History
The Victoria Garden has a long and interesting history. It sits on the site of Farnham’s first open air swimming bath, constructed in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
The garden which receives awards every year as part of Farnham in Bloom is owned by the Farnham Swimming Baths Trust and run by a Friends’ committee who raise the money needed for planting and maintenance. The work is done by volunteers under the supervision of the Trust and volunteers are always needed. The garden is a lovely peaceful place in the centre of the town, where the sound of traffic fades into the distance and visitors can relax on benches in the sun enjoying the flowers and watching birds flit to and fro from a plentiful supply of bird feeders.
For nearly a hundred years the site was a public swimming bath, built in 1897 by a charitable trust set up to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, with money raised by donations from townspeople. A grand commemorative archway entrance was designed by the Farnham architect Harold Falkner and a big opening ceremony was held, formally performed by Queen Victoria’s daughter in law the Duchess of Albany.
Generations of children learned to swim in the swimming bath, which was at first run by the Swimming Baths Trust and later by Farnham Urban District Council. In the 1930s a second larger pool was set up next to the original one which became a shallow pool for learners. Waverley Borough Council took over responsibility for it under local government reorganisation in 1974, but in the 1980s the council built a new leisure centre with an indoor pool, and the old pools were closed down.
The site remained derelict until the 1990s when ownership was reclaimed from the Council by the reconstituted Farnham Swimming Baths Trust, made up of representatives of local groups. This Trust decided to turn the site into a garden and raised over £100,000 to set it up. The design is by Marion Woodward of the Surrey Gardens Trust and the garden was opened in 1997 by the Duchess of Gloucester.
The garden features a children’s box hedge maze, a chessboard and a hopscotch court, and its history is recalled with a statue of a little shivering boy by local artist Jane Jones, called “Outdoor Bathing”. A terracotta plaque was commissioned in 2012 on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating the Diamond Jubilees of two great Queens.
Volunteering in this lovely little garden is a pleasure. The volunteers organise sociable fund-raising events and an annual lecture.
(Submitted by Sue Farrow)