John Johnson

The John Johnson Archive sits in Essex, a surprisingly rewarding stop if you're camping nearby at The Courts Campsite or Stuarts Wood. It's a collection of printed ephemera - old bills, business cards, theatre programmes, posters, packaging - gathered obsessively by one man over decades. Not everyone's cup of tea, admittedly. If you're expecting grand displays and theatrical lighting, you'll be disappointed. But if you actually care about how ordinary people lived, what they bought, what they saw advertised on their streets, this place is a proper treasure.

Ingatestone, the nearest town, gives you a sense of the landscape - rural Essex with good walking around Hoe Mill Lock if you need to stretch your legs after. The archive itself is compact, so allow an hour or so, maybe ninety minutes if you're genuinely into typography or social history. The real pleasure here is in the details: discovering what a grocer's bill looked like in 1890, or seeing how soap was marketed in the 1920s. It's quiet and slightly old-fashioned in its presentation, which somehow makes it feel more authentic than flashier museums.

Best suited to history enthusiasts and graphic designers rather than families with restless kids, though curious older children might find something to grab them. Check ahead on opening times and admission - details are thin on the ground - but if you're based at one of the local campsites and fancy something different from the usual tourist trail, it's well worth tracking down.