Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles (67 km) southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. By road Guildford is 11 miles (17 km) to the east, Aldershot 4 miles (7 km) to the north-east and Winchester 28 miles (45 km) to the south-west. It is of historic interest, with many old buildings, including a number of Georgian houses. Farnham Castle overlooks the town. A short distance south-east of the town centre are the ruins of Waverley Abbey, Moor Park House and Mother Ludlam's Cave. Farnham is twinned with Andernach in Germany.

Farnham railway station is on the Alton Line, which provides commuter links to London at Waterloo. The A31 Farnham bypass links the town by road to Winchester, Alton and Guildford; the A325 links the town to Farnborough and to the A3 (London-Portsmouth) at Greatham. The A287 links Farnham to the M3 at Hook and the A3 at Hindhead. London Heathrow Airport is 31 miles (50 km) by road but is served only by indirect public transport routes from Farnham. Gatwick Airport and Southampton Airport are each about 43 miles (69 km) away by main roads.

Farnham is a former market town with many shops located along both sides of the main thoroughfare running through West Street, The Borough and East Street. The town includes a significant number of independent retailers, some who have been in business since the nineteenth century, such as Rangers Furnishing Stores (est. 1895), Elphicks department store (est. 1881) and Pullingers (est. 1850). The latter evolved into the Pullingers Art Shop chain and is thought to be Farnham's oldest surviving business. A popular independent retailer (est. 1986) is Colours situated in the Lion and Lamb Yard between Waitrose and Starbucks. There are also branches of national retailers such as Argos, Robert Dyas, Boots the Chemist, Waterstone's and W H Smith.

The major supermarkets are represented by Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Iceland in the town centre, and two Tesco Expresses located on Ridgeway Road and in Upper Hale. Sainsbury's also have a larger Superstore on the outskirts of town towards Badshot Lea. Large garden centres exist nearby at Holt Pound (Forest Lodge), Frensham (Frensham Garden Centre) and Badshot Lea (Squires). Castle Street's market stalls have been replaced by semi-permanent "orangery" style buildings selling some fresh flowers and produce. Farnham is also known for its numerous secondhand charity shops which offer plenty of high-quality items, especially clothes.