Hook Herald

General information

THE FARNHAM HERALD series of newspapers began life as the brainchild of E.W. Langham, who started a small printing office premises off South Street, in Farnham, in 1892. Its popularity and rapidly increasing sales and circulation inspired Mr. Langham to start an office in West Street, Haslemere, and produce a Haslemere Herald in 1896.

The two papers were so successful that on September 11th, 1897 Mr. Langham decided to combine them and introduced the "tudor" masthead which still exists today. "The paper for small advertisements" became one of its slogans. Various titles and new areas, including Alton, were added. The advertising increased and the circulation grew.

In the early 1900s Mr. Langham brought the Heralds to 114 West Street, the site of the old Farnham Post Office. Printing church magazines, auctioneer's posters, programmes, visiting cards, tickets, etc. as well as the Heralds, meant more machinery was required. More space to house it at the back of 114 West Street was provided by the large factory premises occupied until the end of 1989. The circulation and popularity of the Heralds continued to rise and by 1934 the papers were using pictures. The pagination grew from four to eight and, on occasion, to 10 broadsheet.

In 1934 Mr. Langham's only child, Norah, married Oliver Meddows-Taylor, an auctioneer's clerk, who was invited to come into the business, bringing with him new ideas and enlarging the premises yet again by the incorporation of the next door building. In 1946 Mr. Meddows-Taylor returned from army service with the rank of captain to become managing director.

Mr. Langham died in 1967 aged ninety-seven. Sir Ray Tindle CBE DL, the present chairman, subsequently purchased the Herald and has continued it as a family business, installing fully computerised production equipment and a web offset press.

Sir Ray served in the Devonshire Regiment in the Second World War being released with the rank of Captain in 1947. With his "demob gratuity" of £300 he entered the newspaper industry. He now owns 200 titles and 10 radio stations. Under his control for the last 36 years, the Herald has launched a further three titles so that it now covers Farnham, Haslemere, Alton, Liphook, Bordon and Petersfield. It is a modern and up-to-date newspaper series and is still the "paper for small advertisements". It is the flagship of Ray Tindle's Group.