Farnborough

Farnborough is a town in the northeastern corner of the English county of Hampshire, adjacent to the borders with Surrey and Berkshire. Once an isolated hamlet, Farnborough grew into a medium-sized town over the course of the 20th century. This growth was built on the back of the aviation industry; Farnborough was the site of the first powered flight in Britain, made by Samuel Cody in 1904. Today, the aerospace, defence and technology industries thrive and aviation heritage is evident all around the town. Farnborough is best known as the home of the biennial Farnborough International Airshow, which has been running since 1948.

The town is also the final resting place of deposed French Emperor Napoléon III and his wife Eugénie de Montijo.

Orientation
The northeasternmost town in Hampshire, Farnborough is contiguous with Aldershot (with which it shares a local authority, the Borough of Rushmoor) to the south, and Camberley (in Surrey) to the north. The town's eastern boundary is marked by the River Blackwater, on the other side of which are the suburban villages Ash, Frimley and Mytchett, which are nowadays considered part of Camberley. Farnborough Airport is immediately to the south-west of the town centre, and west of that is beautiful mixed forest and heathland leading to Fleet.

Although locals divide Farnborough north and south, and into other named areas not relevant here, the visitor may understand it better as a town of four quadrants: The modern town centre sits where these four quadrants meet.
 * The north-west covers the mostly residential areas known as Cove and Southwood, which were formerly independent villages. Although there are some older buildings, the bulk of this part's urbanisation took place in the mid- to late 20th century, and there is little here of interest to a visitor.
 * The north-east is separated from the NW by Farnborough Road. This is the oldest part of town and contains the former village centre (Farnborough Street), the parish church of St Peter, St Michael's Abbey and Farnborough Hill House (Farnborough Park).
 * The south-east was Farnborough's 19th-century town centre, and is still today predominantly Victorian in character, known as South Farnborough or North Camp. It is mixed residential and commercial, and has many of the best restaurants and pubs.
 * The south-west is dominated by Farnborough Airport, and the high-tech industry, business parks and hotels which surround it. This is also the location of the RAE Heritage Quarter and FAST Museum.

Early history
While Farnborough has been settled for at least 1000 years (it was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ferneberga, Old English for "Fern Hill"), it was for most of its history a tiny hamlet in the midst of a lawless and remote heathland, on the outer edges of Windsor Forest, a royal hunting estate. Its location at the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire meant it was frequently used by outlaws as diverse as highwaymen and illegal boxers; before the 20th century, county police forces had no powers beyond their areas of jurisdiction, so all criminals had to do to escape justice was pass from one county to the next. The area's comparative remoteness and frontier town vibes kept Farnborough small for centuries; there are therefore few buildings today that date from before the 19th century, and those that do are rustic-looking timber-framed cottages.

The arrival of the British Army to neighbouring Aldershot in the mid-1800s brought more settlers to the area, and many officers built fine villas in what is now Farnborough's southern suburb of North Camp - so called because it is north of the Army garrison ("camp"). Shops, services and a town hall sprang up to serve the growing community, and North Camp remained Farnborough's commercial centre for another hundred years.

The French Connection
The town welcomed foreign royalty in 1880, when the Empress Eugénie de Montijo moved into Farnborough Hill, a manor house and estate. Eugénie was the Spanish-born widow of Emperor Napoléon III of France. Following the Franco-Prussian War and revolution of 1870, the deposed imperial family fled to England, where they settled in Kent. The Emperor died in 1873, but was survived by his wife and the couple's only child, Louis Napoléon Eugène. The prince imperial was the last hope for a Bonapartist restoration, until he was killed by Zulu warriors while serving with the British Army in southern Africa in 1879. The following year, the grieving Empress moved into and greatly expanded Farnborough Hill, transforming it into a château where she received regular visits from her close friend, Queen Victoria. On the estate, she ordered the construction of a neo-Gothic Roman Catholic monastery, to which were invited monks of the Benedictine order from France, who were to watch over the imperial mausoleum. Named for St Michael, the monastery was made an abbey by the Pope in 1903. Remaining in Farnborough until her death in 1920, Eugénie is buried in the family crypt of the abbey alongside her husband and son.

