The town of Farnham in Surrey lies south west of London, on the River Wey. The original settlement dates from the Saxon period although little survives of it today. Following the Norman invasion the Bishop of Winchester built an earthen motte-and-bailey fort overlooking the Saxon settlement. It was redeveloped as stone castle in the twelfth century, a substantial part of which still stands. The same period saw the construction of St Andrew-s Parish Church. The layout of the town was given a T-shaped plan that was enclosed by a town ditch that partially survives. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century the town prospered and an extensive range of Georgian street-scapes and buildings were laid within the boundaries, including Castle Street, West Street, the Bough, and Downing Street, with most of the Georgian fabric surviving. Each of these streets has outstanding Georgian housing and public buildings including the Museum in Downing Street, and town house developments in West Stree
