"We feel incredibly lucky to be custodians of this wonderful pub"

With its low timber beams, orange glass and newspaper cuttings from decades past, the William Cobbett seems to be stuck in a wonderful timewarp.

But Jess May and her family wouldn’t have it any other way – and you can probably say the same for anyone else who has enjoyed a swift half in the fabled Farnham pub.

“It’s such a unique place,” said Jess on raising a glass to 40 years of memories at the historic watering hole.

“It’s not your whitewashed generic pub that does a steak and beer deal every Tuesday, there’s just so much history.

“Ask anyone from Farnham and they know the Cobbett. It’s part of the town’s folklore and we feel incredibly lucky to be the custodians of it.”

Jess has a good reason to make a toast as yet another milestone has been reached in this most historic of pubs. It’s remained in the hands of her family for 40 years, stretching back to the days when a mobile phone was the size of a brick, and another Farnham – John – was telling Our Price customers that You’re The Voice.

This family affair began in 1986 when Peter and Shirley Rolfe were running The Duke of Cambridge in Tilford and their young daughters, Jess and Holly, were much too young to pull a pint. When the landlord of the Cobbett suddenly passed away, Peter and Shirley stepped in to run the Farnham pub in addition to the village local.

Seeing the potential, they signed the lease in August 1986 and ran both pubs until 1999, when they decided to concentrate on The Cobbett. They later made it free of tie by “wrestling it away” from Courage, with the family acquiring the freehold from a New York-based hedge fund in 2023 in a further “life-changing” move.

The interior has barely changed during the last four decades, although sadly the famed bust of William Cobbett is still missing. The story is of its first theft and return by “thieves with a social conscious” is indicative of the pub’s history, along with tales of the pub’s haunting and its countless lock-ins.

Peter sadly passed away following a short battle with cancer in 2008 with Jess agreeing four years later to help out for “an hour or two”. She wouldn’t do anything else now, and with the building and business in firm family hands – Shirley, Jess, Holly and fellow sibling James are all directors of PJ Rolfe Holdings – there’s no reason why the family won’t be celebrating again in another 40 years.

“It’s always been packed in here, full of students and all sorts of people,” added Jess.

“We’ve seen a few changes but I often look around and think to myself ‘if these walls could talk’.

“We have always been proud of being a bit different, not taking ourselves too seriously and running a place where everyone can be themselves.”

“We’re very proud it’s family run – I feel it’s in our blood so here’s to the next 40 years and beyond.”