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Farnham
Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around 36 miles (58 km) southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the Thames, and is at the western end of the North Downs. The civil parish, which includes the villages of Badshot Lea, Hale and Wrecclesham, covers 14.1 sq mi (37 km2) and had a population of 39,488 in 2011.
Among the prehistoric objects from the area is a woolly mammoth tusk, excavated in Badshot Lea at the start of the 21st century. The earliest evidence of human activity is from the Neolithic and, during the Roman period, tile making took place close to the town centre. The name "Farnham" is of Saxon origin and is generally agreed to mean "meadow where ferns grow". From at least 803, the settlement was under the control of the Bishops of Winchester and the castle was built as a residence for Bishop Henry de Blois in 1138. Henry VIII is thought to have spent part of his childhood under the care of Bishop Richard Foxe and is known to have lived at Farnham Castle when he was 16.
In the late medieval period, the primary local industry was the production of kersey, a coarse, woollen cloth. In the early modern period, the town's weekly corn market was said to be the second largest in England after London. Between 1600 and the 1970s, the area was a centre for growing hops and for the brewing industry. The town began to expand in the early Victorian period, stimulated in part by the opening of the railway in 1849 and the arrival of the army in nearby Aldershot in 1855. Farnham became an Urban District in 1894, but under the Local Government Act 1972, it became part of the Borough of Waverley. The civil parish and town council were created in 1984.
The Farnham area has long been associated with the creative arts and with pottery making in particular. One of three campuses of the University for the Creative Arts is to the west of the centre and there are numerous works of public art on display in the town. Notable buildings in the civil parish include the ruins of Waverley Abbey and the 18th century Willmer House, now the location of the Museum of Farnham. Politician William Cobbett and writer George Sturt were both born in Farnham, as was Maud Gonne, the Irish republican suffragette. More recent residents have included the watercolour artist William Herbert Allen, Formula One driver Mike Hawthorn, the England cricketer Graham Thorpe, and the England rugby union captain Jonny Wilkinson.
The oldest surviving record of Farnham is from a c. 1150 copy of a c. 688 charter, in which the settlement appears as Fernham. The name is written as Fearnhamme in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from c. 900 and as Ferneham in Domesday Book. The town first appears with its modern spelling "Farnham" in 1233. The name is thought to derive from the Old English words fearn and ham and is generally agreed to mean "homestead or enclosure where ferns grow". Alternatively the second part could derive from hamm, meaning "river meadow".
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, was attractive in prehistoric times. The geology of the area continues to influence 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.
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 (590 feet) 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 (230 ft) ASL on an underlying geology of Gault Clay and Upper Greensand and the southern part of the town rises to more than 100 metres (330 feet) on the Lower Greensand.
Farnham has a temperate maritime climate, free from extreme temperatures, with moderate rainfall and often breezy conditions. The nearest official weather station to Farnham is Alice Holt Lodge, just under 3+1⁄2 miles (6 kilometres) southwest of the town centre.
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Farnham
Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around 36 miles (58 km) southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the Thames, and is at the western end of the North Downs. The civil parish, which includes the villages of Badshot Lea, Hale and Wrecclesham, covers 14.1 sq mi (37 km2) and had a population of 39,488 in 2011.
Among the prehistoric objects from the area is a woolly mammoth tusk, excavated in Badshot Lea at the start of the 21st century. The earliest evidence of human activity is from the Neolithic and, during the Roman period, tile making took place close to the town centre. The name "Farnham" is of Saxon origin and is generally agreed to mean "meadow where ferns grow". From at least 803, the settlement was under the control of the Bishops of Winchester and the castle was built as a residence for Bishop Henry de Blois in 1138. Henry VIII is thought to have spent part of his childhood under the care of Bishop Richard Foxe and is known to have lived at Farnham Castle when he was 16.
In the late medieval period, the primary local industry was the production of kersey, a coarse, woollen cloth. In the early modern period, the town's weekly corn market was said to be the second largest in England after London. Between 1600 and the 1970s, the area was a centre for growing hops and for the brewing industry. The town began to expand in the early Victorian period, stimulated in part by the opening of the railway in 1849 and the arrival of the army in nearby Aldershot in 1855. Farnham became an Urban District in 1894, but under the Local Government Act 1972, it became part of the Borough of Waverley. The civil parish and town council were created in 1984.
The Farnham area has long been associated with the creative arts and with pottery making in particular. One of three campuses of the University for the Creative Arts is to the west of the centre and there are numerous works of public art on display in the town. Notable buildings in the civil parish include the ruins of Waverley Abbey and the 18th century Willmer House, now the location of the Museum of Farnham. Politician William Cobbett and writer George Sturt were both born in Farnham, as was Maud Gonne, the Irish republican suffragette. More recent residents have included the watercolour artist William Herbert Allen, Formula One driver Mike Hawthorn, the England cricketer Graham Thorpe, and the England rugby union captain Jonny Wilkinson.
The oldest surviving record of Farnham is from a c. 1150 copy of a c. 688 charter, in which the settlement appears as Fernham. The name is written as Fearnhamme in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from c. 900 and as Ferneham in Domesday Book. The town first appears with its modern spelling "Farnham" in 1233. The name is thought to derive from the Old English words fearn and ham and is generally agreed to mean "homestead or enclosure where ferns grow". Alternatively the second part could derive from hamm, meaning "river meadow".
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, was attractive in prehistoric times. The geology of the area continues to influence 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.
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 (590 feet) 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 (230 ft) ASL on an underlying geology of Gault Clay and Upper Greensand and the southern part of the town rises to more than 100 metres (330 feet) on the Lower Greensand.
Farnham has a temperate maritime climate, free from extreme temperatures, with moderate rainfall and often breezy conditions. The nearest official weather station to Farnham is Alice Holt Lodge, just under 3+1⁄2 miles (6 kilometres) southwest of the town centre.