Spitalfields City Farm - A farm in the East End of London

The farm is one of three in the East London area that were started in the 1970’s. Since the early days it seems to have come on in leaps and bounds, and although volunteer run, provides a valuable education experience for local children. The City Farm was awarded a grant from National Heritage (but still needs your help) and has been working on the Back Yard Farming Project in conjunction with the Museum of London. This project culminated in 2007. The following article shows the visit I made there in 2006, and a few of the changes that had taken place on a return visit in 2007. The changes were mainly due to land having been used by the owners Railtrack, causing new areas to be set up in their place.

The wife and I took a walk round the farm during it’s annual festival in September 2006, and it made a pleasant change from the usual Sunday afternoon. We only have a small garden but seeing all this ‘green’ and organic activity I decided to do my bit and bought a plastic compost bin. It’s slightly bigger than a household dustbin, and they were on sale for a fiver. So now, as well as separating our rubbish for recycling, we also recycle the old tea bags, grass cuttings, potato peelings and banana skins by turning them into next years compost. It fits unobtrusively into a corner of the garden. We are still using it a year later and have not managed to fill it up. I’m really into the composting lark now and even pour the occasional wee on it!

If you want to have a look round the farm you will find it at the back of Brick Lane in Underwood Road. Or you can turn off of Vallance Road into it. Parking didn’t seem to be a problem, as the Lane had finished trading. If you have to travel a long way it might be best to combine a visit with Brick Lane market or Columbia Road flower market, or both, as unless you get involved with the running of the farm a visit is not likely to take up more than an hour or two. It was a bright September day when we went there, so it might be worth your while making enquiries about tours during the winter months.
City Farm photo gallery >>

Become a ‘Friend’ of the farm:
The aim of The Friends is to increase awareness of Spitalfields City Farm and encourage the local community, as well as nearby boroughs, to become more involved with the Farm.
The group will help to raise funds through Friends’ own money-raising events such as coffee mornings, book sales, pub quizzes etc., as well as to assist the Farm in its own fundraising activities.
Regular social meetings will be held to discuss how to promote the Farm.
Friends are needed to:
To increase the awareness of Spitalfields City Farm
To encourage the local and neighbouring community to become involved in the Farm
To raise funds for the Farm and organise specific fund raising events
To organise events that bring together members of Friends of the Farm
To promote ethnic and cultural activities and events to suit the community
To encourage sponsorship and donations
To help bring a bit of countryside to the inner-city
To keep all Friends of the Farm up-to-date throughout the year
with all information about the Farm with regular issues of its Newsletter
Make A Donation
The farm only exists because of the support of it’s visitors, community sponsors and funding bodies.
You can also sponsor an animal, or become a volunteer at the farm. Their web site can be found at http://www.spitafieldscityfarm.org

As if it’s not bad enough having to rely on grants and handouts there are always those that will add to distress as this report from the East London Advertiser shows. From August 2007:
CHEEKY thieves stopped for an ice cream while raiding a city farm in London's East End.
The burglars struck for the fourth time in almost as many months at Spitalfields City Farm.
They made off with computers, phones and cash before breaking pipes and flooding one of the buildings.
The night raiders smashed the pipes and sink in the Young Farmer's club, which caused a flood in the building, ruining paperwork and furniture in a wanton act of destruction.
The heartless intruders then added insult to injury, taking a break and sat eating ice cream!
But defiant staff at the charity-run farmyard in Weaver Street have vowed the latest break-in won't affect them.
Co-ordinator Carrie Beeson told the Advertiser: "Obviously we are all very upset, but won't let it get us down.
"What really annoys me is the cheek of these people who sat in our garden and ate ice cream and left wrappers lying around, like they were showing off."
Anti-climb paint has been put on hoardings surrounding the farm, which is next to a building site for the rail extension of the East London Line from Whitechapel to Shoreditch and Dalston.
The contactors, Balfour Beatty, together with and Transport for London, assured the farm they have increased security patrols at the site.
But that hasn't been enough to stop thieves returning again and again.
The farm is now looking into corporate sponsorship to install more security measures, including CCTV cameras.