Guildford
Encyclopedia
Guildford
is the county town
of Surrey
. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford
and the administrative headquarters of the South East England
region. It is situated 27 miles (43 km) southwest of London on the A3 trunk road
linking the capital to Portsmouth
.
The town has Saxon
roots,
and likely owes its location to the existence of a gap in the North Downs
where the River Wey
is forded
by the Harrow Way
. The town grew enough in importance that by 978 it was home to the Royal Mint
. With the building of the Wey Navigation and Basingstoke Canal
Guildford was in the centre of a network of waterways that aided its prosperity.
The Guildford pub bombing
by the Provisional IRA in 1974 killed five people including four off-duty soldiers from the local barracks. The subsequently arrested suspects became known as the Guildford Four
.
settlers shortly after Roman
authority had been removed from Britain (which was c.410AD). The site was likely chosen because the Harrow Way
(an ancient trackway
that continues along Hog's Back
) crosses the River Wey
at this point, via a ford
. This probably gives rise to the second half of Guildford's name. The root of the first part is gold rather than society or meeting place. The Saxon name would have been Gyldeford, meaning golden ford. It has been suggested that the gold may refer to golden flowers by the ford, or the golden sand, but this is not certain. There is an old coaching Inn on the Epsom Road previously called the 'Sanford Arms', which almost certainly derives from 'Sand Ford', so this adds weight to the suggestion that 'Guildford' is a corruption of 'Gold Ford', referring to the very distinctive golden sand showing on the banks of the River Wey where it cuts through the sandy outcrop just south of the town.
In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur
, Guildford is identified with Astolat
of Arthurian
renown. Guildford's model railway club, the Astolat Model Railway Circle, and a local pub, the Astolat, are just a couple of the modern day reminders of the legend to be found in the town.
From 978 Guildford was the location of the Royal Mint
.
Guildford Castle
may date back to Saxon times, if not much earlier. Its situation overlooks the pass through the hills taken by the Pilgrims' Way
, and also, presumably, once overlooked the ancient ford across the Wey, thus giving a key point of military control of this important East-West route way across the country; just as Windsor Castle
and the Tower of London
once guarded the Thames.
Guildford appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Geldeford and Gildeford, a holding of William the Conqueror. The king held 75 hagæ (houses enclosed in fences) and the town rendered £32. Stoke, a suburb within today's Guildford, appears in the Book as Stoch, and was also held by William. Its domesday assets were: 1 church, 2 mill
s worth 5s
, 22 plough
s, 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of meadow
, and woodland
worth 40 hogs. Stoke was listed as being in the King's park, with a rendering of £15.
William the Conqueror used The Pilgrims' Way when he sacked the countryside, including Guildford, after his victory at the Battle of Hastings
. He then had the castle built, or rebuilt, in the classic Norman
style, the keep of which still stands. Another major purpose of Norman castle building was to overawe the conquered population and at Guildford this also was the case. As the threat of invasion and insurrection declined the castle's status was demoted to that of a Royal hunting lodge as Guildford was, at that time, at the edge of Windsor Great Park
. It was visited on several occasions by King John and King Henry III
. The surviving parts of the castle were restored in Victorian times and then in 2004; the rest of the grounds are a pleasant public garden.
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 remaining synagogue in Western Europe.
Guildford elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons
. From the 14th century to the 18th century, it prospered with the wool trade.
In the 14th century the Guildhall was constructed and still stands today as a noticeable landmark of Guildford. The north end was extended in 1589 and the Council Chamber was added in 1683. It was in 1683 when a projecting clock was made for the front of the building and can be seen throughout the High Street.
In 1598, a court case referred to a sport called kreckett being played at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford
which was built in 1509 and became a Royal Grammar School in 1552 granted by Edward the Sixth. The Oxford English Dictionary
gives this as the first recorded instance of cricket
in the English language
.
