UK: Growing Underground: Clapham World War II bunker given new life as sustainable farm
The seed for the idea was sown when Ballard, a film student at the time, discovered the tunnels while looking for a shoot location for a study of hidden spaces in London.
By Mhairi Mackenzie
SW Londoner
1 April 2022
Excerpt:
Thirty-three metres below street level, Growing Underground (GU) has been sustainably farming a variety of herbs and greens using for over five years.
The farm moved into the disused war tunnels in 2015 and can produce up to 1,600 punnets of herbs and micro-plants every day, supplying retailers such as M&S and Tesco.
A self-proclaimed small but mighty operation, Growing Underground has been endorsed in the ten years since its inception by figures such as Michel Roux Jr. and Boris Johnson.
Speaking at farm’s inception, Roux Jr. said: “It’s great to be involved in this exciting project, for which we have ambitious growth plans.
“Above all it’s fantastic to source produce so fresh in the heart of Britain’s largest city.”
The farm is the brainchild of childhood friends Richard Ballard and Steven Dring, who decided to pursue their interest in vertical farming following the financial crash in 2008.
