Sir – This year marks the 125 anniversary of the Haslemere Society. Originally the Commons Society was founded by none other than Sir Robert Hunter at a time when the Hindhead commons were under great pressure from developers. Sir Robert was a man of great energy and vision who, with Octavia Hill and Canon Rawnsley, went on to set up the National Trust in 1895.
While looking through old files of our various campaigns to find material for the 125th anniversary exhibition (to be displayed at the Haslemere Educational Museum from June 9-18), I discovered that it was exactly 10 years ago this week that we were celebrating the victory of the Georgian Hotel being saved from developers.
The Georgian Hotel was closed overnight on October 4 1997 after having been bought by developers who planned to convert it into 21 flats. Although the society had the support of the majority of residents of Haslemere in opposing the scheme, it was a lone organisation in voicing any opposition. Many official bodies thought struggle was pointless and failure inevitable.
The Planning Inspector held a six-day inquiry at the end of 1998. The Haslemere Society gave evidence at which our expert witnesses rebutted the developers' views that the hotel was not viable. The vitality of the town is dependent upon there being suitable venues for its various events, both private and community based, and the Georgian House makes a strong contribution towards meeting that need.
The vibrancy and success of what is now the Georgian House Hotel bears eloquent testimony to the justification of the case the Haslemere Society made and provides tangible evidence of the importance of its vigilance and the continuing relevance of its work.
Our membership grows steadily as more people realise the importance of safeguarding our unique town.
We look forward to our next 125 years.
Robert Serman, President of the Haslemere Society, Courts Mount Road, Haslemere