In 1619 George Abbot founded the Hospital of the Holy Trinity, now commonly known as Abbot's Hospital, one of the finest sets of almshouse
s in the country. It is sited at the top end of the High Street, opposite Holy Trinity church
. The brick-built, three-storey entrance tower faces the church; a grand stone archway leads into the courtyard. On each corner of the tower there is an octagonal turret rising an extra floor, with lead ogee
domes.
One of the greatest boosts to Guildford’s prosperity came in 1653 with the completion, after many wrangles, of the Wey Navigation. This made it possible for Guildford businesses to access the Thames at Weybridge
by boat and predated the major canal building program in Britain by more than a century. In 1764 the navigation was extended as far as Godalming
and in 1816 to the sea at Arundel via the Wey and Arun Junction Canal
and the Arun Navigation. The Basingstoke Canal
also was built to connect with the Wey navigation, putting Guildford in the centre of a network of waterways. Although the Wey was never made navigable as far as Farnham
, that town also benefited greatly from the existing navigation, being able to transport produce to and from Guildford via the Pilgrims' Way
.
In the years from 1820 to 1865 Guildford was the scene of severe outbursts of semi-organised lawlessness commonly known as the “Guy Riots” The Guys would mass on the edge of the town from daybreak on Guy Fawkes Night
, wearing masks or bizarre disguises and armed with clubs and lighted torches. With the onset of nightfall, or maybe before, they would enter the town and avenge themselves on those who had crossed them in the preceding year by committing assaults and damaging property; often looting the belongings of victims from their houses and burning them on bonfires in the middle of the street.
In later years attempts to suppress the Guys led to the deaths of two police officers. In 1866 and 68 the Guys were dispersed by cavalry and this seems to have brought an end to the riots. Similar disorder surrounding the St Catherine’s Hill Fair, held just outside the town on the Pilgrims' Way, was suppressed around the same time.
The Catholic order of Franciscan Friars built a friary for the training of young friars at Chilworth
, on the outskirts of Guildford, with the building completed in 1892. The friars continue to minister at Chilworth to this day.
The diocese of Guildford
was created in 1927, and Guildford Cathedral
was consecrated in 1961. Previously, Guildford had been part of the diocese of Winchester
.
During World War II, the Borough Council built 18 communal air raid shelters. One of these shelters, known as the Foxenden Quarry deep shelter, was built into the side of a disused chalk quarry. Taking a year to build, it comprised two main tunnels with interconnecting tunnels for the sleeping bunks. It could accommodate 1000 people and provided sanitation and first aid facilities. Having been sealed since decommissioning in 1944, it has survived fairly intact. The quarry itself is now the site of the York Road car park, but the shelter is preserved and open once a year to the public.
In May 1968 students at Guildford School of Art
began a "sit-in" at the School in Stoke Park which lasted until mid-summer.
On 5 October 1974, bombs planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
went off in two Guildford pubs
, killing four off-duty soldiers and a civilian
. The pubs were targeted because soldiers from barracks near Guildford were known to frequent them. The subsequently arrested suspects, who became known as the Guildford Four
, were convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences in October 1975. They claimed to have been torture
d by the police and denied involvement in the bombing. In 1989 after a long legal battle, and a police investigation which resulted in the suspension of DC Leila Fradley, their convictions were overturned and they were released.
In the summer of 2007, a farm near the local village of Normandy, Surrey
was the centre of a foot and mouth disease crisis
amongst livestock. A major operation occurred to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease.
In the 21st century Guildford is a bustling English town, with a High Street paved with granite
setts (frequently referred to as cobbled
), numerous shops and department stores.
It is a market town
with the market
being held on Fridays and Saturdays. A farmers' market
is usually held on the first Tuesday of each month. There is a Tourist Information Office and several hotels including the historic Angel Hotel which long served as a coaching stop on the main London to Portsmouth
stagecoach
route. According to Channel Four Television's "The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK" TV show Guildford was the 9th best place to live in Britain in 2006 but slipped to 12th position in 2007, largely due to the pollution produced by the numerous cars found on the roads. Guildford still remains one of the most expensive places to live in the UK outside of London. Guildford is the most attractive and safe shopping destination in the UK, according to the Eve Prime Retail Survey 2004 and ranked 27th in the country overall.
and Surrey, Guildford experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station for which records are available is Wisley, about 6.5 miles to the North East of Guildford. Extremes of temperature recorded in the area range from 37.8 °C (100 °F) during August 2003 down to -15.1 C during January 1982. The weather station also holds the UK July record high of 36.5 °C (97.7 °F)(2006). The lowest temperature reported in recent years was -12.6 C during December 2010..
