At first I thought it must be my beer goggles but, no, your front page (Farnham Herald, February 6, 2025) did indeed feature a Conservative politician who had inserted himself into the photo accompanying your otherwise excellent story about the travails of our local pubs.

During the last Tory government, we saw our treasured pubs close at record levels. More than 4,000 called time permanently each year on average in the UK. The only region worse affected by this than ours was the North West.

I know that alcohol consumption can affect the brain, but it seems that the chief symptom for Greg Stafford is memory loss.

Nick Williams

Stoke Hills

Farnham

In reply to Dr R A J Nicholas’ letter (Herald, February 6, 2025), according to two books titled Branch Lines To Midhurst and Branch Lines Around Midhurst, published in the 1980s, on June 13, 1906, King Edward VII arrived at Midhurst railway station to open the new sanatorium.

There were two stations in Midhurst at that time. One station was on the London & South Coast Railway, so the train possibly came via Epsom or Guildford and branched off towards Horsham, then to Pulborough and Midhurst.

After arriving in Midhurst by rail, the journey to the sanatorium by carriage, about one and a half miles, was significantly shorter than travelling via Haslemere.

In 1906, the local roads must have been very rough and tiring for carriage passengers and horses, plus a retinue of court staff would also require transport.

There would be more suitable accommodation on what was no doubt a private train. Perhaps the King preferred to use that route as apparently he had previously visited West Dean with its local station for weekend parties and possibly Goodwood.

You readers may wonder why did he not travel via Petersfield and then on the 10-mile branch line to Midhurst and use the other station which belonged to the London & Southwest Railway.

Well, although this station does not look very grand from photos, and the line between the two stations had a weak bridge, which could only support one loaded goods wagon, the two railway companies were not very cooperative with each other. So, a through train from say Petersfield to Petworth or Pulborough did not happen until 1925, when the Southern Railway was formed incorporating both companies.

I did take a ride on the line with some school friends, from Petersfield to Midhurst, as many did just two weeks before it closed 70 years ago this month.

Nigel McBurney

Petersfield Road

Monkwood

While recently on a walk in Farnham Park, I briefly cut through part of White Bottom Field.

As part of the herd of grazing cows, there are currently several calves and a bull, and every entrance is festooned with notices requesting people keep their dogs leashed.

In the approximately two minutes I was in the field, I counted three separate groups with unleashed dogs, one of which started to run up to a calf before its owner called it back.

I'd love to know if it's ignorance or arrogance afflicting these unfortunate people.

Sam Bridgett

High Park Road

Farnham

Traversing the streets of Alton is not necessarily the safest thing at the best of times, but if you have restricted eyesight, mobility or hearing then the state of many of the pavements in our town creates an even more hazardous operation.

I have been advised that such matters can be reported to Hampshire County Council on line, but if your eyesight is failing and/or you do not have a computer then this is virtually impossible.

In order to present our local concerns to Hampshire County Council I was advised that a petition might help – only might I would stress.

However, whilst collecting names for the petition, I have also taken time to report one of the areas of concern. Amazingly this area has now been dealt with - whoopee! So filled with hope I have now reported another, and I await the outcome. However there are many more hazardous areas and to report them will take time. For a technophobe like me reporting on line takes an eternity and gives me a headache.

My questions are: why can’t local and/or county councillors or officers survey the centre of town, i.e., walk the streets, once in a while, to record the danger areas? Or maybe residents can report verbally to the town hall? Perhaps a councillor could be on duty in the town once a month so that reports can be made verbally? Officers would be much more adept at entering the location of the offending areas of pavement on to a system at a speedier pace.

Twice in the last week whilst out making a note of the dangerous pavements in the High Street, I have gone to cross the road and had to stop when I found a car reversing up the one way street. On the second occasion a car was actually turning and driving back down it. When I pointed out that the road is one way, I was duly ignored.

So you see there are dangers in our town, whether you are walking along the pavements or trying to cross the road. If you are unfortunate to suffer from a visual or physical impairment you really are taking your life in your hands!

I am also concerned that our voting rights are being suspended this year. Local residents are supposed to rejoice that Hampshire is one of the areas to be ‘fast tracked for devolution’. The hoped for outcome might be that the county can offload its debt, but for local folk I would imagine that getting action on local issues could be the fall guy in the process.

One final grouse whilst I’m on a roll, I beg anyone to walk under the railway bridge from Lower Turk Street into Ashdell Road towards King’s Pond. Have you ever seen such a state of both pavement and road? Mud and speeding traffic are the joys of this section if you dare to take the challenge!

Annette Blackman

Alton