Review: The Bush Hotel Farnham, Surrey, UK
The Bush Hotel Farnham is unique. This 95 key hotel, dating back to at least 1618, has a High Street location yet sits in three tranquil acres of grounds.
This site has probably hosted a watering hole since the 11th century, with medieval landlords spreading straw across the floor for drinkers who wanted to stay the night.
These are good times for the ivy-clad Bush Hotel, privately owned since 2018. The majority of the rooms and suites have undergone a major makeover, with a refurbishment programme starting on the last 17 rooms. The Bush is now probably in better shape than it has been for the last 900 years.
Good times time for Farnham too, awarded the status of World Craft Town in 2020. It is just one of three such honoured towns in Europe. Also, Farnham has been identified by The Sunday Times as one of the best towns to live in England. This thriving town has an annual craft month in October, a Literary Festival in March and a monthly market hosted in The Maltings.
Down in the south-west corner of Surrey, close to the Hampshire border, idyllic Farnham, with its chocolate box cobbles and timbers, is less than an hour by train from London and a mere hour’s drive from the South Coast.
Increasingly The Bush Hotel is hosting guests heading to Farnham for the arts and crafts, biking and hiking in the Surrey Hills or taking in the beauty of the Downs.
The welcome
Despite its town centre location, The Bush has ample parking. We took the lavender-lined path through the lawns and striped deck-chairs to a warm welcome at reception.
The suite
Each suite and room is unique, designed with original art, individual colour palettes and distinctive soft-furnishings. Within the original Grade 2 listed building, there is the grand Bush Suite, three other suites and vintage rooms.
Our suite looks onto the High Street but effective double-glazing reduces passing traffic to a whisper. A small-lounge featuring a two-seater sofa is the place to read the Surrey guide-book that is provided.
A coffee-maker, tea tray and fridge for chilled water all add to the make-yourself-at-home comfort.
The bathroom
A large shower takes up the width of the well-lit, grey-walled, wooden-floored bathroom.
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The facilities
With exuberant glossy-leafed banana plants, four gilded chandeliers and rattan chairs there is a Palm Court feel to The Garden Restaurant with its slick service.
We were there for Sunday lunch, as were a number of knowing locals. A perfectly balanced carrot and coriander soup and a large salmon and cream cheese parcel made for promising starters. A wine pairing recommendation for each dish is a helpful.
We opted for succulent beef and the perfectly roasted cornfed half-chicken from a choice of roasts that included pork and a vegan wellington. A selection of roast vegetables, a ginormous Yorkshire pudding and rich gravy worked well with all the roast options. Beyond the Sunday roasts, fish and chips plus burgers were also on the menu.
As with so much at The Bush, the timbered bar, blends old and new. Croquet mallet heads decorate the walls, recalling the days when croquet was played on the hotel’s lawns. Yet with a nod to contemporary sports bars, the wide screen features TNT sports channels.
Or you can take your drinks outside on a serene terrace featuring outsize terracotta planters of white hydrangeas. Deckchairs on the lawn look towards a church which once a month hosts the Spire Repair Cafe.
The location
Farnham is home to the University of Creative Arts. As well as onsite exhibitions, visitors will find the work of its students and graduates in the New Ashgate Gallery and at The Maltings.
Throughout Farnham makers create. With a red hot flame of creativity blacksmiths work on metals, a puppet-maker brings new characters to life and weavers use a vast palate of colours and textures. Whilst potters continue and develop a tradition dating back to the Roman occupation.
Farnham Sculpture Park is a six miles drive away. Take two to three hours to meander through 650 modern and contemporary sculptures displayed over 10 acres of arboretum and water gardens. Every sculpture from dragons to a military tank, made from 20,000 pieces of reclaimed pallet and marine wood, is for sale or hire (subject to negotiation).
Biking, sensory, tree-line and walking trails at Alice Holt Forest make for another great day out from Farnham.
Other nice touches
Available from reception, the history of The Bush tells the story of the last 900 years.
In the Oak Room, frescoes only uncovered in 1931 are carefully preserved. Prudish Victorians had thought the naked cherubs too cheeky for public display. Look up to the ceiling and you will see the rarity of an indoor sundial. The sun’s rays, arriving via the gardens, helped long-gone generations keep track of the time.
Throughout the hotel there is an eclectic selection of art. Antiquarian maps, architectural plans, avant-garde portraits, Constable-like rural scenes, contemporary bursts of colour, formal 19th century portraits and satirical cartoons do their best to sum up nine centuries of history.
The neighbouring Petite Patisserie, owned by the hotel, is run by pastry chef Leyre Pedrazuela, featured in the 2019 Bake Off, The Professionals series. Few guests can resist calling in for a high-end exquisitely presented dessert with a coffee.
The cost
Rooms start with a Classic Double, inclusive of breakfast for two, from £161.
The best bit
Location, location, location. From reception, you can step out through a cobbled courtyard into the very heart of Farnham. Art galleries, independent shops and even a Gin and Chocolate shop, selling 400 different gins, are all within a short stroll.
