Venue Description

Stepney City Farm is an unexpected place; a patchwork of fields, farm buildings, rural arts centre and cafe between stretches of post-war housing estates, new multi-storey developments of tiny flats and Victorian terraces. It is unexpected to find a working farm where chickens are raised in fields for eggs and meat, just metres from fried chicken shops selling factory-farmed meat to school children.  The Farm is a green haven in a grey part of central London; a place to visit, to grow food or to help feed the animals, to learn new skills, eat fresh, locally produced food or simply to breathe clean air and experience the changing seasons. It is also free and open to all. A farm has existed on the site since 1979, when local people decided to act together to make a community space from a neglected bomb site. Despite long periods with minimal funding and no staff, it has survived, and children who were brought to the Farm now bring their own children to this thriving social hub.

Accessibility

Our entrance gate is on street level, leading to the Cafe and Farm Shop on the right, a diagonal path with a gentle ramp up to decking surrounding the cafe. From here, there is a ramp to the cafe, and also to our office and volunteer room. Turning left at the front gate takes you to the farmyard, toilets, artist studios and the fields. The farmyard, toilets, studios, classroom, rabbit hutches and barn are accessible with concrete/decked surfaces (albeit some are a bit uneven). The paths around the fields are currently wood chip, we are awaiting funding to improve this.

Toilets

The toilets are located in our Rural Arts Centre building, accessed from our farmyard through double doors without steps. The accessible toilet is in front and slightly right of the double doors, the male toilet is directly right from the double doors and the female toilet is the third door on the right.

Staff

Almost all staff have had disability awareness training

Assistance dog facilities

Assistance dog exercise facilities

There is a park opposite (Belgrave Open Space) and next door (Stepney Gardens) for exercising dogs.

Other assistance dog facilities

There is a water bowl at the front entrance gate, about a metre to the right before you go in, but no toiling facilities for assistance dogs. We hope the nearby parks will fulfil this function.