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Bed And Breakfast In Farnham
Telephone: 01252 715127
Ariane's Bed & Breakfast
Telephone: 01428 712646
Barford Cottage
Telephone: 01420 23246
Bentley Green Farm
Telephone: 01252 795161
Best Western Frensham Pond Hotel
Telephone: 01252 852222
Clarendon Lodge
Telephone: 07715 174286
Dove House
Telephone: 01252 790187
Dragon Lodge
Telephone: 01252 726673
Exchange Hotel
Telephone: 01252 716908
Farnham House Hotel
Telephone: 01252 728603
Farnham Park Hotel
More Information About Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles (67 km) southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. By road Guildford is 11 miles (17 km) to the east, Aldershot 4 miles (7 km) to the north-east and Winchester 28 miles (45 km) to the south-west. It is of historic interest, with many old buildings, including a number of Georgian houses. Farnham Castle overlooks the town. A short distance south-east of the town centre are the ruins of Waverley Abbey, Moor Park House and Mother Ludlam's Cave. Farnham is twinned with Andernach in Germany. Geography Farnham's history and present status are mainly the result of its geography; a combination of river, streams, fresh water springs and varied soils, together with a temperate climate, attracted early man to the area and, even today, the geology of the area greatly influences the town, both in terms of communications, scenic and botanic variety and the main local industries of agriculture and minerals extraction. Farnham Geological Society is an active organisation in the town, and the Museum of Farnham has a collection of geological samples and fossils.[1] Farnham lies in the valley of the North Branch of the River Wey, which rises near Alton, merges with the South Branch at Tilford, and joins the River Thames at Weybridge. The mainly east-west alignment of the ridges and valleys has influenced the development of road and rail communications. The most prominent geological feature is the chalk of the North Downs which forms a ridge (the Hog's Back) to the east of the town, and continues through Farnham Park to the north of the town centre, and westwards to form the Hampshire Downs. The land rises to more than 180 metres (591ft) above sea level (ASL) to the north of the town at Caesar's Camp which, with the northern part of the Park, lies on gravel beds. There are a number of swallow holes in the Park where this stratum meets the chalk. The historic core of the town lies on gravel beds at an altitude of roughly 70 metres[2] (230ft) ASL on an underlying geology of Gault Clay and Upper Greensand and the southern part of the town rises to more than 100 metres (328 ft) on the Lower Greensand. Shopping in Farnham Farnham is a former market town with many shops located along both sides of the main thoroughfare running through West Street, The Borough and East Street. The town includes a significant number of independent retailers, some who have been in business since the 19th century such as Rangers Furnishing Stores (est. 1895), Elphicks department store (est. 1881) and Pullingers (Est. 1850). The latter evolved into the Pullingers Art Shop chain and is thought to be Farnham's oldest surviving business. There are also branches of national retailers such as Argos, Robert Dyas, Boots the Chemist, Waterstone's and W H Smith. The major supermarkets are represented by Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Iceland in the town centre, and two Tesco Expresses located on Ridgeway Road and in Upper Hale. Sainsbury's also have a larger Superstore on the outskirts of town towards Badshot Lea. Large garden centres exist nearby at Holt Pound (Forest Lodge), Frensham (Frensham Garden Centre) and Badshot Lea (Squires). Castle Street's market stalls have been replaced by semi-permanent "orangery" style buildings selling some fresh flowers and produce, but that largely remain empty. Farnham is also known for its numerous secondhand charity shops which offer plenty of high quality items, especially clothes. Markets A large market selling arts, crafts, antiques and bric-a-brac takes place under-cover at the Farnham Maltings on the first Saturday of each month. A Farmers' market is held in the central car park on the fourth Sunday of every month, selling high-quality, locally-produced meat, fruit and vegetables, bread and cakes, preserves, beer and cider, fruit juices, cheeses and other dairy products. Toy, crafts and militaria fairs are hosted by the Maltings from time to time where new and used items can be bought and sold. Leisure and recreation There are two main parks in Farnham town centre: Farnham Park and Gostrey Meadows. Farnham Park is adjacent to Farnham Castle, where you can access some of the castle grounds. Gostrey Meadows is in the centre of Farnham town next to the river, and includes a fenced children's play area. Sports There are various facilities available in Farnham one of which is the local leisure centre. The leisure centre has a gym under the Kinetica franchise through which personal instructors can be hired. The centre is also the home of Farnham Swimming Club which allows youngsters to swim and compete with other local clubs such as Guildford. The town is represented in the non-league football pyramid by Farnham Town F.C., who compete in the Combined Counties League. Farnham Cricket Club was started in 1782.[8]. The ground is at the edge of Farnham Park and in the shadows of the castle. There is also a local umpires association.[9] The Farnham and Aldershot hockey club runs three men's teams and two women's teams. Floorball hockey is played by the adult team Southern Vipers FBC and junior floorball is also played at Farnham Sports Centre. Farnham also has a public golf course which is situated next to the cricket ground directly behind Farnham Castle. It was designed by Sir Henry Cotton, three times British Open champion.[10] It is a nine hole par three golf course open daily. Farnham's sporting heroes - "Silver Billy" Beldham (1766–1862) was one of the greatest cricketers in England during the Napoleonic era, pre-dating W. G. Grace. He was born on the outskirts of town at Wrecclesham and played in Farnham Cricket Club's first match, against Odiham, when he was 16 years old, and later played for the famous Hambledon Club. By the age of 21 he was widely recognised as the best batsman in England.