Aviation pioneers
Farnborough got its economic breakthrough when the Army set up a balloon factory on what was then a grassy plain on the western edge of town. In 1904, the Iowa-born wild west showman Samuel Franklin Cody designed and flew his 'Army Aeroplane Number One' in what was Britain's first powered flight. Within a few years the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), as the Army balloon factory was now known, had made Farnborough its headquarters, and the grassy plain was transformed into an airfield. Cody continued to develop prototype aircraft, and became increasingly ambitious, entering competitions such as the 'Circuit of Britain' and the 'Michelin Cup'. In 1913, his luck finally ran out when his latest prototype broke up mid-flight; Cody and his unfortunate passenger were thrown to their deaths. His funeral procession was attended by 100,000 people and he is buried in Aldershot Military Cemetery.

Ever since Cody's era, the town has been synonymous with the aviation industry. Captured enemy aircraft were 'reverse engineered' in Farnborough during the Second World War, helping to give the RAF the edge over the Luftwaffe. This caused tragedy when a test pilot lost control of a Dornier Do-335 over the town and crashed into a local primary school, scattering burning debris and fuel over the schoolyard. The pilot was killed instantly, but by extremely good fortune, there were only a few minor injuries sustained by the children and their teachers. Post-war, the innovation continued. Jet engines were pioneered here in the mid-1940s, while supersonic passenger flight was successfully engineered with Concorde in the 1960s, continuing Farnborough's French connection. The RAE and airport were privatised in the 1990s, but several large aerospace and defence corporations continue to have their headquarters in the town, while the airport is now Britain's busiest for business aviation.

Airshow
The first Farnborough International Airshow was held in 1948, and it has taken place every two years continuously in even-numbered years, with the exception of 2020. It is one of the largest airshows in the world, and is held over one week in the summer. FIA is primarily a civil and military trade show, facilitating trade and investment in aircraft and new technologies. It attracts a lot of press attention, usually sees the visit of high profile politicians and/or royalty, and also draws anti-arms trade and climate change protesters. The airshow ground is open to the public at the end of the week, on Saturday and Sunday. However, air displays take place every afternoon of the show, and these can easily be seen from most parts of the town.

Farnborough today
Farnborough's centre of gravity shifted away from North Camp in the 1960s, when a civic and shopping area was constructed closer to the town's geographical midpoint. The town's population of 57,000 (2019) largely stems from the post-war era, when slum clearance brought thousands of inner-city Londoners to new housing estates. Today's town centre dates from that period of questionable architectural tastes and car-centric planning. Farnborough is now firmly in the capital's commuter belt.

Since the 2000s, thousands of Nepalese people have made their home in Farnborough, Aldershot and the surrounding area, after a long campaign to give former British Gurkhas and their families the right to live in the UK. The presence of Nepali people, language, traditional dress and businesses is very noticeable.

Visitor information

 * Farnborough Visitor information from Visit Hampshire website

Get in


Farnborough is 35 miles south-west of central London.

By car
Farnborough is served by the M3 motorway (junctions 4 and 4a) which runs from London to Southampton. The town is about an hour's drive from central London, and 15 minutes from junction 12 of the M25. The A331 Blackwater Valley Road is a fast dual carriageway running from junction 4 along the eastern edge of Farnborough and Aldershot to the A31 Hog's Back Road (which links the A3 at Guildford with Winchester).

All listed 'see' and 'do' attractions, and most of the sleep listings, have on-site or nearby parking, and visitors to the town in general won't have trouble finding a car park. The Meads multi-storey car park on Kingsmead is particularly helpful, as are the Pinehurst car parks slightly further down the same road. Less useful is the "secret car park" on the roof of Sainsbury's; since it was painted up, it has only been accessible to pedestrians, as a ramp up from the road was never built! Its 'discovery' by a reporter in 2016 prompted much derision in the national media.

By train
Farnborough is served by five railway stations, listed in decreasing order of utility:





For longer-distance rail travellers, Reading station is a regional hub for CrossCountry trains from Oxford, the Midlands, and the North, and for GWR trains from Wales and the West Country. From here, catch an onward train to North Camp or Farnborough North. Some CrossCountry services also stop at Basingstoke, which has more frequent links to Farnborough Main.

By bus
Frequent and direct local buses serve Farnborough from Aldershot, Camberley, Fleet and a few neighbouring villages. See below for details.

