Toponymy
The oldest surviving record of Guildford is from a copy of the will of Alfred the Great, in which the settlement appears as ''Gyldeforda''. The name is written as ''Gildeford'' inHistory
Early history
The earliest evidence of human activity in the Guildford area is from St Catherine's Hill, where Mesolithic flint tools have been found. There may also have beenAnglo-Saxon period
There is thought to have been an Anglo-Saxon settlement in the Guildford area by the early 6th century, although its precise location is unclear. Excavations in the 1930s revealed a Saxon cemetery at Guildown at the east end of the Hog's Back. Burials took place at the site up to the mid-11th century, but the oldest skeletons were buried in the late 6th century. The first written record of Guildford is from the will of Alfred the Great, dated to around 880, in which the settlement was left to his nephew, Aethelwold. Although it does not appear in the Burghal Hidage, compiled , by the end of the 10th century the town was sufficiently important to be the location of a Royal Mint. Coins were struck at Guildford from 978 until at least 1099. Around 220 of the skeletons excavated at Guildown are thought to be the remains of soldiers massacred during the arrest ofGovernance
InGuildford Castle
Guildford Castle is to the south of the modern town centre. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in Domesday Book, it is possible that it was included in one of the areas of land held by Ranulf Flambard. The date of its original construction is uncertain, but the consensus among historians is that it was built as aGuildford Friary
The Guildford Black Friary was a community of Dominicans, founded by Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III, around 1275. It occupied a site of around beside the River Wey, to the north of the Town Ditch (now North Street). Excavations in the 1970s revealed that the original buildings were arranged around three sides of a central cloister, with a church to the south, chapter house to the east and kitchen to the north. The community was never large; in 1336 there were only 20 friars and by the time of itsTransport and communications
The eastwest route along theCommerce and industry
It is unclear when the first market took place at Guildford, but by 1276 one was being held in the High Street every Saturday. In the 1530s, there were three markets each week, for corn (the most profitable), for cattle, and for general produce and household items. In 1561, a market house was built "beneath the Gild Hall", but by 1626 it was no longer suitable to store the "graine accustimablie sold there" and the corn market was moved to the Tun Inn on the south side of the High Street. In 1865, the market was relocated to North Street and in 1895, it moved to Woodbridge Road. Guildford's early prosperity was founded on theGuildford in the World Wars
At the start of the Second World War, 2500 children were evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II, evacuated from southwest London to the Guildford area and in June the following year, evacuees arrived from Brighton. The borough council built 18 communal air raid shelters, including the shelter at Foxenden Quarry, capable of accommodating 1000 people. In late 1940, six British Restaurants were opened in the town and, in May the following year, the first pre-school, nursery school for children aged between two and five was opened, enabling their mothers to participate in war work. Over the course of the war, seven people were killed in the town as a result of enemy bombing, three of whom died when a V-1 flying bomb landed in Aldersley Road in August 1944. At the start of the war, Stoughton Barracks became a training centre for army recruits and George VI visited twice in late 1939. The defence of the town was the responsibility of the 4th Battalion of Surrey Home Guard and defensive installations included dragon's teeth (fortification), dragon's teeth close to London Road station, numerous pillboxes and an anti-tank trench, anti-tank ditch that was dug across Stoke Park. Local factories were rededicated to the war effort: The Dennis works produced Churchill tanks, water pumps, bombs and aircraft parts, RFD in Stoke Road produced life rafts and buoyancy aid, flotation aids for the Royal Navy and Warner Engineering produced continuous track, tank tracks and brass bomb noses.Cathedral and University
The Diocese of Guildford was created in 1927 out of the northern part of the Diocese of Winchester. Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, Holy Trinity Church, the largest church in the town, became the cathedral. However, by May of the following year, it was obvious that it was too small to hold the status permanently and the Diocesan Conference resolved to build a new cathedral in the town. In November 1927, Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow, The Earl of Onslow offered of land at the summit of Stag Hill as the site. The design of the cathedral, by Edward Maufe, was chosen following an open competition. The building is constructed of bricks made from the clay excavated for the foundations and crypt. The foundation stone was laid in 1936, but by the outbreak of the Second World War, only the choir (architecture), choir had been completed. The crypt was finished following the end of the war and was dedicated in 1947. Building work on the rest of the structure was also resumed and the consecration service took place on 17 May 1961. Construction work finally ceased in 1965. The campaign to found a university in Guildford began as an initiative of the local Rotary International, Rotary Club in 1962, to explore an approach to the University Grants Commission. At around the same time, the governors of the Battersea College of Advanced Technology were looking for a new campus, as their institution had outgrown its own south London site. A year later, the Robbins Report recommended that all college of advanced technology (United Kingdom), colleges of advanced technology should be given the status of universities. In May 1963, Edward Boyle, Baron Boyle of Handsworth, Edward Boyle, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that the Battersea College would relocate to Guildford as the University of Surrey. The northern part of Stag Hill was chosen as the campus and the construction of the first buildings began in January 1966. The Royal Charter was granted in September of the same year and the first students were officially admitted in the autumn of 1968.Guildford pub bombings