. Also run by the borough Council is Guildford Museum
.
The town's principal commercial theatre is the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
which often shows productions before (and after) they have spent time in London's West End. The Electric Theatre
opened in 1997 to host performances by musicians and amateur drama groups. It also hosts regular film, family and music festivals as well as comedy and has a Riverside Cafe Bar and Terrace. Guildford also has an Odeon
cinema multiplex, which is as of June 2007 the only cinema in the world showing digital 4K
films to the public . Guildford Civic Hall was the town's main arts and entertainment venue. It closed in January 2004 and has been replaced by a new live entertainment and conference venue, G Live, which opened in September 2011. G Live is operated by HQ Theatres Limited on behalf of Guildford Borough Council. In 2009 the Mill Studio in Guildford featured the English premiere of the one-woman musical, Estelle Bright, starring actress/singer Sarah Tullamore
.
Stoke Park is the venue for both the Guilfest
music festival during the summer and the Surrey County Show (agricultural and general) on the last bank holiday Monday in May. Previous to 2007, the Ambient Picnic was held in Shalford Park, by the River Wey
.
Radio stations Radio Lion, 96.4 The Eagle
, County Sound Radio 1566 am, GU2 Radio
, and BBC Surrey
are all based in Guildford.
, in Stoke Park, is a national prizewinning sports centre that includes a variety of pools (for leisure and for serious swimming), Ten-pin bowling
, a Laser tag
area (with a similar facility in the town centre), an ice rink and an athletics track, as well as general halls used for indoor sports including gymnastics and trampolining
. The Spectrum is home to several local sports teams, including the Guildford Flames
of the English Premier Ice Hockey League
, Guildford City of the Combined Counties Football League
and Guildford International of the National Volleyball League.
The Surrey Sports Park, owned by the University of Surrey
, opened its doors to general public on 19 April 2010 and its part of university's Manor Park campus close to the Royal Surrey County Hospital
and the Surrey Research Park
. It has a 50 metre swimming pool, as well as squash courts, floodlit tennis and pitches. It is now the home of Guildford Heat
of the British Basketball League
and the Guildford Giants
of the Rugby League Conference
London & South division.
Guildford Cricket Club play their home matches at the Woodbridge Road
ground. Surrey County Cricket Club
also play one or two matches a season there. Charlotteville Cycling Club
is based in Guildford and named after one of the areas of the town. They promote the Guildford Town Centre Cycle Races that take place on the cobbled high street each July. There is a martial arts and fitness centre, AJIMA located on Cabell Road in Park Barn
. Guildford also has two indoor rock climbing centres, Craggy Island on Moorfield Road in the Slyfield Industrial Estate, and The Vertex on the University of Surrey
campus. Guildford City Boxing Club, the oldest amateur boxing club in Surrey, is based in the Bellfields area of Guildford.
Guildford Crows Australian Rules Football Club were founded in 2010 and compete in the AFL GB Southern Division. They train at Stoke Park and play home matches at Effingham and Leatherhead Rugby Club.
s are Bushy Hill, Holy Trinity, Northmead Junior and Queen Eleanor's C of E. Secondary schools include Guildford County School
, St Peter's
, King's College
, Christ's College
and George Abbot
.
. The 'old school' building which was constructed over the turn of the Tudor
and Elizabethan periods and houses a chained library
, lies towards the top of the High Street. The school was established in 1509. The feeder school for the Royal Grammar School is Lanesborough School
which is the choir school for Guildford Cathedral. Other private schools in the town include St. Catherine's School, Bramley, Guildford High School
, Tormead School
and Rydes Hill Preparatory School.
