Michael Edwards explores England’s Craft Town whilst staying at The Bush Hotel in Farnham
The Bush Hotel Farnham has seen many an improvement over the last nine centuries. Guests no longer sleep on straw strewn on the bar’s floor by medieval landlords. Nor were en-suite bathrooms with rainfall showers a thing during the 100 Years War. Friendly welcoming receptions still weren’t about for The Wars of the Roses and sumptuous afternoon teas weren’t discovered until the heyday of the British Empire.
Back in the 1100s, when a drinking tavern first appeared on this site, the landlord probably displayed a sprig of ivy to signal that this was an embryonic pub. Now, glossy large-leafed ivy covers the grand facade of a 95 key hotel. Parts of the current hotel are thought to date from around 1618. No surprise that the historic core of the hotel, containing the suites and vintage rooms, is Grade 2 listed.
Privately owned since 2018, The Bush Hotel has undergone a remarkable transformation. Each room or suite has been individually designed. Our suite has a small lounge, with two-seater sofa and coffeemaker, looking out onto the High Street. Though serious double-glazing ensures a peaceful night’s sleep in a huge and blissfully comfortable bed.
Now just 17 rooms remain to be refurbished with carefully planned colour schemes, original art and distinctive soft furnishings. Such design details matter immensely in Farnham. It’s is a World Craft Town. The only English town so honoured and just one of three in Europe.
The Bush Hotel’s centuries-long heritage gives it a unique advantage, a three acres site that is on the High Street. This is the rarity of a town centre hotel set in a country estate of deckchairs on the lawns and tree-lined pathways. Such space also means that parking is not an issue.
Proud of its heritage, a history of the Bush hotel is available from reception. In the Oak Room the frescoes of naked cherubs, far too racy for prudish Victorians, had been covered up and were only discovered in 1931. Far rarer, is the indoor sundial. Sun rays on the ceiling illuminating the time. A historic spot to take The Bush’s famed afternoon tea.
The Garden Restaurant looks out on to a terrace of patio furniture and giant white hydrangeas in deep terracotta pots. There is a retro palm court feel to the restaurant with banana trees, gold-gilded chandeliers and oriental rattan chairs. Breakfast is served from 6 am with hot items cooked to order. For pilots taking off early from nearby Farnborough Airport, The Bush Hotel is a favoured second home: providing dependable luxury in a busy working life.
Those pilots and Farnham locals are fans of the restaurant’s menus, particularly the Sunday lunch. Every item on the three-course menu comes with a recommended wine pairing. Alongside four roasts, including a vegan Wellington, burgers as well as fish and chips are options.
Stepping onto that High Street is to arrive in an architectural pageant of Tudor timbers and the golden ratio of Georgian symmetrical elegance. Scenes for Harry Potter and The Crown have been filmed locally but there’s a definite Bridgerton ambience to parts of Farnham too.
First stop on the Farnham Heritage Trail is a plaque celebrating the former Market House, the fulcrum of a market that ran from 1566 to 1866. Yet, there’s a buzz to Farnham that suggests the future may be brighter than the past. On the first Saturday of every month, The Maltings, a former brewery converted into a thriving Arts Centre, hosts a market of over 200 stalls offering arts, crafts, food, vintage clothing and much more.
Since Roman times the region has had a reputation for producing pottery. In more recent years, many Farnham College graduates have settled in the area to develop their art, blacksmithing, craft, needle and wood skills. Now the College has become the University of Creative Arts with exhibitions of students’ work on display.
Throughout a town of alleys and cobbles, galleries display and sell the artists’ output. Six miles south of Farnham, The Sculpture Park’s 10 acres of arboretum, ponds and 650 sculptures are the ultimate art exhibition. It takes two to three hours to walk around trails where sculptures are both for sale and for hire.
Farnham is increasingly becoming a Mecca for the arts. During October the town hosts a crafts month whilst the Literary Festival is scheduled for March. Throughout the year, The Maltings located on the banks of the of the River Wey, frequently hosts craft workshops. It’s certainly a town with a growing reputation and The Bush Hotel is perfectly placed for making the most of Farnham.
Tell Me More About The Bush Hotel, Farnham, Surrey
The Bush Hotel, The Borough, Farnham GU9 7NN
T: 01252 715237
E: reception@farnhambush.com
Classic double rooms, including breakfast, begin from £161 per night.
