Stepney City Farm in London's East End is a working farm, rural crafts centre and community hub.
We give children and adults a chance to meet farm animals, learn how to grow food and try out arts and crafts.
The farm is open for drop-in visitors from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Sunday.
FIND US
ABOUT US
NEWS
About us
A little history...
Stepney City Farm was set up thirty years ago and is built on land owned and preserved for recreational use by the King George VI Playing Field's Trust.
The farm came under new management in 2009 and now has charitable status.
What's on offer...
We have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers with specialist skills. Together we offer the public educational, environmental and creative projects.
These are the types of activities you can join throughout the year:
About
The farm is a great venue for a Children's Birthday Party - providing outdoor space to play and an indoor room to eat or in case it rains.
Cost
£35/hr for booking the room, a member of farm staff to lead the party and farmy decorations.
Additional Activites
Animal Handling: A member of staff will handle some small fluffy animals with the group and the children will also be able to feed some of the animals.
Cost: £2 per child
Garden Activity: A member of staff will run a gardening activity with the group where each child will be able to plant a seed in a pot to take home with them.
Rural Arts Activity: One of our skilled rural artists can run a professional craft activity either using woodwork, pottery or metalwork.
Cost: £6 per child for up to 10 children
£5 per child for 10 - 20 children
Back...
Opening Hours (Volunteer numbers permitting):
Tuesday to Sunday
10 am - 4 pm
We are located a 5-10 minute walk from Stepney Green tube station on the district and hammersmith and city lines. Once outside the station, cross the road and walk up White Horse Lane until you come to a round about - the Farm is opposite and entrance can be found on Stepney Way.
From Limehouse DLR, turn West up commercial street and follow Bromley Street to stepney Way.
The Farm is located 5 minutes from Regents canal.
Stepney City Farm is proud to be
sponsored by Verm-X
Verm-X is the world leader of natural internal parasite control. All of our animals enjoy this natural product that focuses solely on reducing the use of chemicals in animal husbandry. The natural and herbal ingredients provide vitamins, minerals and trace elements that contribute to overall health and well being.
Verm-X is recognised for Environmental Best Practice in Farming and Agriculture by the Government supported Green Apple Awards, having won five awards in the past five years, for their work and success in bringing a natural product into a traditionally chemical and man-made market. Verm-X is the only approved product of its type for use on organic farms.
For any further information or to find your nearest stockist please contact Verm-X on 0870 850 2313 or visit www.verm-x.com
Blacksmithing expedition - Australia
Ian and Sean, the farm's smithies are back! During their tour of Oz, they visited the workshop of Glenn Moon- a Master Blacksmith- where they assisted in producing gates and walkways. Work was done by hand using traditional methods and with a keen eye for a perfect finish.
If you're ever in Sydney, pay a visit to Knox Grammar School - Australia's answer to Eton - to ogle their fine work.
Stepney City Farm Winter 2011 newsletter.pdf
New beginnings at the farm...
Crossrail has begun knocking down the old barn and woodshed, in order to start building a lovely new barn and rural arts centre for us all to enjoy. In the meantime, there's big changes to the farms layout and a lot of ugly fencing, but don't let that put you off! We're still open, so come and pay us a visit.
Stepney City Farm
Stepney Way
London
E1 3DG
Telephone:
0207 7908204
If you would like to give us
a compliment or feedback on
ways we can improve the farm,
please email us.
Click here to find us on FACEBOOK !
Click here to follow us on TWITTER !
Regular Events and Volunteering Opportunities
For general volunteering enquiries, please contact annie_stepneycityfarm.org for more information.
scheme, requires one day a week commitment. The focus will be the day to day outdoor activities on the farm. There is some flexibility on days. Contact katharine_stepneycityfarm.org for more information
Friday afternoons 1-4pm Open Volunteering for people aged 18yrs and above. The 'Stepney Scoundrels' will complete varying tasks depending on the season and what needs doing around the farm! Contact katharine_stepneycityfarm.org for more information.
Saturdays 1-4pm Community Growing Club : We grow fruit, hedging, salads and herbs, using pioneering organic techniques - and we need your help! Open volunteering session from November 12th. All abilities and ages welcome. Contact simon_stepneycityfarm.org for more information.
Sundays 12-3pm Young Volunteers Programme : Aged 12-18yrs and interested in working with the animals and in the garden? Contact youth_stepneycityfarm.org for more information.
Farm Buddy
Open Volunteering
Community Growing Club
Young Volunteers Programme
The farm runs a 'buddy' scheme for people who want to do a more intensive days work outdoors.
This is when one of our more experienced volunteers will be paired with a new volunteer and teach them the daily aspects of the farm such as the animal feeding and watering, mucking out, using tools and any general work that needs to be done that day.
Hopefully in due course you will feel confident to work independantly and even take on a new volunteer yourself!
This requires one day a week commitment for at least one month.
Please contact katharine_stepneycityfarm.org for information about day availability
....hope to see you soon!!
katharine_stepneycityfarm.org
back to whats on
Open Volunteers
On Friday afternons the farm runs a supervised volunteering session which people are welcome to attend whenever they are able.
The sessions involve general jobs around the farm, seasonal tasks, animal care and some more focused sessions such as painting signs, making bird and bat boxes. Volunteers are also welcome to stay behind at the end to join in with the afternoon animal feed
Fridays 1 - 4 pm
For more information contact:
Some examples of tasks we have completed over the past few weeks are...
Community Growing Club .
Join us for our weekly community growing sessions to learn more about organic gardening and permaculture techniques.
