About Hobbledown Epsom

What Hobbledown is

Hobbledown isn’t just a farm or an adventure playground - it’s a living storybook world.

Inspired by a magical children’s book written by A. J. Kecojevic and illustrated by Lyn Stone, Hobbledown brings together adventure play, animals and imagination into one immersive experience where stories come to life around you.

As you explore, you’re stepping into the world of the Hobblers - a lively, brave (and sometimes mischievous!) group of characters who live throughout the park. From Fern the fairy in her treehouse to Huck, Eliza and Tipp on their adventures, every play area, tower and tunnel is part of their story.

Children don’t just visit Hobbledown… they become part of the adventure - climbing through villages, discovering hidden corners and even encountering characters as the story unfolds around them.

👉 Discover the characters and their world.

Characters & Books

Where it came from

Hobbledown is part of something bigger.

It comes from a simple idea - to create places people genuinely enjoy spending time in. Places where children can be active and imaginative, and where families can spend real time together.

That thinking sits behind everything we do.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing"

George Bernard Shaw

Nick de Canole

Co-Founder of Hobbledown and The Escapade Group
Richard 'Charlie' Farley

Co-Founder of Hobbledown and The Escapade Group

A note from our founders:

Welcome to Escapade. Before anything else, we want you to know one important thing: this business was built on friendship, trust, and the belief that great things happen when people who care about each other work toward a shared purpose.

We’ve been friends since we were about fifteen years old. Long before Escapade existed, we spent years working together in property development, and while it paid the bills, it didn’t give us that sense of meaning or fulfilment we were looking for.

The coin flip

In 2005, we sat down with two big ideas in front of us: a high-quality children’s attraction, and a stylish men’s gym-wear brand. We couldn’t pick between them… so we tossed a coin.

That coin flip led to Kidspace Romford, our first site, and it set us on a journey that became far bigger than either of us expected.

Since then, Escapade has grown into a group of attractions that hundreds of thousands of families visit every year. What started as two friends wanting to build something better has become a team of passionate people creating memorable experiences for guests every single day.

And now you’re part of that story.

Our mission and values aren’t just words on a page, they’re the principles that guided us from that first coin toss to where we are today. If they resonate with you, and you bring them to life in your work, we know you’ll thrive here.

We’re genuinely delighted to have you with us. Thank you for choosing to be part of Escapade. We’re excited about what we will build together next.

Charlie & Nick