Nearly four decades of work came to fruition Wednesday as the Farnham Society unveiled an exhibition charting the changing face of the town’s shop fronts.

But the launch of ‘The Aesthetic Catastrophe of Shop Fronts’ at Brightwells quickly turned into a debate over Farnham’s appearance, with residents and councillors criticising the condition of several shop fronts.

Concerns centred on poor upkeep, colour schemes and design choices that many said undermine the town’s historic character.

Shops singled out included the Coral betting shop on Downing Street and Fat Face at the corner of The Borough and Downing Street. Guests described them as out of step with the town’s look and “bringing down the character and aesthetic of the town.”

Castle Ward Cllr George Hesse urged residents to make their own assessments. “I ask you all when you are in town to look at the shop fronts and make your own judgement,” he said.

“Some of the shop fronts are dirty and we are being failed. Waverley Borough Council have limited staff and we are on a downward spiral with the shop fronts getting worse, and when Local Government Reform comes into play this will be at the bottom of their priority list.”

Cllr Hesse said a recent trip to Ireland inspired him with ideas on how Farnham could create a more aesthetic town centre. He suggested a shop front competition to encourage businesses to improve their windows and appearances.

The Brightwells exhibition was created by Dr Roy Waight and architect Michael Blower. It uses photographs first taken in 1986 by Farnham Art School students under tutor Peter Sanger.

In 2021, during the Covid pandemic, Dr Waight recreated the series, photographing nearly every shop front in the town centre. The only exception was the part of South Street now occupied by Sainsbury’s. The new and old images are displayed side by side this week and over the weekend at Brightwells & Co, showing how Farnham’s shop fronts have evolved since the mid-1980s.

Although the Farnham Society has been one of Brightwells Yard’s strongest critics, members said hosting the event at the site was important, adding that now the development is here, “Farnham has to make it work.”

The display is also part of the Heritage Open Days theme of architecture and includes artwork of buildings in the town by artists Peter Gillespie and Susie Lidstone.

Mr Gillespie said: “I’m inspired by the built environment and I try to reflect loosely its character and vibrancy, using lots of ink, a little watercolour, but never any pencils nor rulers. Farnham, where I live, has amazing buildings and streets and I enjoy trying to capture their vibrancy.”

Closing the event, Farnham Society chairman Richard Hunt said: “It is our town and somewhere we should be proud. Like the people who came before us and built part of this town, it is our duty to hand it on to the next generation and be able to pass it on to them to enjoy as we have.”

The exhibition remains open at Brightwells & Co through the weekend.