Description
Mudchute Park and Farm was established on a piece of derelict land created from the spoil from dredging Millwall Dock in the 1860s, and was saved from housing development through a public campaign by local people keen to preserve it for open space. The outcome is the hugely popular Mudchute Park and Farm, run by the Mudchute Association, a charity founded in 1977. Now one of the largest Inner City farms in Europe, Mudchute has over 100 animals and fowl, including rare breeds. In WWII the site housed anti-aircraft guns used to defend the docks, and in 2012 an Ack Ack gun was re-introduced to one of the gun sites that remain on the farm - the others provide houses for pigs and other livestock.
Practical Information
| Site location | Pier Street / East Ferry Road, Isle of Dogs |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E14 3HP |
| What3Words | ///crops.result.rigid |
| Type of Site | Other |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Park: dawn-dusk daily. Farm: 9am-5pm. Café: 9.30-3pm Tues-Fri and 9.30am-5pm Sat/Sun. |
| Special Conditions | dogs on leads |
| Facilities | Mudchute Kitchen café; shop; toilets |
| Events | Numerous events throughout the year, including farm tours and educational events. |
| Public Transport | DLR: Crossharbour, Mudchute. Bus: D6, 135. |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2014 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1974 this area of natural wilderness on the Isle of Dogs in East London was earmarked by the Greater London Council for construction of a high rise housing estate. Local people mounted a vigorous and successful public campaign against these plans and in 1977 the Mudchute Association was formed to preserve the area as open space, with a Board of Trustees representing the local community. Trees were planted on the site, and farm animals and horses were brought in, and Mudchute Farm is now one of the largest Inner City farms in Europe. There are over 100 animals and fowl, including a collection of British rare breeds, as well as unusual animals like llamas and alpacas. The site includes the Mudchute Equestrian Centre, and has won the Green Flag Community Award.
In World War II London's docks were a vulnerable target for German bombing and a number of anti-aircraft guns were set up on the land here as part of the Home Front defence measures, and four concrete gun sites remain. Three are in use on the farm as animal enclosures but one has been restored, complete with an Ack Ack Gun, as part of a display about the role of Mudchute during the Blitz, funded with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and opening in June 2012.
In World War II London's docks were a vulnerable target for German bombing and a number of anti-aircraft guns were set up on the land here as part of the Home Front defence measures, and four concrete gun sites remain. Three are in use on the farm as animal enclosures but one has been restored, complete with an Ack Ack Gun, as part of a display about the role of Mudchute during the Blitz, funded with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and opening in June 2012.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ382788 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 12.95 |
| Site Ownership | LB Tower Hamlets/Mudchute Association |
| Site Management | Mudchute Association |
| Dates | 1977 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Tower Hamlets |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
In the C19th the area between the Rope Walk and the railway arches, later to become Millwall Park, was grazed by cattle, the ground unsuitable for building. In 1901 one of the fields became the playing ground for Millwall Football Club, which used the pitch here until it moved south of the river in 1910. Millwall Park was originally called Millwall Recreation Ground, and at one time its facilities boasted an open-air swimming pool, which opened in 1925 but suffered bomb damage and was later demolished. The park has an area of formal planting that since 2006 has been the site of Frank Dobson's 'Woman and Fish' sculpture. The DLR Island Gardens Station was built on part of the park.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Island Gardens were created on reclaimed marshland. From the mid C19th the area rapidly became industrialised and housing was built. A scheme of 1859 proposed planting along the river to screen 5 new villas, only one of which was built. This was purchased by the LCC together with the planted area to the riverside and leased to Poplar Borough Council initially as a library. Island Gardens were laid out in 1894 and opened in 1895. The principal feature was the gravelled promenade that afforded fine views of Greenwich's Royal Naval Hospital across the river.
Island Gardens were created on reclaimed marshland. From the mid C19th the area rapidly became industrialised and housing was built. A scheme of 1859 proposed planting along the river to screen 5 new villas, only one of which was built. This was purchased by the LCC together with the planted area to the riverside and leased to Poplar Borough Council initially as a library. Island Gardens were laid out in 1894 and opened in 1895. The principal feature was the gravelled promenade that afforded fine views of Greenwich's Royal Naval Hospital across the river.
The riverside garden at Ballast Quay was created on the former site of a wharf, on land that has been owned by Morden College since the early C18th. In the late C18th developers leased land here for building, and Georgian houses on Ballast Quay date from that period. The Harbour Master's Office was built by the Thames Conservancy in the mid C19th to control this reach of the river. The wharf here was later rented by the Port of London Authority and in use for import and export from the 1920s, but although use of the riverside wharves continued until the 1980s, after WWII and particularly from the 1960s London's docks had began to decline. The concrete wharf at Ballast Quay was transformed into a neighbourhood garden in the 1960s. Surrey Docks City Farm started here and in the 1970s a tea garden was briefly established. The pleasant garden has a number of trees, grass, beds planted with flowers and shrubs, as well as vegetables. In the garden is a memorial sculpture dedicated to animals killed due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.
