This week Metro moves south-west to a Georgian market town that’s quite an education.
Farnham is one of Surrey’s most attractive towns – and it faces some stiff competition. It’s on the edge of the Surrey Hills, surrounded by countryside, and boasts an ancient castle and church as well as some of the finest Georgian architecture in southern England. The wider borough of Waverley regularly appears near the top of ‘best places to live’ lists and locals have no reason to argue with that.
Lying midway between London and Winchester, Farnham was originally a Saxon settlement. In 1138, the Bishop of Winchester, Henry of Blois, began building the castle, which became a convenient stopping-off point on his frequent travels between the two cities. For centuries, successive bishops used the castle as a residence and, such was their importance, they hosted many royal guests, among them Henry VIII, James I and Elizabeth I.
Farnham Castle was inhabited until 1956, when the last residing bishop left. Today, the Bishop’s Palace has been restored and is a conference and wedding venue, and the keep is managed by English Heritage.
Behind the castle is Farnham Park, a large medieval deer park. From the southern end it’s a short walk to Castle Street in the heart of the town. Lined with elegant Georgian facades concealing medieval structures behind, it’s a mix of houses, shops, cafés, restaurants and commercial premises, with narrow lanes leading off it. The survival of these historic buildings is largely down to Harold Falkner, an architect who, along with friend and local politician Charles Borelli, successfully fought against the destruction and redevelopment of the town centre in the 1930s.
A market has been held in Farnham since the Middle Ages. Nowadays, a farmers’ market takes place on the fourth Sunday of the month, and community arts centre Farnham Maltings holds a bazaar on the first Saturday every month.
Farnham is a commuter town too. Trains into Waterloo take just under an hour and an annual season ticket covering Zone 1 costs £4,472. Road links are good: it’s on the A31 and the A3 and M3 are easily accessible.
‘This is a lovely historic town with beautiful Georgian houses, smaller cottages, two and three-bedroom terraces and semi-detached homes, and swathes of green spaces,’ says Andrew Blagden of estate agency Hamptons International. ‘South Farnham, across the A31 bypass, is residential, with streets of 1920s and 1930s houses a ten-minute walk from the station.
‘As well as Castle Street, the most desirable bits include Great Austins – seven or eight roads of Victorian and 1920s houses – Lynch Road and Greenhill Road. Some of the outlying villages are very sought-after. Frensham, Tilford and Crondall each have pretty period cottages, a traditional green, pub and store, plus a church and infant school that help keep the villages alive.
‘There’s a classic migration out of London by families, typically in their mid to late thirties with one child and possibly another on the way,’ adds Blagden. ‘They’re after a different lifestyle, an improved quality of life and value for money, and can exchange a modest terraced house in Clapham for something far better. Once here, they tend to stay, moving up the property ladder, then downsizing later.’
And they move for the schools. South Farnham Junior, co-ed secondary Weydon School, St Polycarp’s Catholic Primary and All Hallows, a Catholic mixed secondary school, are all judged outstanding by Ofsted. Choices in the private sector include Barfield and Edgeborough prep schools and the Royal Grammar School (boys) and Guildford High (girls).
Price-wise, Farnham is better value than many parts of Surrey. On average, a one-bed purpose-built flat is £185,000 to £200,000, and a two-bed flat is £280,000 to £320,000. The average price of a three-bed house is £520,000, and a large family house of around 2,000 square feet in up to a third of an acre can go for £850,000. A Georgian three-storey town house costs about £1.1million. To rent, one-bed flats start at about £700 per month and two-bed cottages at £1,200.
There are no major housing developments, despite pressure on the town to construct more homes, though you’ll find the odd luxury new-build for sale. Lanercost, from Octagon, is a contemporary country house in swanky Moor Park on the outskirts of Farnham. Generously proportioned and kitted out with all mod cons, it has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a triple garage, priced at £2.85million through Strutt & Parker and Savills. Crundale, a five-bed, five-bathroom house on Farnham Road, with a full height galleried hall and plenty of land for horses can be yours for £1.75million, through Waterfords. A more budget-friendly option is Green Lane Chapel, being marketed by Hamptons International for offers in excess of £295,000. It comes with full planning consent for conversion into a two-bed home and will be auctioned on May 21.