Spitalfields City Farm

One of my favourite places in London on a Sunday afternoon is the London’s East End, especially the area around Brick Lane Market. It’s fully of little cafes, crazy flea markets ( I got some sunglasses for 2£ yesterday), the best curry houses in the city and a whole variety of people ranging from the stylish to the completely normal. It also hosts the Columbia Road Flower market which is probably my favourite market in the city.

Yesterday, I strayed a little from the busiest streets around the Brick Lane Market when I suddenly found myself in front of the sign above. The city farm turned out to be a crazy mix of somebodies allotment, an animal shelter, a kindergarden, a farmer’s market and every hippies favourite place to hang out. It was great!

The farm had pigs, sheep, geese, a donkey and a pony, guinea pigs, rabbits, ducks and a whole load of pigeons (I don’t think they were meant to be there). There are probably a few animals I missed. Apart from that, they had green houses, vegetable beds and flower fields left wild for the butterflies. They were also just trying out their new bread oven. No picture from that as there were too many people standing around, watching intently.

I especially loved the fact that they evidently did a lot of work with local schools. How often do city kids, which grow up between brick and concrete, get to stroke a sheep? Or see a live pig? Big cities need more places like these.