By plane
Farnborough is well served by airports. For travellers coming directly to Farnborough, the closest airports are:
 * London Heathrow Airport is  away. Drive to Farnborough via the M4, M25 and M3 motorways. Public transport options from Heathrow to Farnborough are indirect and take much longer than driving. You can either take a Rail Air bus shuttle to Woking railway station, and catch the train, or take the London Underground (Piccadilly line to Piccadilly Circus, then Bakerloo line to Waterloo) to London Waterloo and catch the train from there.
 * Southampton Airport is  away. Drive to Farnborough via the M27 and M3 motorways. You can also catch a train 2-3 times per hour from Southampton Airport Parkway to Farnborough Main, changing at either Winchester or Basingstoke; this takes about one hour.
 * London Gatwick Airport is  away. Drive to Farnborough via the M23, M25 and M3 motorways. Direct trains to Farnborough North and North Camp operate from Gatwick Airport station.
 * London Luton Airport is  away. Drive to Farnborough via the M1, M25 and M3 motorways. Trains connect Luton Airport Parkway to London St Pancras International every 35 minutes. From there, take the London Underground (Victoria line to Oxford Circus, then Bakerloo line to Waterloo) to London Waterloo station.

Farnborough also has its own private airport. There are no scheduled commercial flights to and from ; rather it is dedicated exclusively to private and business aviation. If you have the money, the sky really is the limitǃ

Get around
Farnborough is a small town and it is very easy and quick to get around on foot or by car. The town centre has lots of signs, maps and information boards for pedestrians. Parking is widely available, though you will be hard-pressed to find anything free.

By bike
Farnborough has a good network of cycle routes, the majority being either off-road or along lanes segregated from motor traffic. Some of these are shared with pedestrians, and some are reserved for bikes. There are a few unsegregated cycle lanes, but these are mostly on minor roads. Signage is comprehensive with accurate distances, though some of the signs have been vandalised and now point the wrong way, so it would be best to have a map to hand, so check out CycleStreets.



By bus
Local bus routes serve the town from in the town centre. All routes are operated by Stagecoach, though Surrey County Council publish the most informative timetables and maps.

Count on a single within Farnborough costing up to £2 and a return costing up to £4. Alternatively, you can buy a "day rider" for £6.30 or a "night rider" for £2.50; these allow for unlimited travel within the specified time and cover the whole network in the Blackwater Valley: Farnborough, Aldershot, Camberley, Farnham, Fleet, and surrounding suburbs. Pay with contactless if you can, though the driver should also accept cash. (October 2021)

All times given are the earliest and latest departures from Kingsmead:
 * 1: Camberley-Frimley-Farnborough (Main station, Kingsmead, College of Technology, North Camp)-Aldershot. Daily 5AM-midnight every 10-15 min during the day, every 30 min after 8PM.
 * 2: Farnborough (Kingsmead, Cove, Fernhill, Hawley Lane)-Frimley-Frimley Park Hospital-Heatherside-Camberley. M-F 5:50AM-8:20PM every min. Sa 7:05AM-8:20PM, every 30 min. Su 9AM-6:10PM, every hour.
 * 9: Within Farnborough (Kingsmead, Cove, Southwood). M-F 9:10AM-2:10PM. Every hour.
 * 10: Farnborough (Kingsmead, Sixth Form College, Cove)-Fleet-Church Crookham. M-F 7:35AM-5:40PM roughly every hour, Sa 8:25AM-5:25PM. every 90 min.
 * 11: Farnborough (Kingsmead, Main station, Rectory Road)-Mytchett-Frimley Green-Deepcut-Heatherside-Camberley-Frimley Park Hospital. M-F 7:50AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM. Every hour.
 * 41: Frimley Park Hospital-Farnborough (North station, Highgate Lane, Kingsmead, Farnborough Park, North Camp, North Camp Station)-Ash Vale-Ash-Tongham. M-F 9:20AM-1:10PM. Every hour.
 * YoYo: Within Farnborough (Kingsmead, Cove, Cherrywood Road, Prospect Estate). M-F 5:55AM-5:45PM every 10 min, Sa 7AM-7:15PM every 15 min, Su 8:15AM-6:15PM every 30 min
 * (October 2021)

