A free Maltings talk on 14 September puts the team restoring Willmer House on stage: the £1.2m Museum of Farnham facade project explained by its conservators.
The people restoring Willmer House, the Grade I listed Georgian town house on West Street that is home to the Museum of Farnham, will explain the project at a free public event on Monday 14 September, and booking is now open. Waverley Borough Council announced the evening, called Another Brick in the Wall: Restoring Willmer House, on 7 August. (Waverley Borough Council, 7 August 2026)
The panel discussion runs from 7.30pm to 9pm in the Great Hall at Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, with doors at 7pm. Admission is free but places must be booked in advance through the Maltings box office on 01252 745444 or at farnhammaltings.com. The event is organised by The Farnham Society in partnership with the borough council.
Who is on the panel
The speakers are the specialists actually doing the work: Graham Abrey, the project’s lead conservation surveyor, and Emma Simpson MBE, a historic brick conservator, joined by local historian and author Dr Roy Waight and representatives of the two bodies funding most of the project, Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The evening covers the architectural significance of the house, what conservation-led restoration means in practice, and the challenges of maintaining historic buildings today, illustrated with historic photographs and architectural drawings. (Farnham Maltings event listing)
Councillor Kika Mirylees, Waverley’s portfolio holder, called Willmer House “a building of enormous historical and cultural significance to Farnham”. Simon Bradbury of The Farnham Society described it as “one of the finest examples of Georgian brickwork in the country”. (Waverley Borough Council)
The £1.2 million project behind the scaffolding
Willmer House was built in 1718 and its facade of gauged brickwork is the reason for its Grade I listing. The restoration, costed at £1.2 million, covers urgent external repairs to the principal facade: rebuilding the parapet wall, replacing the brick cornice, reconstructing the second-floor window arches, restoring the timber sash windows, repairing the Portland stone and cleaning the facade. Arts Council England is contributing £734,335 through its Museum Estate and Development fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund £230,310, with the balance from Waverley Borough Council, Farnham Town Council, the Farnham and District Museum Society and public donations. (Farnham Maltings, funding announcement)
The scaffolding went up in January 2025 and the work was originally expected to finish by the end of that year; the council now expects completion during 2026. The museum has stayed open throughout. Residents can still support the work through the council’s Every Brick Counts campaign, which offers a named brick on a museum plaque for £50, or larger packages at £200 and £1,000 that include an invitation to the reopening celebration. (Waverley Borough Council, Buy a Brick)
What it means for you
If you want to go: the talk is free, lasts 90 minutes with no interval, and needs booking ahead through the Farnham Maltings box office on 01252 745444. The Maltings is on Bridge Square in the town centre; our roadworks and travel page has the current picture on parking and getting into town.
If you want to see the building itself: the Museum of Farnham remains open during the works, and the museum and other local days out are covered in our things to do in Farnham guide.
If you want to contribute: donations of any amount can be made through the council’s Every Brick Counts page, and the named-brick packages remain available while the campaign runs.
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