Thanks to collaboration between the Bourne Conservation Group (BCG) and Farnham Town Council, a little-known piece of green space in south Farnham has a very attractive new oak gate.

Battings Garden is situated at the junction of the A287 road and The Ridgeway, just by the traffic lights, with a hedgerow along the Ridgeway Road boundary which until 2016 had an iconic oak gate.

The memorial plaque, now gracing the new gate, proclaims the garden was presented to the town in 1933 by Walter Batting.

In 2016 the original gate had become unsafe and was therefore removed by Waverley Borough Council which is now responsible for the site.

BCG, which had in the past carried out some maintenance work there, was concerned at the loss of this piece of the town’s heritage and, with the backing of councillor for The Bourne, Carole Cockburn, made a case to the town council for replacement of the gate.

This was successful and local firm Folly Patterns was commissioned to construct it, which it has done in splendid style.

The life of Walter Batting, who lived from 1858 to 1932, was researched by BCG member and local historian Wendy Maddox, who sadly died earlier this year. Walter had set up business in Alton as a drapers and outfitters and later retired to a house in Great Austins.

Mrs Cockburn, who is also the leader of Farnham Town Council, said: “Battings Garden is a really important local green space. We were pleased to respond to a request from the Bourne Conservation Group to replace the gate with one that incorporates the original design and that was made in the traditional way.”

Noel Moss, chairman of BCG, added: “Our group is delighted with the splendid new gate and wish to thank all those involved in this project. We believe is entirely appropriate to continue to recognise the generous gift of this land to the town in this way. The garden is now an important piece of greenspace at this increasingly busy crossroads and provides a peaceful retreat for local residents”.

n A strong team from the BCG, including a good number of young members undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award, have also recently tackled the problem of litter at Langham’s Recreation Ground.

Langham’s is a popular open space on The Ridgeway, south Farnham, named after the founder of the Farnham Herald who gave the land to the town.

The BCG has in recent years been working with Waverley Borough Council to keep the area as attractive as possible.

To make it more friendly for wildlife, some areas of grass have been left uncut and the wooded area cleared of invasive plants as far as possible.

At least once a year BCG’s volunteers tackle the problem of rubbish that has been left, removing an eyesore that can be dangerous to children and wildlife.

The results of the BCG team’s efforts on the last Sunday in October can be seen in the photograph (below), showing a large amount of litter of all sorts left on the site including fly-tipped builders’ rubbish. All this in an area set aside particularly for the use of children, and an example of a seemingly insoluble problem all over the town and elsewhere.

Noel Moss, chairman of BCG, commented it was fortunate for the area that volunteers of all ages were prepared to give their time to keeping important greenspaces like Langham’s clear of rubbish and thanked them for this excellent piece of community service.