By taxi
Farnborough has both hackney carriages (black cabs), which can be pre-booked or hailed on the street, and minicabs, which must be pre-booked. Minicabs' fares are unregulated, so prices can be negotiated. Hackney carriage fares are regulated by the borough, and use a meter: weekday daytimes cost £3 base fare, plus £0.20 for every 150 yards travelled. Evenings and weekends cost £3.60 base fare, plus £0.20 for every 150 yards travelled; after 11PM, this goes up to £4.50 base fare, plus £0.30 for every 150 yards travelled. (October 2021)

See
In general terms, Farnborough is not a tourist town, but there are a few sights worth seeing, especially for those interested in history.

Aviation
After touring the museum, you can visit the following sites on foot:

Many of the Royal Aircraft Establishment's buildings and structures are listed, and have been sympathetically integrated into a modern mixed-used business and residential neighbourhood beside the airport called the RAE Heritage Quarter. This area is accessed by walking 300 m north from the museum along Farnborough Rd. At the car dealership, turn left onto an unsigned road which is confirmed as O'Gorman Ave after 100 m. First along here, on both sides of the road, are three buildings that house the. There are a couple of information panels to read, but otherwise there's not much to see, other than the on wind tunnel building Q121, Hall Rd. The FAST Museum runs guided tours of the tunnels from March to October; see below. Walk clockwise around Q121 to its rear, and descend a set of steps; you'll then come to the. This handsome art-deco building recalls some of the glamour of early air travel, and its important archives are open to the public on Wednesdays and Thursdays by appointment. Also inside is the Aviator's Café (M-F 8AM-3PM), serving coffees, cakes and sandwiches.

From outside the library, a passage between two red office buildings will get you to the quarter's central piazza, popular with lunching office workers and scootering children, and dominated by the cathedral-like metal. Built in 1911, this vast skeleton is a ghostly reminder of how different aviation could have been were it not for a series of catastrophic accidents in the 1930s which killed off the nascent airship industry.

Other sites around town which may be of interest:



Imperial and religious history
"A little corner of England which is forever France, irreclaimably French"

- Monsignor Ronald Knox, on St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough



The Empress Eugénie's former home is now a private girls' school, called. This is an impressive grade-I listed monument, essentially a country château mixing French neo-gothic and English mock Tudor styles. It is not open to the public at any time. The best view of the house you can get without trespassing on the estate is from a which runs between Ship Lane and Highgate Lane. The distance allows you to view the building in its entirety, but you can't see many of the architectural details. When the school is closed, look out for wildlife including foxes and Canada geese.

Indoor activities




Outdoor activities




Parks and greenspace
All but one of these are owned and managed by the borough's parks department,.











Tours
Volunteer experts from the FAST Museum run guided visits to some of the unique aviation heritage. With limited numbers of visitors allowed on each tour, reservation is essential.





Work
Farnborough has a high concentration of science and technology firms, and is a frequent destination for business travel. Macquarie Infrastructure operates the airport, while Farnborough International are responsible for the airshow and a large events venue. Defence corporations BAE Systems and QinetiQ both have their world headquarters here, and BMW has its UK HQ in the town. The government's Air Accident and Rail Accident Investigation Branches (AAIB/RAIB) are based on the edge of the airfield. Other major employers include Autodesk, FlightSafety, Fluor, Gulfstream, Syneos Health, Qualcomm, and Zurich.

Buy
The town centre is reasonably well-equipped with high street chains and supermarkets, but it has a smaller range of shops than might be expected for a town its size. Built between the 1960s and the present day, with some parts still a literal construction site, the result is a depressingly ugly mix of indoor shopping malls (Kingsmead and Princes Mead), pedestrianised high street (Queensmead) and retail parks.



In the south of Farnborough, the suburb of North Camp has a varied selection of independent specialist shops, including bakeries, butchers, delicatessens, book shops, and sports and outdoor equipment stores.

For a more complete shopping experience, the nearby town of Camberley is more promising, and slightly further afield Basingstoke, Guildford, Kingston upon Thames, Reading and Woking are the leading regional shopping centres, central London notwithstanding.