On the evening of 5 October 1974, the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated two gelignite bombs at two public house, pubs in the town. The venues are thought to have been chosen as they were popular with off-duty military personnel from Aldershot Garrison. The first bomb exploded at the Horse and Groom in North Street at 8:50 pm, killing two members of the Scots Guards, two members of the Women's Royal Army Corps and one civilian. The second exploded around 35 minutes later at the Seven Stars in Swan Lane, injuring six members of staff and one customer. In early December 1974, Surrey Police arrested three men and a woman, later collectively known as the Guildford Four. A few days later, seven further individuals were arrested who became known as the Maguire Seven. The Guildford Four were conviction, convicted for carrying out the bombings in October 1975 and received life imprisonment, life sentences. All four maintained their innocence and, after a campaign of almost fifteen years, their convictions were quashed in October 1989.Modern Guildford
In the 21st century Guildford still has a High Street paved with granite Sett (paving), setts,Shopping in GuildfordCounty town
Guildford is sometimes described as the county town of Surrey. Surrey County Council maintains no administrative presence in Guildford and moved from Kingston upon Thames (which became part of Greater London in the 1960s), to Reigate in 2020. There are claims that Henry VII granted the status of county town when he made Guildford the custody of the standard measures. However, the statute does not explicitly state that this makes the settlement a county town. Guildford's official historian, the borough council's "Honorary Remembrancer", Matthew Alexander, claims that Guildford was granted the "''ancient High Sheriff of Surrey, county court in Guildford by a grant of Henry III in 1257, marking Guildford's status as the county town of Surrey''", but it has been argued that this status is an inaccurate interpretation. His position is not backed up by the original documentation.Geography
Bellfields
Bellfields is a suburb in the north of Guildford lying adjacent to Slyfield Industrial Estate and Stoughton. The area includes private estates as well as current and former social housing estates. Christ's College, Guildford's senior school and Pond Meadow School, Pond Meadow special needs school are in Bellfields. The neighbourhood includes St Peter's Shared Church and the Guildford Family Centre.Burpham
This former village is now a major suburb of Guildford..Charlotteville
Charlotteville is one of the first planned suburbs in Britain. The estate was funded by a local doctor, Thomas Sells, and named after his wife, Charlotte. It was developed by the Guildford architect Henry Peak in 1862 and is loosely bound between Shalford Road and Sydenham Road, encompassing the beauty spot of Pewley Down. The area's roads were named after English doctors, including Thomas Addison, Addison Road, William Cheselden, Cheselden Road, William Harvey, Harvey Road and Edward Jenner, Jenner Road. Public footpaths lead from the town through Charlotteville to the downs and towards St Martha's Hill and Albury, Surrey, Albury. It houses a great many cottages and a few large, mostly privately owned properties. The official designation of the heart of Charlotteville as a Protected area, conservation area means that Peak's work may survive. The development introduced institutions such as the Cork Club, the Charlotteville Cycling Club, founded in 1903 with the then mayor as its first president, and the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust charity, formed at the time of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Golden Jubilee. Two schools were established in the village - one infant and one junior school. merging to form the Holy Trinity Pewley Down School in the late 2000s. The last of the shops closed in 2006.Guildford Park and Dennisville
These small residential neighbourhoods are immediately south of and at the foot of Stag Hill. Dennisville was founded in 1934 to provide accommodation for workers atJacobs Well
This former village is now a major suburb of Guildford.Merrow
This former village is now a major suburb of Guildford.Onslow Village
Onslow Village is the sloped suburb on the western outskirts of Guildford. It, with one outlying road continuation, forms a wedge between the A3 road and A31 roads south of the junction of the A3 and Egerton Road, Guildford's ''Cathedral Turn'' and directly below Henley Fort, the 1880s built London Defence Positions, London Defence Position and a Scheduled Monument. The area consists of a number of residential streets many of which are characterised by beech hedges. Parts of Onslow Village have been designated as conservation areas, enforcing a number of planning restrictions that are intended to protect the character and identity of the locality. Local amenities include the 5th Guildford Scout Group, a community news website, a Tennis Club and Onslow Arboretum. It also has its own football team, Onslow FC, established in 1986. There is a small village centre, with a parade of shops and a village hall. Onslow has one infant