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Farnham Town Hall, as reconstructed 1930-1934 is sited at the bottom of Castle Street at the junction with the Borough. A neo-Georgian building designed by local architect Harold Falkner (1875-1963).

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Bishops Meadows

A meeting at St Andrews church on 18th November 2009 was well-attended by 150-200 people interested in the future of Bishops Meadows. The meadows have been put up for sale by the Marshall family, who have owned them for 80 years.

Apparently unused for much of that time, especially in recent years, we heard how they may be the site of a Civil War defence ditch and rampart. In Tudor times a ditch was dug to bring water from the Wey to the houses in West Street and in living memory the meadows have been used to host fairs, circuses and ice skating. Now they are criss-crossed with footpaths and used for walking dogs.

There is concern about the future of the site. It apparently is well-protected by planning policies against building development. But, as somebody pointed out, so was East Street! The estate agents (Savills) are marketing the property as a potential ‘SANG’ — a green area that can be set aside for amenity use by people, to somehow ‘compensate’ for new building in the local area. Apparently there are number of criteria (including car parking) that are not currently met by the meadows. However, we heard how the rules appear to have been ‘twisted’ if not actually broken or bent in order to allow SANG designation to be given to other sites.

There was enthusiasm in the meeting for organising a charitable trust to buy the land through public subscription. (The council was unwilling to buy the land, although it later turned out that they may have funds of around £1m in the bank.)

However, there seemed little thought of what to do with the land once it had been purchased. The town council was unwilling to take this on (until someone pointed out that there could be grants available to pay for it). One suggestion was to leave the land untended. This seems untenable in the long run — ditches, fences, gates will need to be maintained. A solution put forward by Finn Jackson was to buy and run the land as a community farm: using traditional breeds to manage the landscape in a way that encourages wildlife, creates local food, and provides the money to maintain the land as an amenity for local residents.

Solicitor Jo Aylwin has arranged for the Trust to be set up and is organising a campaign to raise the money for the Trust to buy the Meadows so that they might be held in their current natural state for posterity.

If you would like to contribute to the fund, an indication of the possible amount can be made on this form. (here)

PRESS RELEASE

26 NOV 09

FARNHAM SOCIETY DEFIES WINTER GLOOM

Despite the winter gloom, The Farnham Society is already planning next year’s Heritage Open Days, from Thursday to Saturday, 9 to 12 September 2010. See News

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Text Box: 'East Street cannot be compared with the Lion and Lamb Yard'
Read the Max Lyons' letter published in the Farnham Herald on 29th September 2006 (Click)