Eat
North-East Hampshire is the place to try Nepalese food in Britain, being home to around 10,000 Nepali people. The town also has a good choice of independent restaurants and cafés to suit any taste or budget and, with some exceptions, is mercifully free of the chain restaurants found everywhere else (if you're looking for the likes of Pizza Express or Nando's, go to Aldershot). Some pubs listed in the 'drink' section also serve food, but are primarily known as drinking establishments.

Budget
You will find most of the usual selection of chain coffee shops and fast food, but below are some independent budget eateries worth your time:





Drink
Farnborough is something of a ghost town after dark, despite the cinema and great restaurant selection bringing in extra evening footfall. Visitors looking for proper nightlife are advised to head into London. The glittering lights of the wallet-munching West End are only 45 minutes away on the train and Tube, after all. The last train home leaves Waterloo just after 1AM, though true night owls will hold out for the first morning service at 5:30AM!

For those content with a quieter evening, Farnborough does offer a selection of decent pubs and bars, many of which hum with locals on weekend nights. If nothing else, you will find a proper pint and good conversation.



Sleep
Farnborough is a common destination for business travellers, and is a well-connected location for exploring London and the South East (see below), so has a strong and varied accommodation base. Rooms are most in demand in the weeks before, during and after the airshow.

Phone
Farnborough's area code for landline numbers is 01252 when dialled from within the UK or +44 1252 from outside the UK. Calls made from one local landline to another do not require the area code to connect.

Worship
Churches for most Christian denominations are present in Farnborough. Camberley has the nearest mosque, while Aldershot hosts Buddhist and Hindu temples. The nearest synagogue is in Guildford.

Go next
If you're exploring South East England, Farnborough is a great place to base yourself. All the towns and attractions listed below are within 30 miles of Farnborough (with one obvious exception!), and many are a lot closer.

Immediate vicinity

 * Aldershot, Farnborough's immediate neighbour to the south, is the natural next port of call. The "home of the British Army" is home to two military museums, an artificial ski slope and a lido, as well as Rushmoor's two theatres.
 * Camberley, the neighbouring town to the north with a wider range of shops, the Royal Logistics Corps Museum and the popular canal-side Frimley Lodge Park.
 * Farnham, an historic market town with an attractive selection of independent shops and a castle. Just to the south is avian zoo Birdworld.
 * Fleet, the neighbouring town to the west, has the 28-ha Fleet Pond and surrounding nature reserve.
 * Guildford, the nearby county town of Surrey has the newest Anglican cathedral in Britain, an art deco masterpiece dating from the 1930s.
 * Odiham, a small Georgian market town surrounded by pretty countryside and a castle which was once besieged by the French.
 * Sandhurst, a village whose name is synonymous with military prestige, as it is where all British Army officers receive initial training.
 * Woking, another commuter town like Farnborough with its own sights, including the oldest mosque in Britain.
 * Brookwood Cemetery, a vast civilian and military cemetery with potentially hours of interest. One stop on the train from Farnborough Main and the south exit of Brookwood station leads directly into the cemetery.

Further afield

 * London is impossible to sum up in a sentence, and impossible to miss out when you're this close.
 * Alton is a pretty mid-Hants market town, start of the Watercress Line steam railway, and near to the homes of Jane Austen and Gilbert White.
 * Ascot is perfect for a day at the races, with the annual highlight being Royal Ascot.
 * Hampton Court Palace is often compared unfavourably to Versailles - by fools overlooking the magnificent 500-year-old royal palace in front of them!
 * The South Downs National Park's rolling chalk hills are south of Farnham.
 * Winchester, the ancient cathedral city of King Alfred the Great.
 * Windsor, home to the famous royal castle and expansive Great Park. Nearby Eton is home to the prestigious boys' school, while Runnymede was the island where King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta.
 * A trio of theme parks: Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland and Thorpe Park
 * Tons of fine gardens and stately homes: RHS Wisley, Clandon Park, Hatchlands Park, Leith Hill, Loseley and Painshill (all near Guildford), Bushy Park (Kingston-upon-Thames), Ham House, Richmond Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew), The Vyne (Tadley), Highclere Castle (north Hampshire, near Newbury), Valley Gardens and Savill Garden (Windsor Great Park).
 * Oberursel, Farnborough's German twin town, is a medieval gem near Frankfurt.