school, Onslow Infant School, as well as Queen Eleanor's School, a primary school. The local Anglicanism, Anglican church is All Saints. The Village also has a Residents' association, the Onslow Village Residents' Association (OVRA) which was set up in 1956 and whose object is to "safeguard the amenities of Onslow village and to promote the welfare, interests and well-being of the residents". The Onslow Village Society was formed with the aim to tackle the acute shortage of decent working-class housing following the First World War. Onslow Village Ltd acquired or just over a square mile of land from the Earl of Onslow in 1920 for approximately one-quarter of its market value at the time. The aim was to create a garden city to be modelled on the ideas of Ebenezer Howard's Garden City Movement. It was their intention to build a self-contained community with smallholdings, public buildings, open spaces, recreation grounds, woodland and a railway station, as well as developing sites for churches, hotels and factories. On Saturday 1 May 1920, ten weeks after the formation of the Society, the foundations of the first two houses were laid and by March 1922 ninety-one houses had been built. Unfortunately due to a lack of funding the scheme never reached full completion, with about 600 houses actually being built. Original drawings however showed that there were further plans to develop the farmland at Manor Farm, north of the A3. By the mid-1970s, one-third of the properties were still owned by Onslow Village Ltd. Then, in 1984, the company was wound up and many shareholders and tenants had the chance to buy their homes at affordable prices. Onslow Village never got its railway station, however, it did eventually get its woodland: the Onslow arboretum, developed by Guildford Borough Council as a specialist collection of eighty tree species from around the world. The Onslow arboretum is located right next to the recreation area which has its own park, a large field, several tennis courts, toilets and a scout hut.Park Barn
Park Barn consists of a former and present social housing estate in Guildford. It is bordered to the south by the North Downs Line, railway line, the east by Westborough, the north by Rydes Hill and Wood Street, sometimes mapped as part of it but in Worplesdon civil parish and the west by Broadstreet Common. The estate is home to King's College, Guildford, King's College, a school for 11 – 16-year-olds. There are also a number of primary schools in the area of Park Barn, including Guildford Grove School, Guildford Grove Primary School, which has a specialist sign-supported rescue base on the site that supports pupils with profound hearing impairments, known as The Lighthouse. The Football team, Park Barn FC, plays in League 4 of the Guildford and Woking Alliance League. Guildford City Boxing Club moved from Bellfields to Cabell Road in Park Barn in 2014.Stoughton
Stoughton is a mainly residential suburb north of Guildford town centre. It is the location of the former Stoughton Barracks, which was redeveloped for housing in the 1990s and renamed Cardwell's Keep. In Stoughton is ''The Wooden Bridge'' pub where both the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton performed concerts at the early stages of their respective careers. Another pub of historic note was ''The Royal Hotel'' in Worplesdon Road, which hosted an early U2 concert and was owned by the former wrestler Mick McManus (wrestler), Mick McManus. This is now a Chinese restaurant. Stoughton has one junior school, Northmead Junior School and one infant school, Stoughton Infant School.Slyfield
Is the small mixed land-use area north of Guildford that is largely indeterminate from Bellfields, however to its east is Guildford's largest industrial and commercial park, Slyfield Industrial Estate. There was a cattle market held in the south of the industrial area until 2000 which moved to Maidstone, Kent. Slyfield has a community hall and a school, Weyfield Primary. To the north of Slyfield is Stoke Hill, on top of which is a park, Stringer's Common, across which is the Jacobs Well, Surrey, Jacobs Well neighbourhood which is part of Worplesdon civil parish.Stoke
The central northern area of the town contains Stoke Park, Guildford, Stoke Park and the historic manor of Stoke at its centre, now the site of Guildford College. To the north of the park is the Guildford Spectrum leisure and sports centre. To the south of this mostly residential neighbourhood is London Road (Guildford) railway station, London Road railway station, On Stoke Road there is a listed building, listed hotel, ''The Stoke''.Westborough
Adjacent to the Park Barn Estate, the Westborough Estate was built in the 1920s due to the growing population at the start of the 20th century. Westborough is home to a United Reformed Church, United Reformed church and to a community primary school on Southway. There is a small parade of shops where Southway meets Aldershot Road. Westborough is also a ward of the Borough of Guildford. Its population at the 2011 Census was 9,307.National and local government
UK parliament
The town is in the parliamentary constituency of Guildford (UK Parliament constituency), Guildford. As of 2022, it is represented Parliament of the United Kingdom, at Westminster by Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Angela Richardson, who was first elected in December 2019. The constituency was previously represented by Anne Milton, first elected in 2005, who 2019 suspension of rebel Conservative MPs, had the Conservative whip removed in September 2019 and sat for the final two months of the parliament as an independent politician.County council
Councillors are elected toBorough council
