If you’ve visited Brick Lane you will know that it is home to some amazing independent cafes and restaurants, as well as great for clothing and homewares. However, you may not have considered some of these activities that you can do in this part of the city.

Spitalfields City Farm

Just a short walk away from Brick Lane you can find this amazing farm which is free to visit. It plays the home to a variety of donkeys, sheets and pigs, all waiting to be stroked and petted. It can be a great way to introduce farming or animals to children, as well as explain a little bit more about nature. It also has a vegetable garden patch which is run by volunteers, and a small cafe where you can stop by for lunch.

The Green Wood Guild

Located a little further out on another farm, The Green Wood Guild can be a great place to learn some new skills that you may have never thought to. For example, they run a variety of workshops on bladesmithing, spoon and bowl carvings, and box making. The workshops can be bought as a gift, or for yourself. They do sell out very quickly so it is recommended to book in advance.

Nomadic Gardens

When Urban Life and Nature collides, a place like the Nomadic Gardens is born. Set up in 2015 to give the locals somewhere to grow vegetables, it is a former abandoned plot of land that now flourishes all year round. Everyone is welcome to visit and explore the gardens, the running and planting is organised by the locals.

Close-Up Film Centre

Tucked away on Sclater Street you can find the Close-Up Cinema, which is dedicated to all things film. It features both reel-to-reel and digital projections, but for the heavy film fans they can explore the library and archive which has over 19,000 titles, ranging from the early days of cinema to independent films.

19 Princelet Street

West of Brick Lane you can find Spitalfields Market, but before you get there you will pass 19 Princelet Street, a former synagogue which tells the story of how refugees came to the area and has since grown into a somewhat functioning museum of immigration. This museum however is only open to the public occasionally and so it is best to check the website before visiting.