarily designed to preserve symmetry while retaining the entrance to the central hall in its traditional position at one end, although it has been suggested that, since the house was designed to accommodate visits from the King and Queen (who maintained separate households at this time), they may have been intended to give separate access to a King's apartment and a Queen's apartment.