Guildford local elections, Elections to the borough council take place every four years and a total of 48 councillors serve at any one time. The council is led by an executive committee, consisting of the Leader, a Deputy Leader and six portfolio holders. Each year, one of the councillors serves as "Mayor of Guildford" for a period of twelve months. The role of mayor is primarily ceremonial and the post has little political power. Since April 1982, the council has been based at the Grade II-listed Millmead House, which was built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.Twin towns
Guildford has been Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany since 1979. A link between Guildford and Mukono Town, Mukono, Uganda, was established in 2003 and the borough council signed a formal partnership agreement with Dongying, China, in 2017.Demography and housing
In the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census, the population of Guildford was 79,185. 87.3% of the inhabitants were White people, white, 7.1% were of British Asian, Asian descent and 2.2% were Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category), mixed race.Business
The 2011 ''Financial Times'' annual list of Top 500 Global Companies listed five major businesses with a significant presence in the town – the list includes Philips Electronics, Ericsson, Colgate-Palmolive, Allianz and Sanofi. Media Molecule (acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2010), Lionhead Studios (acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in 2006, closure announced on 7 March 2016), Hello Games, Criterion Games (acquired by Electronic Arts in 2004), Ghost Games, Ghost Games UK (founded in 2013 by Electronic Arts), and Bullfrog Productions (acquired by Electronic Arts in 1995, closed in 2001) have helped the town become a centre for video game production. The electronic components business, discoverIE Group plc, formerly known as Acal plc, with some 4,400 employees, is based at Surrey Research Park. The bus chassis factory of the Alexander Dennis (established as Dennis Specialist Vehicles) and fire engine bodywork factory John Dennis Coachbuilders are also in the town as well as military vehicle builders Automotive Technik. The Surrey Research Park contains a number of world leading companies including satellite manufacturers Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and The BOC Group, BOC, part of The Linde Group the largest provider of industrial, medical and specialist gases in the UK and Ireland.Public services
Utilities
Until the start of the 18th century, residents of Guildford obtained their water from wells or from the Wey. In 1701, William Yarnold received a grant from the borough corporation to erect a waterwheel and pumps to raise river water to a reservoir at the foot of Pewley Down. A network of pipes, formed from the hollow trunks of elm trees, was installed to distribute water through the town. A new well was sunk in the town in 1865, but contamination by sewage resulted in an outbreak of typhoid fever. By 1898, the mains water infrastructure in the town was well-developed and included both gas- and coal-powered pumps. In 1952, the Guildford Corporation sold the town's water supply infrastructure to the Guildford, Godalming and District Water Board. The town sewerage system, including the wastewater treatment works at Bellfields, was constructed between 1889 and 1895. The current sewage works date from the 1960s, but will be relocated to a site to the north, as part of the Slyfield Area Regeneration Project. The move will release land for up to 1500 new homes. The new works are expected to open in 2026. The first gasworks in Guildford was opened in 1824 and street lighting was installed in May of that year. The construction of a larger facility was authorised by parliament in 1857. The gasworks closed in the late 1960s and the area was cleared for the construction of the Bedford Road Sports Centre and the associated car park. Since 2000, part of the site has been occupied by the Odeon Cinema complex. The first electricity-generating station was opened in 1896 in Onslow Street with an nameplate capacity, installed capacity of 60 Watt, kW. It was rebuilt and extended in 1913 and was replaced in May 1928 by Guildford power station, a new plant in Woodbridge Road. Under the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926, Guildford was connected to the National Grid (Great Britain), National Grid, initially to a 33 kV electric power transmission, supply ring, which linked the town to Woking, Godalming, Farnham, Hindhead and Aldershot. The Electricity sector in the United Kingdom, electricity industry was nationalization, nationalised in 1948 and ownership of the Woodbridge Road station passed to the British Electricity Authority and then to the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). In 1966 the power station had a generating capacity of 11.25 Watt, megawatts (MW) and delivered 9,090 Kilowatt hour, MWh of electricity. The CEGB closed the station in 1968 and it was subsequently demolished. There have been small-scale renewable electricity installations in Guildford since the start of the 20th century. In around 1907, the inventor, E. Lancaster Burne, erected one of the first wind turbines on Pewley Hill to generate electricity for his house. A hydroelectric project to harness power from the River Wey opened in the former Toll House, part of the Town Mill, Guildford, Town Mill on Millmead, in 2006. The building, first constructed in 1897, originally housed turbines to pump river water to a reservoir on Pewley Hill. Over its first ten years of operation, the installation generated over 1.5 GWh of electricity, which was supplied direct to the national grid.Emergency services and justice
