ONE of Farnham's oldest buildings is set to change hands for what is believed to be only the third time in nearly 600 years. The Old Vicarage, a Grade II* listed house that overlooks the water meadows and lends a cathedral close-style backdrop to St Andrew's Parish Church, is on the market with a guide price in excess of £2.75m. An important church building in the mediaeval period, it belonged to the archdeacons of Surrey, who are thought to have used it as a suite of church function rooms for ecclesiastical courts and meetings of the vestry (equivalent to our borough council today), banquets and entertainment. It remained in the ownership of the church until, in 1920, it was sold to a local antiques dealer, Henry Philipson-Stow. Michael and Maureen Carfrae bought the property from the Philipson-Stows 60 years later. The grounds include a very English courtyard garden sheltered by ancient stone walls, a meadow with a pond, and 140 yards frontage to the River Wey with fishing. Currently being marketed by estate agents Hamptons, the sale has come just as an accurate date can finally be put to the house thanks to the Surrey Dendrochronology Project. Tree-ring analysis of samples from the oak beams has provided the very early date of 1418 for the surviving core of the original, timber-framed building. These timbers were cut when the sap was running in the late winter/early spring of 1417-18 – two years after Agincourt in the reign of Henry V and at the time when John Forest would have been Archdeacon of Surrey. The dendrochronology project in Farnham, involving buildings volunteered by their owners, has been funded with help from the Farnham Trust, Farnham Museum Society and Farnham Society, plus Farnham Town Council. The Old Vicarage is one of three Farnham buildings on which dating is complete. Eight more are in the pipeline and it is hoped that two or three more can be undertaken. Co-ordinator of the project Rod Wild will be giving the annual Coverdale Lecture later this year regarding the findings. The dendrochronology process involves using a hollow drill to remove about a dozen timber cores, each around the diameter of a pencil, so that the age can be calculated through the number of tree rings. It is a very time consuming process, taking some months, with a lot of microscopy and computer work involved. Regarding the dating of the Old Vicarage, Mr Wild said that the period of the late 1400s had been expected. "To come down to 1418 was quite a thrill," he said, adding that certain features of the building now gave a nice indication of how advanced Farnham was in its styling. "It is a wonderful building - a very important building in Farnham in its day. Clearly it has been substantially changed, but it is a spectacular house." Another of the houses dated has been Tanyard House - the property in Bridge Square which was the subject of an award-winning renovation by the Farnham Trust. At 1485, its assessment was pretty much what Mr Wild had been anticipating. But a second "great thrill" was the dating of the third structure completed - the Bishop's Camera Roof at Farnham Castle. Identified as constructed in 1381, the strong timber scissor and braced roof, isn't a particularly old piece of the castle, which after all originated in Norman times. Nevertheless, the team at the castle were delighted to be able to put the structure in its historical context, as having been built during William of Wyckham's time as Bishop of Winchester. • The dendrochronology project is still eager to talk to owners of Farnham properties with decent timber framing that they are interested in having dated. Most of the grant money received has been used up, so they may be asked to make a financial contribution. For more information, contact Rod Wild on 01483 232767.