Stephens House & Gardens — Attraction in London

Stephens House and Gardens is a hidden gem of North London. I accidentally came across this venue as I frantically searched for a wedding reception venue, once it was announced wedding receptions could go ahead and I was getting married 2 weeks after announcement.

I found the website and the location and venue was perfect. The gardens were exactly what I was looking for and the venue itself was ideal for the intimate gathering we were having. But this was the website so I did not want to get my hopes up. I called and left a message expecting nothing to come of it.

Within hours Malcolm called me back and accommodated a viewing for us immediately. I asked him how much the hire fee would be, and was shocked at how affordable it was. I thought it was all too good to be true. But once I arrived I was speechless. Exactly as the website showed, were the gardens and building. Beautiful n affordable! I was sad I had not known of the place sooner. I can imagine going to the park next year for a lovely extended family picnic. The gardens are peaceful and quiet but so beautiful. My child fell in love with the fishes in the pond.

We met with Malcolm and he informed us that we could either have their standard menu, or we could suggest some food items and they would let us know if they could cook it or not. They were so flexible with the menu and we ended up having a complete Afro-Caribbean menu, including rum punch, which all went down a treat with our guests. Food and drink were delicious.

We obviously booked without delay and confirmed things like set up on the day, menu, etc with Tracey - the most helpful person ever. Tracey went above and beyond to mske our vision come to life. She didn't just understand what we wanted, she overstood n it was such a treat to have met n worked with her. Tracey ensured all the details were dealt with in advance, so that we would not be worried on the day. Which we were not. I put full trust in Tracey and she did not let us down. Tracey we cannot thank you enough for your hard work at pulling it all together in such a short time, 10days if not less.

On the wedding day, our guests were greeted by the wonderful decor of the venue and our decorators Roseline B events and also the huge smiles of the ladies working on the day. It was fantastic. The ladies kept our glasses full, food on the plates but most importantly vibe enjoyable. They were so friendly, polite and patient with us. Thank you ladies!

Our entire experience from start to end with Stephens House was exceptional. Everything was brilliant, we had no faults at all. The perfect venue for small celebrations, gardens are a lovely backdrop for pictures or just to play for children and adults alike. Not to mention the free car park too. We honestly had the best day. I hope you who are reading have a chance to experience this hidden gem and book your celebrations.

Thank you Stephens House...

Unique and undiscovered by the vast majority of Londoners it was a revelation when I made first of what will be many visits to this truly special place,which must be a place of pilgrimage for Goon Fans and especially Spike Milligan, I have been taking trips out to the suburbs with my friend who lives in these uncharted waters, as a City boy who knows and loves the City of London, for Me this is unmapped territory where there be tygers and other strange beasts, the House and gardens are a very special place to visit, not the usual house and grounds you might imagine, a vision of it's original owner, inky Stephens whose home it was and the gardens reflect his personality, a gentle relaxing park with ponds and woodland walks it is somewhere to go to unwind, it has an imaginative play area for the little ones and even a trail for the keep fit minded, dog walkers are few and seem to respect the beauty of the park, there is a very good park cafe which does an impressive menu for it's size and at very reasonable prices, this is one of those must have places to visit if you are prepared to venture into uncharted waters, and for the photographers out there,the landscapes and the house itself offers plenty of opportunity to test your skills and have an enjoyable day out in a place of beauty and tranquility very few know about, a must to visit is the Spike Milligan bench, a memorial to a genius of Comedy, it reflects the best of the Goon Humour and his wicked Humour, I couldn't help grinning when I saw it and hummed the Ying Tong Song, he must of loved this place and I can see why he did so and why the patrons of the house and grounds and his Fans erected this tribute to him, I have never been to a Park in London which has left me with an impression like this, just magical is...

The Management of Avenue House took great exception to my grandson and son playing on the green and banned the children from playing with the ball.

My fam and friends thought it would be a nice idea to support our local event "Caribbean Cookup" (Cockup more accurate, not one Caribbean person cooking).

But that's by the by. As our small party (approx 16 people) came into the park we were approached by a staff member telling us there were no parties allowed in the park. When I politely told her we were there for the Caribbean event she "allowed" us to put our bags down. So we moved over to the big house where the "food," was being sold and were approached by another member of staff saying no drink was allowed....we had brought 1 bottle of Prosecco to toast to my birthday, their eagle eyes spotted it in the bag. We then bought their rum punch, which, thank the Lord, was good. My 4 grandchildren were with us and as I produced an admittedly large football for them to play with another staff member came bounding over to tell us our ball was too large and not allowed. (Massive green space not crowded).

One of our member (Verity the Warrior) went up to said Management and offered to walk her around the park to count the number of smaller parties enjoying a beer in the blistering heat, Management declined. She also asked why we, practically the only people of colour, weren't allowed to play with our ball, as others were. Verity was told that our ball was "too big". Management then seemed to become conciliatory and "allowed " my grandchildren to play with the ball.

Thereafter we were left alone to swallow the nasty taste in our mouths and left early to find some...