The first police force in Guildford was established by the Guildford Watch Committee in 1836, which appointed nine constables, led by a part-time superintendent. In 1851, it briefly merged with the Surrey Constabulary, responsible for much of the rest of the county, but the two were separated again three years later. By 1866, the Guilford force has sixteen officers, one of whom had a salary paid by the LSWR. Five additional officers were employed in 1932, when the borough was enlarged. Between 1840 and 1864, severe outbursts of semi-organised lawlessness, commonly known as the "Guy Riots", occurred in Guildford. The violence was focused on celebrations for the Guy Fawkes Night, Fifth of November, but was amplified by local political issues. The rioters would rampage through the town after nightfall, damaging property and assaulting local residents. Following severe lawlessness in March and September 1863, 200 soldiers were dispatched to the town in anticipation of further violence that November. The army was able to disperse the rioters and four ringleaders were arrested. They were sentenced to hard labour the following April and there was no repeat of the violence in subsequent years. In 1941, the Guildford police force was amalgamated again with the Surrey Constabulary as a wartime efficiency measure and the merger became permanent in 1947. The following year, the combined force moved its headquarters to Mount Browne in Sandy Lane. As of 2022, the local police force is Surrey Police and Guildford Police Station is on Walnut Tree Close, on the site of the former market. Guildford Fire Brigade was founded in 1863 as a volunteer force. Initially the horse-drawn fire engine was housed in a shed in North Street, but a brick building (now the public toilets) was built in the same road in 1872 The Guildford Brigade merged with others in Surrey in 1947, when the service became the responsibility of the county council. In 2022, the fire authority for Guildford is Surrey County Council and the town fire station is at Ladymead. The ambulance service in Guildford was provided by St John Ambulance (England), St John Ambulance until 1966, when the county council set up its own service. In 2022, local ambulance services are run by the South East Coast Ambulance Service and the ambulance station is on London Road.Healthcare
The first medical facility in the town, the Guildford Dispensary, opened in Quarry Street in January 1860. Supported by private donations, it provided free medical care to the poor, including a home visiting service and an out-patients clinic. During its first year of operation over a thousand patients were treated, highlighting the urgent need for a public hospital in the area. The dispensary closed in 1866, when the Royal Surrey County Hospital opened on Farnham Road. The land for Farnham Road Hospital was donated by Lord Onslow and was built as a memorial to Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert, who had died in 1861. It opened in 1866 with the name Royal Surrey County Hospital with two wards and 60 beds. In 1948, it became part of the NHS. It acquired its current name in 1980. In 2022, Farnham Road Hospital is a specialist psychiatric hospital, mental health hospital. The Guildford Infirmary was built in the grounds of the workhouse in 1896 and was initially run by the Guildford Guardians of the Poor. It was renamed the Warren Road Hospital in 1930, when it was taken over by Surrey County Council. Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, an annexe was built to treat both military and civilian casualties and the hospital became part of the Emergency Hospital Service. In 1945, it became St Luke's Hospital, Guildford, St Luke's Hospital and three years later it was incorporated into the National Health Service, NHS. It ceased to be a general hospital in January 1980, when much of its operations were transferred to the Royal Surrey County Hospital. St Luke's continued to house a nurses' training facility and to offer outpatients services until 1991. The site finally closed in 1999 and had been redeveloped by 2003. The current Royal Surrey County Hospital, at Park Barn, opened in stages from January 1980, inheriting its name from its predecessor, which continues to operate as the Farnham Road Hospital. The St Luke's Wing opened in February 1997, following the closure of St Luke's Hospital. In 2022, the Royal Surrey County Hospital is the nearest hospital to Guildford town centre with an Emergency department, Accident and Emergency Department.Transport
Bus
Guildford is linked by a number of bus routes to surrounding towns and villages in west Surrey. Operators serving the town include Carlone Buses, Compass Bus, Falcon Bus, Safeguard, Stagecoach South, Stagecoach and White Bus Services, White Bus. There are four park and ride car parks surrounding Guildford, which are served by buses to the town centre. A RailAir coach service runs from the station to Heathrow Airport. Route 030, operated by National Express, links the town to London and Portsmouth.Train
River navigations
The River Wey is navigable from Weybridge to Godalming and the navigation authority is theCycling
National Cycle Network Route 22, which will connect London to Portsmouth, and Route 223, which connects Chertsey to Shoreham-by-Sea, pass through Guildford. A bicycle-sharing system, bike-sharing scheme launched on the University of Surrey campus in August 2018.Long-distance footpaths
The North Downs Way passes between Farnham and Dover, passes around to the south of the town. The E2 European long distance path runs along the towpath of the River Wey through Guildford. The Fox Way is a footpath that circles the town.Education
State-funded schools
As in the rest of Surrey, Guildford's state schools operate a two/three age group system. Primary schools in the town include Holy Trinity (which merged with Pewley Down in 1995), Burpham, St Thomas of Canterbury (Catholic), Sandfield Primary School, Boxgrove Primary School and Guildford Grove Primary School. Amongst the junior schools are Bushy Hill, Northmead Junior and Queen Eleanor's C of E. Secondary schools include George Abbot School, George Abbot, Guildford County School, St Peter's Catholic School, Guildford, St Peter's, King's College, Guildford, King's College and Christ's College.Independent schools
The Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Royal Grammar School was established in 1509. The old school building, which was constructed over the turn of the Tudor period, Tudor and Elizabethan period, Elizabethan periods and houses a chained library, lies towards the top of High Street. In 1552, the school received the patronage of Edward VI of England, Edward VI. The surviving parts of the castle were restored in Victorian times and again in 2004; the rest of the grounds became a public garden. Nearby is the Lanesborough School, Royal Grammar preparatory school which is the choir school for Guildford Cathedral. Other independent schools in the town include Guildford High School (founded 1876), Tormead School (founded 1905), Priors Field School and Rydes Hill Preparatory School.Higher education
The campus of the University of Surrey is in Guildford. Battersea College of Technology (previously the Battersea Polytechnic Institute) moved to the town in 1966, gaining a Royal Charter in order to award its own degrees and changing its name to its current title. The town is home to the inaugural campus of the University of Law and to the Guildford School of Acting. Other institutions in Guildford include Guildford College, Guildford College of Further and Higher Education (which also occupies the site of the former Guildford School of Art), Academy of Contemporary Music and the Italia Conti Arts Centre.Places of worship
Anglican churches
The Church of England churches in the town belong to the Guildford Deanery, part of the Diocese of Guildford. All six of the churches are listed building, listed, including two that are Grade I listed. St Mary's Church, on Quarry Street, is the oldest place of worship in the town. The tower is thought to have been built before the Norman Conquest and the transepts were constructed in . Many structural features have survived from the medieval period, although much of today's church dates from a restoration in 1882. The oldest part of Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, Holy Trinity Church, at the east end of the High Street, is the Weston Chapel, which dates from . The original building is thought to have been constructed in the early medieval period, but it was rebuilt between 1749 and 1763. The windows in the nave were altered by Henry Woodyer in 1869 and the transepts were added by Arthur Blomfield in 1888. The original St Nicolas Church, Guildford, St Nicolas Church, at the western end of the Town Bridge, is also thought to have been constructed in the early medieval period. The Loseley Chapel dates from the 15th century, but the rest of the building was rebuilt in the 1870 by the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architect, Samuel Sanders Teulon. The oldest parts of the Church of St John the Evangelist at Stoke-next-Guildford were built in the early 14th century. The tower was added in the 15th century and the north chapel in the 16th, when the north aisle was widened. The church includes stained glass designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and a monument by John Flaxman. Christ Church, in Waterden Road, was designed by Ewan Christian in 1868 in the 13th-century English Gothic style. The Church of St Saviour, in Woodbridge Road, was consecrated in 1899 and was built in the 14th-century Gothic style.Other Christian churches
There are three Roman Catholic churches in Guildford, St Joseph's near the town centre, St Mary's in Rydes Hill, and St Pius X in Merrow. The Catholic Parish of Guildford also includes the Church of St Edmund the Confessor at Sutton Place, Surrey, Sutton Place. There are two United Reformed Churches, two Baptist Churches a New Life Baptist Church, a Christadelphian meeting hall, two Methodist Churches, the Salvation Army, Bethel Chapel, Brethren Church, Brethren Assembly, Church in a Club Stoughton, Elim Penecostal Church, Chinese Christian Fellowship, and five Independent ChurchesQuaker meeting house
The first Quakers, Quaker meetings in Guildford are thought to have taken place in 1668 and a burial ground was purchased five years later in North Street. The current meeting house, in Ward Street, was built in 1804-8 and retains its original, panelled meeting room.Jewish synagogues
In 1995, a chamber was discovered in the High Street, which is considered to be the remains of the 12th-century Guildford Synagogue. While this remains a matter of contention, it is likely to be the oldest surviving former synagogue in Western Europe. The modern-day synagogue, in York Road, was built in 1979 and was consecrated by Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits.Culture
Guildford House, Guildford House Gallery, in the High Street, is run by Guildford Borough Council. Its art collection includes works of Guildford and the surrounding area, and works by Guildford artists, most notably John Russell (English painter), John Russell. In Sir Thomas Malory's 1470 version of the King Arthur, Arthurian romances, ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', Guildford is identified with Astolat of Arthurian renown. Continuing the Arthurian connection, there is a local public house, the Astolat. Guildford has been associated with the 1863 novel ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' because of its importance in the life of its author, Lewis Carroll. There are several reminders of this connection throughout the town. Guildford Museum has a collection of items belonging to Carroll, see #Culture, above. In addition to this, sculptor Jean Argent created two full-size bronze sculptures of Alice passing through the Looking-Glass and Alice and the White Rabbit, which can be found in the Guildford Castle, Castle Grounds and by theSport
