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The Tumbledown Dick pub in Farnborough Road
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Report boosts battle to save Tumbledown Dick

By Tim Harris
January 14, 2013

THE campaign group battling to save an historic Farnborough pub has released a heritage report to underline the building’s worth.

A campaign started in autumn to save the Tumbledown Dick pub in Farnborough Road and a committee – the Friends of the Tumbledown Dick – has formed.

It emerged late last year that the pub, known as the Tumbly, had been linked with a sale to McDonald’s.

The campaign group hope the newly released heritage report will be their strongest weapon in the fight to save the venue.

It follows a report by an independent historic buildings expert, commissioned by Rushmoor Borough Council, which ruled the Tumbledown did not meet the criteria for listed building status.

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The campaign group’s report read: “The Tumbledown Dick, hotel, public house and posting house and Hampshire treasure has existed since the 16th century.

"There are surviving records for the manorial courts for the Manor of Farnborough dating back to the 16th century.

"Aside from the paying of rents and coroners’ inquests, the Tumbledown Dick was a place for locals and visitors to celebrate and be entertained, from post-match meals for cricket teams to grand celebrations for royal events.

"From the 20th century into the 21st it was the focal place in Farnborough for musical expression and entertainment.”

The Tumbledown has hosted bands such as Reuben, Hundred Reasons and The Jam, and Fran Beauchamp, of the Friends of the Tumbledown Dick, said: “We felt it necessary to publish our own heritage assessment report findings.

“A huge amount of research has been undertaken in libraries, museums and online. The Farnborough Society requested the Tumbly be added to their proposed list of ‘Buildings of Local Importance’ but for some reason it never made it.”

Ms Beauchamp added: “We hope to obtain listing status after our own application to English Heritage, who are reviewing it. We want people to understand how important the Tumbledown Dick is to what is left in Farnborough.”

The campaigners, with more than 2,500 Facebook supporters, have been critical of the heritage assessment commissioned by the council and carried out by Turley Associates.

Andrew Lloyd, chief executive for the council, underlined how the authority must take a "clear and objective approach".

“I have read the campaign group’s report and it is very interesting,” he said.

“We have been happy to co-operate with the group, we have no hidden agenda. We respect their right to do what they are doing.

"We recognised they are putting a tremendous effort in. The decision is for English Heritage.

"We know the building is in a poor state. What is important is what happens in future – it has to be one that is able to be delivered and sustained.”

Ms Beauchamp added: “We wish to see off McDonald’s and have significant local support.”

The Tumbledown Dick has been empty since 2008, after it was closed following a failed health inspection.

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I support the proposals but am not particularly impressed with some of what I read. Work on the cinema starts very soon.

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
16/01/2013 at 17:27

I see John, which is why sensible planning with a realistic view of what a future town centre should look like is paramount. There will not be a requirement to come to the Meads as most shopping will be online or at Tesco's meaning empty units and no council tax. You'll need other ways of getting people into the Meads if these units are to be filled and that can only realistically come from arts and leisure. If there is a successful cinema, theatre and musical venue then pubs and restaurants will be present and if people are in town then more shops may live. If there is no cinema, no theatre and no venue we are relying on pubs and restaurants... but what's the draw? I predict a ghost town

SpongeBob NoPants, Farnborough
16/01/2013 at 17:20

We have an ageing population and continual increases in funding are needed to care for them.

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
16/01/2013 at 17:10

Are you suggesting that the elderly don't want to be entertained?

SpongeBob NoPants, Farnborough
16/01/2013 at 16:59

What about the elderly, vulnerable, etc ?

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
16/01/2013 at 16:50

The council should really have placed the arts at the top of the list on their plans. In twenty years time town centres will be unrecognisable. If we concentrate on shop units they will simply be empty. The focus for town centres in the online world will be on restaurants, leisure and entertainment to exist alongside hairdressers, chemists and poundshops. I can only imagine how large shopping centres in small towns will look by then, but Farnborough is in a position to get the balance right before wasting any investment.... starting with TDD.

SpongeBob NoPants, Farnborough
16/01/2013 at 16:48

Remember that "state assistance" costs money. Rushmoor, although it didn't have to, commissioned a report to see if the Tumbly met the English Heritage criteria for listing. Andrew Lloyd spoke at the North Camp Matters Community Association last night (Tuesday) and outlined what Rushmoor could, or couldn't, do about the Tumbly. Their basic position for a while has been that the status quo wasn't acceptable. As they don't own the site they're extremely restricted:-(

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
16/01/2013 at 15:45

I agree with you in the main SpongeBob, but I'd like to point out in the council's defence that the Farnborough Town Centre Prospectus does outline that the 'Pinehurst' area "could also provide a suitable site for a community-led project to develop a theatre/cultural venue." Although it sounds like they expect the people to put in most of the work, I think they do support it in principle.

BlisteringBarnacles! , Sheffield / Farnborough
16/01/2013 at 11:27

I think you may be right that this is the kind of thing intended by Mr Cameron, John. But lets remember that the local council stated that there would not be an arts facility in Farnborough, following the controversy surrounding the Westy a few years back, so the population of farnborough has no choice to pursue this kind of action as there is simply no intention of state assistance. This fight is symbolic on several different levels.

1. The failure of Rushmoor/Hampshire to recognise the true heritage that this building represents to the people of Farnborough. 2. The normalisation of every community by placing the same old national/global brands in positions of community control. 3. The abandonment of Farnborough by it's authorities.

Rushmoor and Hampshire need to listen to their community and start getting behind the cause.

SpongeBob NoPants, Farnborough
16/01/2013 at 10:32

Although I was, perhaps, a little tongue in cheek with my Big Society comment, what the Friends are looking to do reminds me of what I think David Cameron meant.

County Councillor John Wall - Farnborough South Division (@CllrJohnWall), Farnborough, Hampshire
15/01/2013 at 18:15

@ County Councillor John Wall Perhaps we could call it the Big Society.....

But not as the LibLabContrick would like it, the people of our country are sick and tired of being dictated to by local and national government and some of us are starting to do something about it through knowledge and debate

UKR
15/01/2013 at 14:25

This article is already slightly out of date (such is the curse of the news website!) in that the according to the Friends' Facebook site, the application for listing has been refused by English Heritage.