Avenue House Estate Trust (AHET) is the registered charity that manages Stephens House & Gardens - the former home of ink magnate Henry ‘Inky’ Stephens - for the benefit of the people of Finchley in north London.
Prior to AHET's existence, the house and gardens were in a state of disrepair. In the late 1990s, a group of local people became concerned that the London Borough of Barnet might wish to sell the estate for development. They agreed with the Council that they should form a charity to lease the whole estate and manage it for the community’s benefit. AHET took a 125-year lease out from October 2002.
AHET runs the house and buildings to provide meeting rooms for community purposes, and runs the grounds as public gardens.
The charity's principal objectives are to promote the conservation of grounds and buildings of Stephens House & Gardens in Finchley for the benefit of the public; and to educate the public in the historical, Architectural, landscape and cultural aspects of the grounds and buildings.
This is an exciting time for the Trust. We are in the final stages of delivering a major improvement to the gardens, funded mainly from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery.
Treasurer for a grade II listed house and beautiful gardens in Finchley, London, much loved by locals. Working with a great team of fellow...