Sports venues
The Guildford Spectrum, Spectrum Leisure Centre opened in 1993 and replaced the Bedford Road Sports Centre, which closed at the same time. Located on the northern side of Stoke Park, it offers four swimming pools, including a 25-metre lane pool and a leisure pool with eight water slides. The facility also houses an Olympic-sized ice rink and a ten-pin bowling alley. Guildford Lido, also in Stoke Park, is an Olympic-size swimming pool, Olympic-size, 50-metre outdoor, heated swimming pool. It opened in 1933, and was built as part of a scheme to provide jobs for local workers during the Great Depression in the United Kingdom, Great Depression. It was rebuilt in 1989 and relined in 2002. The Surrey Sports Park, owned by the University of Surrey, opened in 2010 and on the Manor Park campus to the west of the town. It has a 50-metre swimming pool, a climbing wall, as well as squash courts and artificial sports pitches.Professional sports teams
The Guildford Flames ice hockey team is based at the Spectrum Leisure Centre and played its first competitive games in the 1992-93 season. Between 2005 and 2016, the team won the English Premier League four times and, in the 2018-19 season, were Patton Conference champions. The Surrey Scorchers is a professional basketball club, formed in 2015, following the takeover of the Surrey British Basketball League, by the Surrey Sports Park. Also based at the Surrey Sports Park are the Surrey Storm Netball team. Founded in 2001 as the London Hurricanes, the club moved to Guildford and adopted their current name in 2009.Cricket
Cricket is thought to have evolved from bat and ball games, played by children in southeast England during the Middle Ages. The first written record of the sport is from a witness statement by the Guildford resident and former Royal Grammar School pupil, John Derrick (coroner), John Derrick. In 1597 (old style, 1598 modern style), Derrick testified in a court case over the disputed enclosure of wasteland that, as a child, "hee and his fellowes did runne and play there at Creckett and other plaies". Guildford Cricket Club was founded in 1866. They play their home matches at the Woodbridge Road ground. Surrey County Cricket Club also play one or two matches a season there. Former players include the England cricket team, England cricketers Martin Bicknell, Rikki Clarke, Ashley Giles, Phil Salt and Ollie Pope.Other sports
The current incarnation of Guildford City FC, Guildford City Football Club was founded in 1996, when the former Burpham F.C. relocated to the Spectrum Leisure Centre and changed its name to A.F.C. Guildford. Nine years later, it was renamed to Guildford United, but soon afterwards became Guildford City F.C. Guildford International Volleyball Club has won the fourth division of the Volleyball England, National Volleyball League. Guildford Hockey Club is based at Broadwater School in Godalming, and the men's 1st XI compete in the Men's England Hockey League, England Hockey League. Surrey Spartans Hockey Club is based in Guildford at the University of Surrey Sports Park. Charlotteville Cycling Club, founded in 1903, is based in Guildford. The club promotes the Guildford Town Centre Cycle Races that take place on the cobbled High Street each July. Guildford City Boxing Club, (formerly Guildford City ABC), headed by coach, John Edwards is based in Cabell Road in Park Barn. Founded in the 1920s and originally called the Onslow Lions, the boxing club is considered one of the oldest in Surrey. Guildford Crows Aussie Rules FC was founded in 2009 and competes in the AFLGB Southern Division. The club trains at Stoke Park and plays home matches at Effingham and Leatherhead Rugby Club. Guildford Rowing Club is based in the town and has won at Henley Women's Regatta.Notable buildings and landmarks
Abbot's Hospital
The Hospital of the Holy Trinity, more commonly known as Abbot's Hospital, was founded in 1622 by George Abbot (bishop), George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury and a former pupil of the Royal Grammar School. It was not intended as a place for healing the sick, but instead provided accommodation for single people (initially 12 male and eight female), who had either been born in Guildford or who had lived there at least 20 years. The hospital also included a "manufacture" or workshop for the production of cloth, which was subsidised by the foundation's financial endowment, endowments. Initially linen was woven, but from 1638 wool was produced instead. In 1656, the trustees successfully applied to the Court of Chancery to close the workshop and the funds were redirected to grants for the poor. The hospital is constructed of dark red brick and is built around a central, rectangular courtyard. The four-storey gatehouse, on the High Street, faces Holy Trinity Church. Many of the rooms have panelling dating from the early 17th century and the chapel, in the northwest corner, retains its original wooden seating. The building was extended and refurbished in the 1980s, to improve the standard of the living accommodation.Dapdune Wharf
Dapdune Wharf has been the main boatyard for the River Wey Navigation since the waterway was completed in 1653. Over the summer months, the The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust runs a variety of trips on the Wey Navigation, starting from Dapdune Wharf near the town centre, where there is a visitor centre.Guildford Institute
The Guildford Institute was founded in March 1834 as the Guildford Mechanics' Institute to promote "useful knowledge among the working classes". Its current premises, on North Street, were opened in 1892 and its activities were funded by a membership subscription. Following the Second World War, the Institute entered a period of decline, but its fortunes revived in the 1970s with a new management team and, from 1982, a 26-year partnership with the University of Surrey. A redevelopment project was launched in 2012 and was completed the following year. In 2022, the Institute offers a wide range of courses, a lending library and archive, a vegan restaurant and aims to provide an educational, cultural and social hub for the local community.Guildford Museum
