The landscape at Audley End was initially formally laid out and then changed to look more ‘natural’ in the 18th century following proposals by landscape designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and including garden buildings by architect Robert Adam. In 1831, the owner, the third Lord Braybrooke, called in another landscape designer William Sawrey Gilpin to advise on the gardens, and he proposed the layout of a formal parterre signalling a significant return of formality to the garden.