HERITAGE Open Days will return in Farnham from September 7 to 10 - and the new brochure is hot off the press with full details of all the events on offer. Free copies are available in public buildings and shops all over the town and surrounding area, or online at www.farnhamsociety.org.uk

The annual Heritage Open Days celebrations, presented by The Farnham Society, are a highlight of the town’s year, offering opportunities to visit beautiful buildings of every century from the 12th onwards, and to join guided walks around the town and the historic valley landscape which forms its setting.

On Sunday, September 10, Farnham Castle, the town’s star attraction, will be open free of charge from 11am to 5pm, welcoming visitors to the Norman keep, the Bishops Palace, and the beautiful grounds overlooking the busy town below.

This promises to be a wonderful day of family-friendly festivities, with directed tours of the buildings and grounds between 2pm and 4pm, dramatic drill displays by the English Civil War Society from 11am, fresh cooked pizza on the Great Lawn, and delicious cream teas with music in the Great Hall.

Teas must be booked in advance by email [email protected] or calling 01252 721194 (note: this is the correct phone number, the number in the brochure is incorrect).

At the beginning of the brochure there is a list of guided walks and ‘virtual walks’ for the less mobile. Choose from a walk round ‘hidden Farnham’ beside the river to the Bishops Meadow, which is owned and run by a charitable trust; or a tour round the town discovering native and exotic trees; join an architectural walk in Castle Street; explore Farnham Park and find out about its origins and history; or visit the atmospheric ruins of Waverley Abbey.

On Saturday in the Culver Room at the library in West Street there will be performances at 2pm and 3.30pm by Farnham Rep, entitled ‘A Gold Embroidery of Dancing Words’, with readings in praise of the popular and much missed Castle Theatre – the old theatre building is now Zizzi pizza restaurant, and open for Heritage Open Days.

The theme for Farnham’s Heritage Open Days this year is ‘Changing Faces, Buildings Then and Now’, and the brochure features photographs of familiar buildings and street scenes past and present, set side by side for comparison.

The Museum of Farnham, and participating shops in the town, will host a ‘Changing Faces’ exhibition, illustrating the way in which buildings are adapted to suit the needs of the people of each century. Guided tours will highlight the ever changing and evolving landscape of the town’s setting.

Future change is represented in a special exhibition on ‘Recrafting Farnham’ at Farnham Maltings with work by a group of professionals and architects exploring problems and opportunities for future development and featuring the largest scale model of Farnham town centre ever built. This exhibition will be open from Friday, September 8 to Saturday, September 23.

The brochure lists 23 buildings in the town centre, including several which are included for the first time this year, with full details of when they are open.

They are arranged as a walk starting in West Street, and there is also a selection of fascinating outlying properties in the surrounding area, including a special Sunday opening of the historic Farnham Pottery.

Advance booking between Wednesday, August 23. and Sunday, September 3. is essential for some of the visits and events. The Farnham Society welcomes everyone, residents and visitors alike, to this year’s exciting programme, full details of which are in the brochure, available as hard copy or online at www.farn

hamsociety.org.uk