Animal Farm at Crystal Palace

5:01pm Tuesday 22nd January 2008

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Living in London you don't expect to find goats, donkeys and chickens on your doorstep.

But The Croft - the educational farm ran by Capel Manor College with the help of London Development Agency (LDA) funding - is located in Crystal Palace Park, and will soon be opening for members of the public to visit. Just a five minute walk away from Crystal Palace Station, The Croft has a surprisingly rural feel and the overwhelming farm-like smell hits you as you approach it.

"There are big plans for this place and we all have different ideas about the animals we want."

Sam Hin

My tour guide - education officer Sam Hin - showed me the exotic room first. Filled with tarantulas, royal pythons, corn and pine snakes stored in cabinets, and soon to get bearded dragons, frogs, tortoises, fish and insects, the room is certainly exciting and is sure to be a hit with school trips.

Next came the stables, which house two goats, two Shetland ponies and two alpacas. "The alpacas came from a big farm and were bred in a field," explained Sam. "They haven't been handled a lot and get a bit nervous of people. But it's good for the students to learn how to deal with animals who are not as friendly as pets."

The small animal unit, containing guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, dormice, was the next port of call. "The chinchillas are meant to have big ears but their mum loved them so much so much she licked their ears off," Sam told me.

"The animals generally get on with each other but some have more character than others. If they don't work together we split them up."

Finally came the two grunting Kune Kune pigs from New Zealand, which are apparently very cheeky, and the chickens, which have already laid eggs.

Ferrets and farm cats are expected to join the farm's lively inhabitants.

After a number of delays prevented it from opening last autumn, The Croft is expected to officially open to the public sometime next month. Steve Dowbiggin, chief executive of Capel Manor College, said the farm is waiting to hear if it must have a zoo licence before it can open. "Judging from my experience, I believe we will be granted an exemption," he said.

There are currently 45 pupils studying at the farm, which offers one year diplomas and other animal care courses. Their time is split between lectures and practical time at The Croft, when they must clean out the farm and feed and groom the animals.

Hannah Wenham, 25 from South Croydon, is one of the students. "This was the nearest available animal facility and, being new and up and coming, I decided it would be a brilliant place to study," she said. "There's hardly any option for these types of courses in London and some colleges hardly offer any practical time with the animals, so it's a better experience here "Ideally I'd like to move onto degree level after this and become a vet."

"There are big plans for this place and we all have different ideas about the animals we want," added Sam. "It's going to be fantastic when the farm is open to the public and I think it will play a core part in the regeneration of Crystal Palace Park."

Visit capel.ac.uk for more information.