Afternoon in Farnham

St Andrews

St Andrews

The Wheatsheaf

Unlike my last couple of trips last month, I managed to get to Farnham half an hour earlier, ie 4-30pm rather than 5pm.

Last year the William Cobbett had a very good music festival. Each time I am in Farnham I look, but nothing going on, no information on a music festival. I thought therefore I would pop in and ask. Yes, we have, it is next Saturday.

Bad timing, it clashes with all day free music festival at Godalming next Saturday. I asked did they have any fliers. No the only information was a poster in the pub.

Will there be a hog roast? No, pub under new management, no hog roast.

This management will go far, I think not. It was hog roast that made it such a success last year, plus of course the good music. As I left I noticed there were no posters outside the pub giving information of their music festival!

I wandered up Downing Street and cut through the churchyard. The church was open, just, I caught a lady about to lock up. I walked in, as did others, which I do not think she was too pleased with.

She told me they were without a Rector and that was why I was finding the church not open, as it was volunteers on a rota. Whether it would be open in the future, would depend on the new Rector. But surely when you interview him, you make it a condition of the job. Apparently not, it is the Dioceses that appoints, not the church parish council. No small wonder that so many churches have disputes between the clergy and the congregation if they have no say. It is also contrary to what was raised in a discussion on ordained ministry I attended last week at St Nicolas where the clergy should not be apart from the church but part of.

I then wandered to The Barn, a cultural centre that serves food. I had something to eat and stayed much later than intended. I sat chatting with the barman. We were the only two there. It reminded me of Puerto de la Cruz where the bars are empty. A pity as a nice place, good place for lunch, periodic art exhibitions, live music, but not easy to find, very easy to walk past and miss it.

Tags: Farnham, The Barn, William Cobbett