Terms & Conditions at a Glance
Stephens House & Gardens is a private estate.
Public Access is granted by permission of Avenue House Estate Trust and subject to compliance with these terms and conditions.
- There is no access outside opening hours.
- Dogs must be kept of leads in the specifically signed parts of the Estate and are not permitted in the playground
- You must not pick or remove any plants or flowers or wilfully damage trees.
- You must take care of and not cause damage to any and all equipment in the Estate.
- You must not use the Estate for any commercial or business purposes without the prior written permission of the Estate Management team.
- You must not use the Estate for any private event or party etc. without the prior written permission of the Estate Management team.
- E bicycles and E scooters are not allowed.
- You must be courteous and respectful to the Estate Management team and the Estate volunteers.
- Parents and guardians must take responsibility for their children and ensure that their children are supervised at all times in the Estate.
- Your use of the Estate is at your sole risk and liability. Except to the extent prohibited by law. Avenue House Estate Trust is not responsible for any loss, damage or theft of your personal property or for personal injury.
Where you are in breach of these terms and conditions, Avenue House Estate Trust reserves the right to revoke access to the Estate and/or permanently exclude you from the Estate
Please see below for further details
Picnics and Parties in the Gardens
Organised Picnics and Parties for groups of 10 or more are not permitted within the Gardens without prior permission. Picnics for small groups of less than 10 are permitted without prior permission. The limit for such events is a maximum of 20 persons, they should only take place on the middle and upper lawns, the use of any space is not exclusive and other visitors should not be restricted in any way from their enjoyment of the gardens.Events should not last longer than 2 hours. Applications should be made in writing to info@stephenshouseandgardens.com. A reasonable administrative donation of not less than £60 will apply, details on application.
Please note that the lower green and the terrace next to the house are not available for organised picnics and parties. The terrace can be hired in conjunction with rooms in the house.
Permitted Picnics and Parties, in line with the general regulations for the use of the gardens, should not use any glassware, fix anything to trees or into the ground, erect gazebos, tents or other structures, cook or barbecue any food, and be aware of the rules relating to the consumption of alcohol. The consumption of alcohol, other than that purchased on site, is not permitted anywhere on the estate. They should clear up their litter and take it away with them. Black bags left piled up by litter bins encourages the birds, squirrels or the foxes to make an awful mess that either our staff or our volunteers then have to clear up, which is not fair on them. We do not allow baloons or bunting as these are harmful to the environment
Please note that there are toilets available for public use within the Stables during the hours that the cafe is open to the public, toilets in the house are only available to those attending events within the house.
Foraging
Planting, removing, pruning or otherwise tending any plant is expressly forbidden
Dogs
Dogs are permitted in the grounds but their handlers must observe the following regulations.
1 Dogs must be under supervision and proper control, and must not cause a nuisance to other people or any creature.
2 Dogs must be kept on a fixed length lead (max 2 metres) on the paths surrounding the lower green and on the terrace. Long, extendable or retractable leads must not be used.
3 Dogs are not permitted on the lower green, in the children’s playground or in the pond.
4 The person in charge of a dog must immediately clear up any dog faeces, and deposit the waste in the special bins provided for that purpose. They must not use the ordinary litter bins.
Only assistance dogs are allowed inside the Cafe and the House. All other dogs are not permitted.
Copies of Barnet Borough Bye Laws on Dogs can be downloaded from this page.
Cycling
Bicycles or similar non power-driven vehicles may be ridden on level metalled paths only, apart from: The west path from the Avenue Entrance to the Terrace entrance, including the terrace, and the south path from (and including) the terrace past the rear of the stables as far as the path entrance from the stable yard.
Please do not ride bicycles on lawns or through planted areas.
Electric/power driven scooters are not allowed in the Gardens (except mobility scooters and chairs)
Drones
The flying of drones is not permitted in the Gardens
Amplified Music
We wish to keep the Gardens as a place of peace and enjoyment - the use of amplified music is not permited
Complaints and Incident Reporting
Public complaints
If a member of the public wishes to make a complaint, he or she should be directed to the Trust’s main office in the house, where a complaints book is maintained. Complaints can be made online to trust@stephenshouseandgardens.com
The Trust will review all complaints within 5 working days after they are entered in the complaints book and acknowledge them in writing, and should respond in full after investigation of the complaint within 28 days.
Incident Reporting
The Trust is always grateful to know of any incidents within the house and gardens that may cause concern to our visitors.
Should you wish to report an incident or make a complaint please contact trust@stephenshouseandgardens.com
Our main building Avenue House, is not open to the public - please see guided tour section
