History has been made as a ten-year bid to write chapter and verse about a village near Farnham has been completed.

John Birch and Roy Waight deserve a well-earned rest from writing as The History of Wrecclesham has been released after more than a decade of research and preparation.

The 274-book gives an incredible insight into the life and times of the village and details every facet of its history from its pubs and shops to sporting achievements.

The publication features countless maps and archive photographs among its 38 chapters and four appendices with sections devoted to cemeteries, institutions, churches, farms, schools, transport and the conservation area among others.

There’s also fascinating insights into the likes of Wrecclesham Pottery, The Knight’s almshouses, The Isabella Shroder Trust and a recap of The Wrecclesham Tragedy where a villager was murdered.

Services to Farnham Award John Birch
John Birch (front row, bottom left) is a past recipient of a Services to Farnham Award. The author of The History of Wrecclesham has spent around a decade working on it. (Farnham Town Council )

The labour of love – which will soon be available in the Lion & Lamb branch of Waterstones, Amazon and other local good bookshops – owes a great deal to the Wrecclesham History Project and its contributors.

The project began around the same time that Messrs Birch and Waight released their first book ‘Old Julius’ which highlighted the dynamic contribution of the Reverend Henry Julius to the villages of Wrecclesham and Rowledge.

Prompted by the work of the late Peter Watkins – who the book is dedicated to – and “celebrated Farnham research Queen” Pat Heather, The WHP was launched with Mr Birch being its inaugural chairman and holding the post for ten years.

The group’s loyal followers and contributors met regularly for more than a decade in Leverton Hall with a different topic relevant to the village’s past and present being chosen for each meeting.

There were information displays and short talks and a briefing paper was prepared for each meeting, with the resulting papers written by Mr Birch eventually forming the chapters of the book.

“When I retired from working I wanted something to do as I lived in Wrecclesham and was interested in history,” said Mr Birch.

“One or two people were doing similar work so I set up a history project and the book is the eventual result of that.”

“At every meeting we had a briefing about a topic relevant to the village and people chatted and shared their memories and knowledge,” added Mr Birch, who was presented with a Services to Farnham Award in 2023 by the town council.

The History of Wrecclesham book
The History of Wrecclesham book (Marcus McQuilton)

“It’s taken about ten years to put the book together so there’s a lot of work that’s gone into it. The WHP is also still meeting.”

Mr Birch is credited as the book’s author while Mr Waight helped with its compilation and added an “interesting opening chapter” to the impressive publication.

“Roy has been a big help and he’s a chap from the Farnham Museum Committee,” said Mr Birch, adding: “I think it was his idea to put all the papers together so he definitely deserves some credit for his part.”

If you are interested in purchasing the book head to https://tinyurl.com/ybke9a97