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Kentish Town City Farm
"Welcome to Kentish Town City farm!" Chris
Heith greets a new group of children visiting the Farm. Chris
is the education worker and started working at the farm in
February. His passion is to encourage kids to understand nature
and respect it no matter where they live.
'Has anybody heard of the terrible animal
disease?' Chris continues 'Foot and mouth, indeed. Though
we don't have it, we have to take our precautions. So first
of all put soles of your shoes in this disinfecting bath,
you don't have to go swimming in it.' Chris is a passionate
guide with a great sense of humour.
The Kentish Town City Farm is all about touch
and smell. Every five minutes clattering trains are passing
to remind you that this is a CITY farm. The railways give
the farm its unique Victorian urban appearance.
Victor Ademoseu was visiting the Farm with
a group of children when I was there. Victor remembers the
Farm from his childhood. "As a kid I came here every week
to see the animals. It was a lot smaller those days. There
were only a few chickens, one goat and a pig. People came
to have a look and thought it was amazing. I remember thinking
'That pig is so big'. Outside the gate you couldn't imagine
such a magic place in here.'
A real discovery is the new organic (no chemicals
used) garden with different types of carnivores plants and
a lot of herbs. The garden is excellent for environmental
education and shows another relationship between plants and
their habitats. Feel free to have a pinch of the leaves of
basil and dill and then smell your fingers.
But what would a farm be without animals?
And the City Farm has plenty: goats (children adore them),
cows, pigs, fine feathered poultry, geese..they all look very
healthy and happy. "The chickens lay the most delicious free-range
eggs and kids can take the eggs home. In that way they learn
that eggs do come from chickens and not just on a supermarket
shelf. The educational role is really important' says Chris.
You won't find any horses on the Farm (no
riding school either) as they had to be taken away because
of foot and mouth. The City Farm was even closed during the
worst of the crisis. But this wasn't a complete disaster as
it gave a chance to do other things like building new animal
housing facilities (stables, cow and sheep barn).
Two animals absolutely worth your visit are
Roger and Emma. Roger definitely has it all. This billygoat
is known for his delightful (hmm.) perfume and outstanding
horns. He and his family enjoy a private enclosure for bouncing
and jumping around, though trees are protected as Roger does
everything in his power to kill the trees.
Emma, the 5-year-old pig, is a real beauty
with her big floppy ears. She knows her way around really
well. 'We bring her up every morning, she makes a lot of noise
and complaints about waking her up but when she's here, she
has a ball. She can do whatever she wants and she strolls
down through the farm whenever she wants, mostly some time
in the afternoon. Roger and Emma's manure is free for anybody
who wants to collect it and it is a great remedy for gardens
in need of extra goodies.
Full of fruits, herbs and edible flowers,
the community garden is a resource for everybody in the locality.
People are free to come here and pick up a few herbs to take
home and to be involved in farming projects. It is quite amazing
how many things grow on this little patch, ranging from apples,
pears, figs (they do grow in this miserable climate although
they might not be as sweet), a lovely pumpkin, sweet corn
and giant sunflowers.
Although sparrows are becoming rare nowadays
they find there way to the community garden to enjoy the grain.
I myself tried the fennel and discovered a fresh, tasty anise
flavour. And though the idea of eating a (lovely) flower might
be quite bizarre, I truly recommend it. The flower (nasturtium)
I ate tasted slightly like mustard, though very mild mustard.
The City Farm also has a little pond which
is very popular with kids. Full of baby frogs, large dragonflies,
flat worms and water fleas, it's a whole world to discover.
The living seat made out of growing willows is charming and
a perfect spot to see all kinds of different birds.
Bring your kids here and they will learn how
a farm operates and how plants can feel: soft and fluffy like
rabbit ears or textured like an unshaven dad in the morning.
For rainy days, there is a classroom.
From the 28th of August till the 2nd of September
Rise Phoenix Theatre Group is coming to the farm to perform
a play about plants. Kids are invited to join in and to make
costumes.
Entrance to the City Farm is free, though
donations are very welcome. (Feeding the animals costs £1,000
a month!)
The farm is located at 1 Cressfield Close
off Grafton Rd, NW5, a five minute walk from Gospel Oak tube.
It can be a little difficult to find, so do bring a good city
map Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Telephone
020 7916 542
For more information about the City Farm click
here
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