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Bush Hotel Farnham is unique. This 95-key hotel, which dates back to at least 1618, has a high street location yet sits in three tranquil acres of land.

The site has probably hosted a watering hole since the 11th century, with medieval landlords spreading straw on the ground for drinkers wishing to spend the night.

It’s been a good time for the privately owned ivy-clad Bush Hotel since 2018. Most of the rooms and suites have undergone major changes, with the last 17 rooms undergoing a renovation program. Bush is now probably in better shape than it has been in the last 900 years.

Times are also good for Farnham, awarded World Craft Town status in 2020. It is only one of three such honored towns in Europe. Also, identified by Farnham The Sunday Times As one of the best cities to live in England. This thriving town hosts an annual Craft Month in October, a Literary Festival in March and a monthly market at The Maltings.

In the south-west corner of Surrey, close to the Hampshire border, beautiful Farnham, with its chocolate box cobbles and woods, is less than an hour by train from London and just over an hour from the south coast.

More and more Bush hotels are hosting guests heading to Farnham for arts and crafts, biking and hiking in the Surrey Hills or the beauty of the Downs.

Welcome

Despite its town center location, Bush has ample parking. We were greeted warmly on a lavender-lined path through lawns and striped deck-chairs.

suite

Each suite and room is unique, designed with original art, individual color palettes and exclusive soft-furnishings. Inside the original Grade 2 listed building, there is a magnificent Bush Suite, three other suites and a vintage room.

Our suite overlooks the high street but effective double-glazing reduces passing traffic to a whisper. A small lounge with a two-seater sofa is a place to read the Surrey guide-book that is provided.

A coffee maker, a tea tray and a fridge for cold water all add to the comfort of making your own at home.

Bath house

A large shower takes up the width of a well-lit, gray-walled, wood-floored bathroom.

facilities

With glossy leafy banana plants, four gilded chandeliers and rattan chairs, The Garden Restaurant has a palm court feel with its slick service.

We were there for Sunday lunch, as were many locals in the know. A perfectly balanced carrot and coriander soup and a large salmon and cream cheese parcel made for a promising start. A wine pairing recommendation for each dish is helpful.

We chose succulent beef and perfectly roasted cornfed half-chicken from a selection of roasts that included pork and vegan Wellingtons. A selection of roast vegetables, a ginormous Yorkshire pudding and a rich gravy worked well with all the roast options. In addition to Sunday roasts, burgers were also on the menu in addition to fish and chips.

As with so much in The Bush, the wooden bar mixes old and new. Croquet mallet heads adorn the walls, recalling the days when croquet was played on the hotel lawn. Yet with a nod to the contemporary sports bar, the giant screen has TNT sports channels.

Or you can take your drinks outside on the tranquil terrace featuring outsize terracotta planters of white hydrangeas. Deckchairs on the lawn overlook a church that hosts a Spire Repair Cafe once a month.

space

Farnham is home to the University of Creative Arts. As well as onsite exhibitions, visitors will find the work of its students and graduates in the New Ashgate Gallery and The Maltings.

Make the whole of Farnham manufacturers. A blacksmith works metals with a red-hot flame of creativity, a puppeteer brings new characters to life and a weaver uses a wide palette of colors and textures. While potters continued and developed the Roman trade tradition.

Farnham Sculpture Park is six miles away. Take two to three hours to wander through the 650 modern and contemporary sculptures displayed in the over 10-acre arboretum and water gardens. Each sculpture, from a dragon to a military tank, made from 20,000 pieces of reclaimed pallets and marine wood, is for sale or rent (subject to negotiation).

Biking, sensory, tree-lined and walking trails at Alice Holt Forest make for another great day out from Farnham.

Another nice touch

Available from reception, Bush History tells the story of the last 900 years.

In the Oak Room, only the frescoes exhumed in 1931 have been carefully preserved. Prudish Victorians considered nude cherubs too tacky for public display. Look up at the ceiling and you’ll notice the rarity of an indoor sundial. The sun’s rays streaming through the gardens helped long-running generations keep track of time.

There is an eclectic selection of art throughout the hotel. Antique maps, architectural plans, avant-garde portraits, constable-like rural scenes, contemporary bursts of color, 19th-century formal portraits and satirical cartoons do their best to sum up nine centuries of history.

The hotel-owned neighboring Petit Patisserie, run by pastry chef Lair Pedrazuela, was featured in 2019. Back off, the professionals Series Few guests can resist the call for a high-end, exquisitely presented dessert with coffee.

Price

Rooms start with a classic double, including breakfast for two, from £161.

The best bit

Location, location, location. From reception, you can step out onto the cobbled courtyard into the very heart of Farnham. Art galleries, independent shops and even a gin and chocolate shop, which sells 400 different gins, are all nearby.

Farnham Castle is also within walking distance. The building dates back to around 1138, often hosting royalty in its early centuries. However it should not be forgotten that Oliver Cromwell stayed at the Bush in 1648.

Alternatively, you can relax with afternoon tea in the spacious bush grounds or The Oak Room.

final judgment

Both the Bush Hotel and Farnham are flying under the radar. Visit this charming, historic hotel in a quaint artsy town before the crowds discover them.

Disclosure: We were sponsored by Invest Bush Hotel Farnham.