Farnham Castle is within walking distance too. The building dates back to around 1138, often hosting royalty in its early centuries. Though it should not be forgotten that Oliver Cromwell stayed at The Bush in 1648.
Alternatively, you can relax in The Bush’s spacious grounds or The Oak Room with afternoon tea.
The final verdict
The Bush Hotel and Farnham are both flying way under the radar. Visit this charming, historic hotel in a uniquely arty town before the crowds discover them.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by The Bush Hotel Farnham.
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael had his first travel pieces published nearly four decades ago, he is still finding new luxury destinations to visit and write on.
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It’s hard to believe that this little patch of Merrie Olde England is less than an hour from London. The Bush must be full of Londoners wanting to get a breadth of fresh air into their lungs.
Surprisingly Jeff, Farnham isn’t that busy. It’s still something of a secret. The accolade of Craft Town is fairly recent and to use a travel cliche it is an “undiscovered gem.”
So nice to read about a thriving market town with thriving arts too at a time when our towns are being dominated by bland chains of shops.
It’s also encouraging to see an independent hotel going from strength to strength. Again the big chains of hotels are dominating and not in a good way.
Yes, The Bush is definitely thriving and the owners seem very willing to invest. From the pictures of the public areas you can see that they are determined to create a relaxed and welcoming sense of luxury.
Last time I was in Farnham I called into that patisserie which looks as if it’s straight out of Paris and everything tasted as good as it looks. If not better. I had no idea that it was owned by the hotel.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth then a visit to the patisserie is a non-negotiable. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Farnham. We couldn’t resist buying a lot more delicious little cakes to take home with us.
I don’t know Farnham at all but it’s incredible to think that you can get this much peace and quiet at the heart of a town, probably only driven through it a couple of times.
With my commercial hat on it’s hard to even estimate how much that prime site must be worth today.
Let’s hope that The Bush stays as it is and that developers don’t target the grounds. As the hotel is Grade 2 listed and Farnham seems very intent on preserving its heritage I would hope that The Bush can continue to celebrate its rich history for many years to come!
Didn’t even know that there were craft towns. My partner would love all the arts around Farnham.
If your partner’s that keen on crafts you ought to take a look at the programme of arts and crafts workshops at The Maltings and build that into your visit.
Not having much idea where Farnham is I had to look it up on a map. As it’s a little over 2 hours drive from us it’s prime weekend break territory.
I’ve got to admit to not having heard that it’s a craft town. It certainly seems to have lots of attractions and the Bush Hotel has to be the place to stay.
No doubt at all that The Bush is THE place to stay in Farnham!
Some friends visited the Sculpture Park recently. They said it was so good that they did a couple of hours and took a break for lunch in the pub across the road and then went back to the park for more sculptures.
There’s an incredible variety to the sculptures on display which you’d expect as the pieces come from hundreds of different sculptors.
The variety of the landscape helps too with the backdrop, especially the reflections from the ponds. As it’s set in a densely wooded valley the park seems to have its own warm micro-climate with bamboo thriving.
Although I probably read A Luxury Travel Blog for inspiration on the trips of a lifetime like the yacht charters, the Caribbean and the safaris, I still get a lot of pleasure and useful intel on short breaks closer to home.
Personally, I would argue that a well-timed and well-chosen short-break has a lot of benefits for your well-being.
Although working from home has its advantages it does mean that for many people work and home become the same thing. It does you good to escape from both for a few days.
From what you say about the menu it looks very sensible and not too OTT. When you’re trying to do a family get together meal you don’t want a menu that’s too avant- garde or too nouveau cuisine. The oldies don’t like the avant- garde and the teenagers are too hungry for nouveau cuisine portions!
Yes, it’s a menu that suits many people.
Whilst out and about I overheard a conversation between locals over coffee in The Maltings. One couple had been invited by friends to dinner at The Bush and almost didn’t go. When they turned up they were astounded by the quality of the food and how much the hotel had improved in the last few years.
Travel writers and travellers are always looking for the hidden gem or the place that’s flying under the radar. We all hope to get there before it becomes the next big thing.
Farnham obviously qualifies as a hidden gem. Has anybody got any other recommendations for towns that would make for a surprisingly good weekend or midweek break?
If you want picturesque pretty and lots of country character, Sherborne would be a good choice.
In complete contrast is industrial, grimy Coventry. Not much greenery there but a heroic cathedral rebuilt from the ruins of the Second World War. Plenty of history about as Coventry was at the heart of the British motor industry and the birth of two-tone music too.
As much as I love living and working in London it is absolutely brilliant to sometimes escape for a long weekend.
Like many Londoners I don’t run a car. Anywhere, like Farnham that’s out in the country and can easily be reached by train becomes a very attractive destination for an escape.
The Bush is excellent value too.
If I remember rightly, the quickest train from Waterloo to Farnham is 52 minutes. When a journey’s that short you could leave work on a Friday evening getting you there in time for dinner at The Bush and giving you a full day to explore the town and its charms on the Saturday.