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Stepney City Farm is one of several urban city farms across London.
It’s not as big as Mudchute, but a lot is happening on this small patch of land nestled among the urban sprawl in the east end of the capital.
City farms play a crucial role in today’s urban landscape, where access to green space is limited.
Despite London having some excellent green spaces, they aren’t the same as city farms.
The real draw of these tiny urban farms, and their importance today, lies in the fact that they offer people a glimpse of rural life, allowing people to experience and engage with things they may not otherwise experience.
Stepney City Farm
It’s more akin to the size of Spitalfields City Farm, but there’s more growing that goes on in Stepney, and despite not being as conveniently located towards Central London as Spitalfields, it’s worth the trip east.
It seems the operation is as much about growing food as it is caring for animals, which is why there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.
We were invited behind the scenes to see some of the patches and their flowers, which provided a unique insight into the farm, which was buzzing with people.
They welcome all sorts of groups to come and help, from individual volunteers to school groups, community groups, young people, and corporate volunteers.
After all, there’s a vast amount of work to be done, from tending to the animals, planting and harvesting crops, to repair work, cleaning, and even weeding.
What’s at the Farm?
Of course, you’ll find a range of animals.
There are plenty of pigs and goats, donkeys, sheep, geese, chickens, and ducks to see.
Beyond the animals, there are several ponds, an allotment, vegetable plots, herb beds, and polytunnels that grow seasonal produce, not all of which is accessible to the public.
There’s even a cafรฉ that sells a delicious range of items using ingredients from the farm, with their own bakers crafting the goodies.
They also serve delicious coffee, and seating is plentiful in a peaceful setting.
The produce grown at Stepney City Farm is sold in the small on-site farm shop, as well as at the farmers’ market, which is on Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm.
You can also purchase animal feed from there.
It’s illegal to provide the animals with food that has not been approved or properly managed, so please refrain from bringing your own to feed them.
Finally, Stepney City Farm also has studio spaces that are home to resident artists and craftspeople.
You can head along in person to see what they’re up to, or book classes and workshops on the artists’ websites, which can be found through stepneycityfarm.org.
Visitor Information
๐ Stepney Way, Stepney Green, London, E1 3DG
๐ท Free
๐ stepneycityfarm.org
๐ Tue to Sun, 10 am โ 4 pm, closed Mon
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