- Mike Hawthorn (1929–1959), driving for Ferrari, became the first British Formula One World Champion in 1958. His family moved to Farnham when he was just 2 years old, so his father could be near to Brooklands race track. A road, Mike Hawthorn Drive is named after him.
- Jonny Wilkinson (1979– ) England world cup winner and former captain, and England scrum half Peter Richards (1978– ) were not born in Farnham but both played for Farnham Rugby Football Club at mini level.
- Graham Thorpe (1969– ) England cricket captain, was born in Farnham and played at the Farnham cricket ground.
- Joel Freeland (1987– ), international basketball player, was born in Farnham.
Entertainment Farnham Maltings has diverse concerts including opera, folk and acoustic music gigs, band evenings and stand up comedy nights, however there is not a lot of entertainment for younger people. There is a cinema run every Wednesday at the Maltings but the films are either 'art house' or tend to be 6 months old. The Maltings does however host a successful "Acoustic Fridays" evening once a month, and this has a student following due to the fact many students play sets there. A regular blues night takes place in the "Cellar Bar" and the whole venue is taken over for the annual Blues Festival. In keeping with the town's historical link with hop-growing and beer, the Farnham Maltings also plays host to the Farnham Beer Exhibition, one of the largest beer festivals in Britain, an annual event that started in 1977. Some of the most popular pubs in Farnham are The Plough, The William Cobbett, The Lamb, and the student union bar of the UCCA, all of which have live music regularly. Carnival Farnham also has a yearly carnival, normally on the last Saturday in June, organised by two charitable service organisations, the Farnham Lions Club and The Hedgehogs. Castle Street is closed for the evening, with bands playing on a stage in the street, a beer tent, barbecue, and sideshows. A procession of carnival floats, marching bands, tableaux, trade floats and classic vehicles parade through the main streets of the town. Staff of the local Kar Ling Kwong Chinese restaurant traditionally perform the Lion Dance each year as part of the parade. Tourism The town has a number of attractive houses from various periods and many interesting passages which reveal hidden parts of the town including old workshops, historic cottages and pretty, hidden gardens. Farnham Castle was built by the Normans and updated over the years as the Palace of the Bishops of Winchester. The former Bishops' Palace of the castle is now a conference centre,[13] but the medieval keep is in the care of English Heritage and has limited opening to the public.[14] Many of the places mentioned in the books of George Sturt can be seen, and Waverley, the first Cistercian Abbey in England is open to the public. Farnham Park is attractive for walks and wildlife and there is a variety of attractive scenery - Farnham borders on the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the North Downs Way long-distance path starts here. Alice Holt Forest is nearby, as are Frensham Ponds and many heaths and downland scenery. The Rural Life Centre is nearby at Tilford, and the town is a suitable touring base for Winchester, the Mid-Hants Railway and canal trips on the Basingstoke Canal and Wey Navigation. Arts and crafts Farnham has long had a strong association with the creative arts.[15][16] Farnham School of Art opened in 1866 and was associated with the Arts and crafts movement when architects such as Edwin Lutyens and Harold Falkner, painters such as George Watts and W. H. Allen, potters such as Mary Watts and landscape gardeners (Gertrude Jekyll) worked in the area. Lewen Tugwell, a Farnham sculptor in the 1960s, invented a technique for production of a unique craft product made from resin, Shattaline. Items made by this process in his workshops in Long Garden Walk are now very collectable. Farnham has several art galleries - the New Ashgate Gallery in Lower Church Lane has exhibitions by established and new artists in a variety of media, the exhibition changing on the first Saturday of each month. The gallery at Farnham Maltings also has frequent exhibitions. Pottery Since Roman times the wealden clay of the area has been exploited for pottery and brickmaking. Pottery continued on a small-scale commercial basis until the closure of Farnham Pottery at Wrecclesham in 1998, when it passed to the Farnham Buildings Preservation Trust. Farnham Pottery , in addition to utility wares, became famous during the Arts and crafts movement for their decorative wares, either hand-thrown or moulded and decorated in a variety of coloured glazes, particularly "Farnham Greenware". There was close co-operation between the pottery and Farnham School of Art (now a campus of the UCCA). Painting William Herbert Allen, the notable English landscape watercolour artist, lived and worked in Farnham for most of his career. He was Master of Farnham Art School from 1889 to 1927 and many of his works depict landscapes of the Farnham area. Popular artists from Farnham in recent years include Charles Bone, whose watercolour landscapes of the area are very popular as limited edition prints, and Josephine Wall, a popular fantasy artist who was born in the town. Performing arts Theatre was formerly popular in Farnham.[17] The Castle Theatre in Castle Street was replaced by the Redgrave Theatre in 1974 which, itself, closed down in 1998. Occasional productions in the Maltings or in the grounds of Farnham Library have taken place since then. Various genres of music are also promoted at the Maltings, where there is also a dance studio. Gerald Flood, stage, TV and film actor, lived in Farnham for most of his life; Peter Lupino, a well-known West End actor of the 1930s and 40s, and member of the famous theatrical family, also lived for many years in Farnham, in Red Lion Lane and was a well-known local character in his retirement. Actor Bill Maynard, the "Carry On" and "Heartbeat" actor, was born in the town, as was Bill Wallis, who learned his trade on the stage of the Castle Theatre. Opera singer Sir Peter Pears (1910-1986) was born in Farnham and Jessie Matthews, OBE (1907-1981), the popular English actress, dancer, and singer of the 1930s to 1960s, lived in Farnham, where she ran the Alliance public house (now closed). Literature It was in Farnham that J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan, whilst living at Black Lake Cottage
This Article was sourced using Wikipedia
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