At Stepney City Farm we have many exciting gardening projects: growing fruit trees, hedging, salads and herbs, using pioneering organic techniques and we need your help! From November 12th we will be running an open volunteering session at the farm, dealing with all aspects of growing on the farm from sowing seeds and planting out to DIY and pruning trees. Its a great way to meet new people, learn some new skills and get fit! All are welcome, young and old, of all abilities and experience.
Free sessions run every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm with Simon, our resident permaculturalist.
For more information contact: simon_stepneycityfarm.org
Young volunteers programme
12 - 18yrs old?
Like animals and plants?
Looking for something to do on Sunday afternoons?
Then this could be for you! From looking after the animlas to creating new gardens our young volunteers play a vital role in running and developing the farm. If you would like to be part of this, download the information pack, complete the application form and email youth_stepneycityfarm.org
Information Pack for Young Volunteers.pdf
back to volunteering
Voluntary Tree Coordinator
Stepney City Farm is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to care for and manage our existing trees, including young and mature fruit trees.
The position will also involve working on the Farm and local environs to set up a harvesting scheme of fruit trees from the surrounding area.
The successful applicant will receive training and support from London Orchard Project to become an Orchard Leader.
Please download the role description below for further details, or email annie_stepneycityfarm.org.
Tree Coordinator.pdf
British Bengali Food Journeys
The voices of Bengali women both in their motherland and in their adopted home often go unheard. These photographs tell their stories.
Launch event: Saturday 17th December, 3pm to 5pm. Refreshments provided by Ocean Women's Association.
The exhibition will be on display until the end March 2012.
Photographer: Vanja Garaj
PhD Researcher: Hannah Jennings
A date for your diaries...
The annual nativity play at the farm, with St Dunstan & All Saints and the Salvation Army.
Featuring:
- Salvation Army brass band
- mulled wine (no alcohol) & home-made mince pies
- Our award winning jacob sheep!
- Amazing actors!
- Roasted chestnuts
- Snow?
Sunday, 18 December 2011, 3pm
1st Saturday of each month, 11am - 3pm
7th January 2012
Join us for the first Crafty Saturday of the new year.
Create a clayground of creatures from clay. Grab a chunk of clay, shape it into an animal or vegetable or strange mythical beast. Add feathers and other found things. Keep and take home or add to the sculpture which will grow and change all day.
Workshop led by Manda Helal and May Macnair.
Home-made soup and bread and delicious cakes on sale from 12:30.
Community Growing club .
...page under construction
Down at Stepney City Farm our menagerie of livestock extends from the traditional cattle and sheep to the rather less traditional guinea pigs and boa constrictor!
We aim to reflect sustainable mixed farming, not the industrial farms that now dominate agriculture. As a working farm, not a petting zoo, we breed animals for sale at market to breeders or for meat.
Click below for more details of our livestock!
Cattle
Donkeys
Goats
Poultry
Pigs
Other Farmy Friends
Sheep
If you are interested in sponsoring any of our livestock, please email: katharine_stepneycityfarm.org
If you are interested in stock for sale please email: jstrycharczyk_live.com
If you can't visit the farm, let us bring the farm to you as part of the Mobile Farm
Lloyd and Lila, our Sussex-cross cows keep us well-stocked in manure, making them gardeners' favourites!
back to animals
The farm has a flock of medium-sized Jacobs. They are hardy, fast breeders making them a popular variety for small producers.We've got Jake, the ram, of the two-horned variety and two ewes of the four-horned variety, plus a couple of lambs to boot.
The origins of Jacobs is unclear. They may have belonged to prophet Jacob's herd, as cited, in the Book of Genesis!
The farm has a Toggenburg billy goat known as "Gargle" - ask staff if you want to know why. The breed origniated from the Toggenburg valley in Switzerland and is the oldest known dairy breed of goat.
Our UK Toggs are larger than their Swiss cousins with a greater milk yield. They still possess their distinctive Swiss markings of white stripes along the head and underside. A nice touch! Generally a gentle and friendly type, they make excellent pets.
We have two donkeys at Farm - George and Dunstan.
They are both standard donkeys and both have the stuborness characteristic of their species. George (white face) is the smaller and naughtier of the two, while Dunstan is the more laid back. However the pair can certainly kick up a fuss when they want to!
Donkeys originate from Africa, and spread to Asia and Europe from there. Their strength and the fact that they do not have to rest to ruminate meant that they excelled at being pack animals.
Chickens
Our chickens cover a range of breeds. We have the tall Indian Brahma, the fluffy Buff Orpington, the green egg laying Araucana and the tiny Pekin Bantams.
On top of these pure breeds, we recently acquired some Rhode Rock laying hybrids to give our farm shop a more regular supply of lovely eggs!
Ducks
Our ducks are rather more higgeldy-piggeldy than the chickens; a collection of waifs, strays and "donations" have left us with a very colourful flock! They also lay delicious eggs, great for baking with.
Geese
Finally, our geese are probably the noisest animals on the farm! They are a meat strain from Norfolk, called Legarth. However we keep them for the eggs and for variety.
The farm is home to a few more animals that perhaps are less often seen but still play a role in farm and rural life. And there's also the snake....
Cats
We have 4 cats down at the farm, with the occasional visiting tom! They are here to help with the rodent population, but seem to spend most of their time lounging around in the office, being fed by our lovely volunteers.
Ferrets
Our little ferret clan are very popular with the kids although they can be a bit nippy. Traditionally they would have been used in ferreting, which is method employed to hunt rabbits. Since there isn't that much rabbit hunting going on in Stepney, ours are more often sleeping or being taken for walks.
Rabbits and Guinea pigs
Most of our lot are rescue cases or the babies of these rescues. They are also very varied and are a few are veterans of school visits and open days so are very used to being handled and poked and prodded!
