Indelible community mission at the home of ink.

I throughly recommend this one to break up your afternoon and the grounds are perfect for a nice jog beforehand.

The staff are all so friendly, engaging and welcoming. I was met by Dave the groundskeeper who knows every nook, cranny and crevice of the building and seemingly everyone and thing within and beyond it. Turns out the Stephens House and Gardens, tucked neatly to the side of the East End Road is famous for the family that invented indelible ink (hence the pun).

Having been handed the bell, I walked around with Asher who is exceptionally friendly and a gardener there. As well as encouraging my bourgeoning town cryer act, he pointed out some fairly spectacular buttercup yellow hydrangeas as well as a local dog that goes mad in the final ten minutes before the park closes and is allowed to zoom freely.

It’s a good idea to be prepared and bring some hand sanitiser as young children (and their eager parents) will approach you to marvel at the bell and try ringing it. Let them! Then encourage them to head to the exits.

You can hear song birds singing and getting ready for dusk as you enter and go around the grounds, which isn’t quite enough to encourage people to leave… so swing those arms and work those hips to get that bell going.

I travelled across Surrey and London to get there and it was totally worth it.