A Brief History of Farnham
Your Taxis in Farnham is proud to serve the local community if your new to the area or just visiting we would like to share some of our history of Farnham with you.
The people of Farnham are lucky to be situated in a beautiful part of the English countryside it has long been a recognised as a great place to live.
Evidence of a Roman settlement has been found in Farnham. Including the remains of a Roman villa and bath along with a pottery kiln have been found on the site of Roman Way.
However the modern town of Farnham began life as a Saxon village. Little is known about it at that time. Originally it was called Fern Hamm, meaning the well watered meadow (hamm) by the ferns.
In the 7th century, at the time the original church of St Andrew was thought to have been built. (The present church building dating back to about the 11th century), the town belonged to the Bishop of Winchester.
He added to the town by the building a castle in the mid 12th century a convenient residence for the Bishop halfway between Winchester and London. The garrison of the castle helped support a market for the townspeople's goods.
By the beginning of the 13th century Farnham had grown from a small village into a town. It was situated where two important roads meet, the road from Eastern England to the Southwest and the road from London to Southampton. It was became a natural trading centre and the town prospered.
Waverley Abbey was built near Farnham in 1128. However it was closed by Henry VIII in 1536 and the remains of the Abbey can still be visited nearby.
By the Middle Ages the town of Farnham and had a popular weekly market. It also had an annual fair. With people coming from all over the South of England to buy and sell there goods and enjoy a good day out at the Farnham fair.
In 1249 the Bishop of Winchester granted the people of Farnham a charter (a document giving them rights). Following this the more affluent citizens of Farnham had some independence from the Bishop and took more control of the running of the town.
Between the 16th century and the 17th century the wool cloth industry in Farnham prospered. The area also became well known for its farming with hops and wheat being grown.
In 1566 Queen Elizabeth gave Farnham a new charter, and in 1585 Farnham also had a grammar school.
During the English civil war (1642-1646) Farnham Castle was occupied by the parliamentarians unfortunately after the war the keep was damaged by the parliamentarians to prevent it being used again in the wrong hands.
William Cobbett a famous son of the town was born in 1763 His farther was the inn keeper at the then Jolly Farmer, now know as the William Cobbett public house
In 1801 the population of Farnham was 4,321. By the standards of the time it was a reasonable sized town. It was then considerably larger than Guildford. Farnham grew rapidly during the 19th century. By 1851 the population of Farnham was over 9,000. By the end of the century it had risen to over 14,000.
It was in 1848 when the railway arrived in Farnham and by the next decade wealthy people began to live in Farnham and commute to work in London each day.
In 1895 Farnham Urban District Council was formed and is now part of Waverley Borough Council Today the population of Farnham is close to 40000.
We are proud of our town and it heritage and are pleased to work closely with the community in providing a service the people of Farnham can really on. Next time you are looking to BOOK A TAXI for you visit to Farnham or the local area please contact Abbey Cars.
