Our half-acre farm is tucked away in the heart of Waterloo. We have three polytunnels, raised planter beds growing everything from rocket leaves to pea shoots, three animal sheds, an aquaponics system and a state of the art composting toilet. We are also preparing to build a barn and a beautiful walled garden. Use of the land is by kind permission of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity pending redevelopment of St Thomas’ Hospital. This page provides information about different parts of the farm.
Designing Our Farm
We have been fortunate to have pro-bono support from Feilden Fowles architects in designing our farm. Feilden Fowles were recently named Young Architect of the Year 2016 and their studio is located on the farm. Feilden Fowles specialises in complex projects and sensitive locations, working with a range of clients, organisations and institutions. For more information, visit: feildenfowles.co.uk.
Food growing
We grow as much as possible onsite using organic methods. Our growth is based on a 6-year rotation that cycles through brassicas, beans, alliums, cucurbits, and roots. We also have a variety of soft fruits, salads, and herbs. The food we grow is used at events on the farm, sold to our local schools or the general public on open days.
Here is our growing plan: please note that this is not always kept up to date and only covers the middle section of the site.
Animals
Our farm animals rotate from Jamie’s Farm in Wiltshire and we usually have one sow with a litter of piglets, a ewe with her lambs and soon we will be welcoming our first calves on site. Our chickens are a mix of rescued battery hens, hybrids, and pure breeds. Our rescued hens sometimes come to us in need of some care and attention, and we love to see them getting back on their feet and thriving again.
As part of our educational programme, we incubate eggs. Children and adults alike can see the growing and hatching process – which takes at least three weeks.
The Studio
We share our farm office with Feilden Fowles architects.
The Barn
With the large numbers of people visiting the site, we have limited sheltered space. Again working with Feilden Fowles architects we have built a large barn space which doubles as a beautiful event space.
Walled Garden
Our walled garden is a vibrant, secluded and tranquil space for users of the farm. We are grateful to the Garden Bridge Trust for supporting the creation of this section of our farm, with design support from Dan Pearson Studios.