Our Values & History
Our farm’s land is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and it’s likely there’s been farming on our site for thousands of years. We’re continuing that legacy while also working to support and nurture our local community.
Find out more about our mission, values and history below.
Our Vision & Mission
Nurturing Our Community
Our mission is that we are a welcoming urban farm using our unique setting and targeted projects to educate, improve wellbeing and transform lives.
Our vision is to create a healthy community rooted in nature, food, farming and each other.
Click here to read our 2025 to 2027 strategy
Values
Our six values that guide the ethos of the farm are:
Diversity is Strength
We work to remove barriers to encourage participation
and promote fairness and equitable opportunities for all.
We foster a culture of respect and dignity
We are nature
We are a part of nature and nature is us. We therefore aim
to create conditions for biodiversity and natural ecosystems
to thrive in all our activities and choices.
Power in community
Each person has a unique perspective and gifts to share.
Nurturing and valuing these strengths collectively gives
us power to make positive changes in our communities.
Free or fairly priced
The Farm site will always be free at the point of access for
people to explore and enjoy. We endeavour to provide all
our activities free or fairly priced
Open and participatory
We aim to communicate openly and create meaningful
opportunities for communities to contribute to the direction
of the Farm.
Working with care
We approach our work with care, to create quality solutions and minimise harm to people and the environment.
History of Bath City Farm
The farm’s land is mentioned in the Domesday book, which was commissioned by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. The Domesday book shows how all the land in the UK was used and who owned it. It is very likely that the land has always been farmed, right from the very first farmers some 6 000 years ago.
For hundreds of years, it must have been a fantastic place for growing crops and grazing animals. Oats, wheat, barley and even teasels (used in the woollen mills in Twerton) were grown on the land which we now see covered by houses.
The hillside supports several natural springs. Each field has its own traditional names such as “Lower Lamb Sleight”, names that were lost due to lack of use. We have reinstated these 19th century names to develop once more a sense of history with the land. Some local residents will still be able to remember when there was a dairy farm here where Bath City Farm now is, one of many around Bath to which people could bring their own jug and buy some milk. The Hollow (the busy road passing steeply downhill alongside the farm) was then just a quiet country lane.
During the Bath Blitz of April 1942 several bombs fell on the land now known as Bath City Farm and one caused a crater which has remained here ever since.
It became known as Bath City Farm in the early 1990’s. The resident farmer retired, and the local community got together to secure its future as a valuable resource to benefit the whole community. The Farm gained charitable status in 1995.
It is now a popular and well-respected site totaling 37 acres in all and has since become an integral part of the community, providing services and opportunities that extend well beyond urban farming.
In addition to a working farm there is a children’s adventure play area, a cafe, an amphitheatre and community garden plots. Our services including education activities for children and young people, volunteering opportunities and community events throughout the year.
Please take care when visiting the farm, this is a natural environment, the ground can be steep, uneven, and slippery. Access to this site is by foot only.
