Visiting Farnham, United Kingdom: Top Sights on Foot

Looking for things to do in Farnham? This Surrey town brings together medieval history, Georgian architecture, local museums, churches and a wider landscape shaped by the River Wey. Its historic buildings and varied heritage make it a rewarding place to explore on foot, while Neywo offers a free audio guide for Farnham with 19 narrated places.

What to See in Farnham

Farnham Castle

Farnham Castle is a Grade I listed historic house museum with origins reaching back to the twelfth century. It was once a residence of the Bishops of Winchester, a connection that reflects the castle’s importance in the history of Farnham and the surrounding area.

The castle is one of the town’s defining historic sites, bringing together the scale of a medieval foundation and the later character of a historic house.

St Andrew’s Church

In the centre of Farnham, St Andrew’s Church preserves parts of its structure dating from the Middle Ages. The Anglican parish church is a Grade I listed building and belongs to the Archdeaconry of Surrey within the Diocese of Guildford.

Its surviving medieval fabric makes it an important stop for understanding the town’s long religious and architectural history.

Museum of Farnham

The Museum of Farnham occupies Willmer House, an elegant eighteenth-century townhouse on West Street. Completed in 1718, the Grade I listed Georgian building is known for its decorative brickwork façade and retains many original features, including a walled garden.

Inside, the museum presents Farnham’s history and prehistory across two floors and six rooms. Its collections include archaeological artefacts, costumes, artworks and personal objects connected with the town. Among the highlights is an elaborately embroidered nightcap associated with Charles the First, who stayed at a nearby house in 1649 while travelling to trial in London.

The museum was founded in 1961 to build a collection devoted to the local area. Its Muniment Room contains an extensive collection of printed material about Farnham and the surrounding area for researchers.

‘900 Years of Living History’ Permanent Exhibition

The ‘900 Years of Living History’ Permanent Exhibition takes a different approach to the past. A house has been transformed into a museum, allowing visitors to encounter history through the rooms and traces of everyday life preserved inside.

It is a useful complement to the Museum of Farnham: rather than focusing only on objects or archaeological discoveries, the exhibition presents history through a lived domestic setting.

St Joan of Arc’s Church

St Joan of Arc’s Church is a Roman Catholic parish church with a distinctive Romanesque Revival design. It stands between Tilford Road and Waverley Lane, south of Farnham Railway Station.

The church was founded in 1890, although the present building dates from 1929. It is recognised as a Grade II listed building, reflecting its architectural and historic importance.

Redgrave Theatre

The former Redgrave Theatre is part of Farnham’s more recent cultural history. Named after Sir Michael Redgrave, it operated from 1974 to 1998 and presented regular repertory seasons alongside a wide range of plays and musical productions.

Financial difficulties led to its closure. The building was later demolished after approval in January 2018, and the site was cleared for the Brightwells Yard development. Although the theatre has disappeared, its story remains connected to Farnham’s arts identity.

Waverley Abbey

A short distance from the town, Waverley Abbey preserves the remains of England’s first Cistercian abbey. Founded in 1128 by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester, it later became the motherhouse of several other abbeys.

The abbey stood on the floodplain around the River Wey, and the river shaped its history. Severe flooding damaged the complex more than once, leading to rebuilding in the thirteenth century. Records also describe a community that endured poverty and famine despite the abbey’s importance.

The abbey was suppressed in 1536 during Henry the Eighth’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. Much of the site was subsequently demolished, and its stone was reused in local buildings. Waverley Abbey House, built in 1723 in the northern part of the former precinct, may have incorporated some of that material. Today, the ruins, the house and the surrounding land form part of a conservation area.

Churches in Hale, Upper Hale and the Wider Town

Farnham’s heritage extends beyond its central landmarks. In Hale, the Church of St John the Evangelist is a Church of England parish church consecrated in 1844 and now recognised as a Grade II listed building. Hale Methodist Church is another local place of worship in the Waverley area.

In Upper Hale, St Mark the Evangelist Church dates from 1883. Its red-brick exterior continues inside, where the fairfaced brickwork gives the building a particularly simple character. The aisle-less nave and small chancel include original murals created by local artist Kitty Milroy.

Other churches connected with Farnham include St Francis, Byworth; St George’s Church in Badshot Lea; St Martin by the Green; Brambleton Hall; and the Congregational Church. Together, these buildings show how the town’s religious history continues across its neighbourhoods, not just in the centre.

Explore Farnham with a Self-Guided Tour

A Farnham self-guided walking tour can bring the town’s history together in a single route, moving between churches, museums, the castle and former cultural landmarks. Neywo’s walk, “Farnham: Castle, Georgian Streets and Cobbett’s Grave”, covers 4.03 km in 104 minutes and includes eight narrated stops.

For getting around Farnham beyond the central streets, Neywo also includes a bus route between Upper Hale and Farnham Town Centre. The 7.5 km route takes 32 minutes and has five narrated stops, including St Mark the Evangelist Church, Hale Methodist Church, the Church of St John the Evangelist, the former Redgrave Theatre and the Congregational Church.

Farnham is part of England, within the United Kingdom. If you are planning a wider journey, you can also continue exploring other English destinations such as Glastonbury and Falmouth.

Download Neywo for Farnham

Neywo has one walking tour and one bus route in Farnham:

• Walking tour: 4.03 km, 104 minutes and 8 stops
• Bus route: 7.5 km, 32 minutes and 5 stops

The app has 19 narrated places in Farnham. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so download Neywo and explore Farnham independently while the app tells the story of each place along the way.