The Guildford Museum was founded by the Surrey Archaeological Society, which relocated to Castle Arch House from Southwark in 1898. The building, thought to have been constructed , incorporates part of the 13th-century castle gateway. Although the public had been allowed limited access to the Society's collections since its relocation to Guildford, the museum was not formally opened until 1907. A new gallery, constructed in the Arts and Crafts movement, Arts and Crafts style, was opened in 1911 to house objects donated by the horticulturalist, Gertrude Jekyll. In 1927-28, the adjacent early 19th century townhouse, 48 Quarry Street was acquired and was converted to house the Muniment Room. The borough council took over the running of the museum in 1933. In 2021, the collection numbers around 75,000 items and includes archaeological finds, textiles and clothing, and artefacts illustrating the social and industrial history of the town.The Guildhall
The guild in Guildford was formed in the late 14th century shortly after 1366, when Edward III issued the fee farm grant, enabling the town to become self-governing in exchange for a yearly rent of £10. The first mention of a guildhall is from later in Edward's reign, when repairs were carried out at some point before the king's death in 1377. The current building is thought to have been constructed and was extended northwards in 1589. The council chamber and the exterior façade, facing the High Street, were created in 1683, funded by public subscription. The clock case dates from the same year, but the mechanism inside may be up to a century older. The original bell, which now stands in the entrance hall, was replaced in 1931 and may have previously been installed in St Martha's Hill, St Martha's Church.The Spike
The building now known as The Spike, was constructed in 1906 as the Guildford Union Workhouse Casuals Ward. It was used to house any vagrants found on the streets of the town, who were to be detained for two nights and compelled to undertake hard labour. Four of the original thirteen stone breaking cells survive. Following the decline and abolition of the poor law system, repeal of the Poor Laws in 1929, the building continued to be used as a hostel for the homeless. In the mid-1960s, it became the archive and document store for St Luke's Hospital, which had been built on the rest of the former workhouse site. Since 2008, the building has functioned as joint community and heritage centre.The Undercroft
The Undercroft, beneath 7274 High Street, is one of six cellars in the town centre that survive from the late-Medieval period. It is open twice a week.Parks and open spaces
Stoke Park
Stoke Park is a large park on the edge of the town centre, with sports facilities and play areas. It was donated to the town in 1925 by Lord Onslow.Allen House Grounds
Allen House, to the north of the Upper High Street, was built in the 17th century and took its name from Anthony Allen, who owned the property in the early 18th century. The house and its grounds were given to the Royal Grammar School in 1914 and the site was used to train local volunteer soldiers during the First World War. The building was used as a teaching annex by the school until 1964, when it was demolished to make way for a new classroom complex. The rest of the site was purchased by the borough council and is known today as the Allen House Grounds. Following a refurbishment in 2009, the site includes a formal garden, inspired by the poem ''Jabberwocky'', by Lewis Carroll, a multi-sports court and a golf course#Greens, putting green.Pewley Down
Pewley Down, located on a hill southeast of the town centre, is a Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by the borough council. The area of chalk grassland provides a habitat for six species of orchid, and 26 species of butterfly were recorded there in 2010.Notable people
* George Abbot (bishop), George Abbot (15621633) Archbishop of Canterbury was born in Guildford and lived in the town until 1580, when he became a student at Balliol College, Oxford, Balliol College, Oxford University. He founded Abbot's Hospital in 1619. * John Russell (English painter), John Russell (17451806) portrait painting, portrait artist was born in Guildford and lived in the town until 1760. * Thomas Moore (botanist), Thomas Moore (18211887) botany, botanist was born in Stoke-next-Guildford and lived in the town until 1839 * Edward Carpenter (18441934) poet and philosopher moved to Guildford after the World War I, First World War and lived in the town until his death. * Roger Fry (18661934) artist and art critic lived in Chantry View Road from 1909 to 1919 * Mildred Cable (18781952) Protestantism, Protestant missionary was born in Sydenham Road, Guildford and was educated at Guildford High School * Leonard Colebrook (18831967) bacteriologist was born in Guildford and was educated at the Royal Grammar School until 1896 * Alan Turing (19121954) mathematician and computer scientist lived in Ennismore Avenue from 1927 to 1931, when he became a student at King's College, Cambridge, King's College, Cambridge University * Stuart Wilson (actor), Stuart Wilson (b. 1946) actor was born in Guildford * Mike Rutherford (b. 1950) musician was born in Guildford * Kazuo Ishiguro (b. 1954) novelist lived in Guildford as a child, having moved to the town at the age of six.See also
* List of public art in Surrey#Guildford, List of public art in SurreyNotes
References
Bibliography
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