Inventory Site Record

Vauxhall City Farm is on part of the overall site that was once Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, which were at the peak of their popularity in the C18th. The site and its contents were sold by auction in 1859 and all traces of the pleasure gardens soon disappeared as the land was re-developed for housing. In the 1970s these houses were demolished in the post-war slum-clearances. At that time the creation of inner-city parks was on the national agenda, as a result of which part of the former site was cleared and laid out as a park, Spring Gardens, which opened to the public in 1976. Vauxhall City Farm was set up in 1977 as one of the Jubilee City Farms with funds from the Silver Jubilee Celebration Committee.  Today, the farm is home to over 100 animals, a riding centre, a cafe, and numerous education and youth projects. The farm has a small ecology garden at the southern end with a pond and herb garden.

Previous / Other name:

Jubilee City Farm

Site location:

Tyers Street

Postcode:

SE11 5HS

Type of site:

Other

Borough:

Lambeth

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

Tues - Sun: 10.30am - 4pm

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Farm has wheelchair access, accessible toilet; Old Dairy Cafe open Tues-Sunday 10.30am-4pm.

Events:

Educational and community events, including spinning, weaving, horse-riding, gardening, animal care, education

Public transport:

Rail: Vauxhall. Tube: Vauxhall (Victoria). Bus: 2, 88

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

31/08/2023

Last minor changes:

31/08/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. https://www.vauxhallcityfarm.org/

The Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were the first public gardens to be opened and, originally known as the New Spring Garden, were at their peak of popularity in the C18th. They were laid out with walks and flower gardens and the public was not charged for admission. Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn and Jonathan Swift were among the many visitors, who included royalty and the aristocracy. Ownership of the land passed to Jonathan Tyers in 1728 who is commemorated in the name of a local street. On 7 June 1732 Tyers and the painter William Hogarth, who had moved to the area, spectacularly re-launched the park as a place of entertainment after which an entrance fee was charged and all manner of entertainments laid on, particularly musical events, which were patronised by high society. Frederick Prince of Wales was patron until his death in 1751. Various exuberant buildings and structures were built to house these events, and the gardens were laid out with new tree-lined walks and gardens. Tyers' sons Jonathan and Thomas took over managing the pleasure gardens after their father's death in 1767. In 1792 the Barratt family, related by marriage to the Tyers, took over ownership and continued to provide new entertainments, which included fireworks from 1798, Balloon Ascents from 1802, and later tightrope performances by Mme Saqui. Under new ownership again in 1821, the gardens were then re-opened the following year, permitted by the King to be re-named The Royal Gardens, Vauxhall. Over the next decades they continued under different owners, with brief periods of closure, but in 1859 they finally closed for good. Their decline was particularly affected by the building of the railway viaduct from Nine Elms to Waterloo that severed the gardens from the river, but it was not unrelated to the popularity of the new Crystal Palace (q.v.) at Sydenham.

The site and its contents were sold by auction for £800 on 22 August 1859 and all traces of Vauxhall Gardens soon disappeared as the land was re-developed for housing. In the 1970s these houses, by all accounts cheaply built, and now badly neglected and having suffered severe damage during the war, were demolished in the post-war slum-clearances. At that time the creation of inner-city parks was on the national agenda, as a result of which part of the former site of the famous pleasure gardens was cleared and laid out as a park, Spring Gardens, which opened to the public in 1976. This was later re-landscaped and opened as Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens (q.v.).

When this large-scale demolition was taking place in the area, local residents protested by setting up the North Lambeth Neighbourhood Council (NLNC), which encouraged people to take responsibility for their area. As a result, community and youth projects began springing up on unused land in and around Vauxhall. By 1976, a group of architects squatting at St Oswald’s Place began working on a small vacant plot. This became Jubilee City Farm as it was then known, a collaborative project with local residents growing vegetables, providing for themselves and caring for livestock. It was one of the Jubilee City Farms with funds from the Silver Jubilee Celebration Committee. In 1977 Vauxhall City Farm registered as a charity in Lambeth. Since then, the farm has grown but it still relies on the commitment and enthusiasm of volunteers and still encourages community involvement. Today, the farm is home to over 100 animals, a riding centre, dozens of education and youth projects, and a cafe. The farm continues to rely on visitors’ donations to survive and its support from a wide range of local businesses, individual and corporate supporters, and grant-giving organisations who recognise and champion the impact of educational, therapeutic, and recreational experiences in nature. 

Sources consulted:

Ian Yarham, Michael Waite, Andrew Simpson, Niall Machin, 'Nature Conservation in Lambeth', Ecology Handbook 26 (London Ecology Unit), 1994;  Jim Nicolson, 'Vauxhall Gardens 1661-1859', The Vauxhall Society, 1991; https://www.vauxhallcityfarm.org/history

Grid ref:

TQ305781 (530550,178150)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

Site management:

Vauxhall City Farm

Date(s):

(1660s); 1977

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

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 Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Central London Policy Area

Other LA designation:

None

Main building, Vauxhall City Farm, May 2016. Photograph Sally Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.