Eel Pie Island

In this commune of artists within but still detached from the bustle of Twickenham hides many a curious site, particularly a garden the likes of which you have never seen and may never see again.

A myriad of dismembered dolls lie planted across the uneven earth. Surrounded by brightly coloured plastic flowers, heads rear up from flower pots and limbs leap out at all angles.

Spooky to some, crazy to others, unique all the same. As a student, it was commonplace to creep over in the dead of night and dare each other to visit 'the dolls' house', a challenge only the most courageous of us would accept, though noone would cross the fence lest the fabled witch should catch us. Legend and tales embellished by drunken storytellers told of torture and murder, that each broken doll was representative of a murdered child.

Years pass, fears fade and maturity alongside curiosity compels the need for the truth. In fact Eel Pie Island is a one of a kind showcase for a time long past. The last vestiges of 1960s hedonism remain here with the drunken musicians, artists, theatre and jazz. The welcome you receive is unprecedented as the residents are only too happy to exhibit their work.

I regret not having the opportunity to meet the owner of 'the dolls house'; Rosa Diaz, a renowned costume designer formerly employed by Hasbro (the toy maker). She turned their discarded dolls into something spectacular and in the cold light of day, through the eyes of an adult this garden is just art.