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 College of Law
and to the Guildford School of Acting
. Other institutions in Guildford include 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.
, which in turn forms part of the county of Surrey
. Whilst the rest of the borough's area is split into civil parishes, the urban area of Guildford in unparished. Thus, within the town of Guildford, the Borough Council takes the role of both first and second tier local authority, whilst the County Council forms the third tier of local authority.
Though often referred to as a city Guildford is a town, but has applied for city status
several times. Guildford's 2002 application to be granted the status of a city
was unsuccessful, losing out to Preston, the only English town being formally recognised as a city as part of the Queen
's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Traditionally, the establishment of a diocesan cathedral in a town conferred city status, and the presence of a University is often used as a rule of thumb in determining a settlement's status. Guildford has both of these institutions, has a rich social history and is a significant economic hub in Surrey, a county with no city.
Even though Guildford is the county town for Surrey
, the council itself has its administrative base in Kingston upon Thames
which, although formerly in Surrey, is now in Greater London
. Public sector organisations of note that have headquarters in Guildford include Surrey Police
, the South East England Development Agency
and the Government Office for the South East
.
Politically, the constituency of Guildford
is thought of as a traditional Conservative
seat. However, for the first time in over ninety years, the 2001 general election returned a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament
, Sue Doughty
. The 2003 Borough Elections
returned a majority council for the Conservative party
, replacing the Liberal Democrat-controlled council. In the 2005 general election Guildford returned a Conservative Party MP
, Anne Milton
– by a narrow margin (0.7% of the voting electorate, or 347 votes) and despite a 0.5% rise in the Liberal Democrat vote. The Conservatives also held the council majority in the local elections of 2007.
The town is twinned with Freiburg
in southern Germany, and linked with Mukono in central Uganda
.
Guildford is a thriving commercial town with the 2006 Financial Times
annual list of Top 500 Global Companies listing four major businesses with a significant presence in the town – the list includes Vodafone
, Mitsubishi
, Electronic Arts
, and Colgate-Palmolive
. Electronic Arts (formerly Bullfrog Productions
), Media Molecule
and Lionhead Studios
and also Criterion Games
have helped the town become a centre for video game production. The fire engine manufacturer Dennis Specialist Vehicles
and bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis
are also located 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
.
A global gas and engineering company, The Linde Group
, is also present in Guildford.
and serves the main line between London Waterloo
and Portsmouth
. There are also lines to Ascot
, Reading
, Epsom
, Gatwick airport
, London Bridge
and occasional long distance services, operated by CrossCountry
, connect Guildford with Birmingham
and Newcastle upon Tyne
. The town's other station, London Road
, is to the North East of the town centre. It serves stopping services running between the main station and Waterloo
and London Bridge
stations.
(Hog's Back) to Potter's Lane is known as the Guildford Bypass and is busy at peak times since the A3 trunk road links Guildford to Portsmouth
to the south and London and the M25
to the north east. The M3 and M4 motorway
s are within short distance. The A31
(known locally as the 'Hog's Back
' as it looks like the ridge of a hog's back from aerial view) extends from Guildford to Farnham
and is built on the old site of a Roman Road
and made up part of the Pilgrim's Way which extended from Winchester
to Canterbury
. Today, there is no direct route from Winchester to Canterbury and the A31 links Guildford to mid-Dorset (east of Dorchester). Guildford has a locally "notorious" gyratory system in the town centre. There are other numerous A-Roads linking Guildford to various other towns including Horsham
, Woking
, Godalming
, Reading
, Aldershot
, Bracknell
and Dorking
.
, Safeguard
and Stagecoach
. Most routes are centred on the bus station which is attached to the Friary shopping centre. Many internal bus services within Guildford are loop shaped circulars (starting and ending at the bus station) with different numbers for the clockwise and anticlockwise services. There are also services to many surrounding towns and villages including Woking
and Aldershot
.
Due to the location of the main railway station on the other side of the river from the bus station, only a small proportion of bus services stop at the railway station leading to poor integration between bus and rail services. To address this issue, the Guildford Shuttle
was introduced in 2000. It was a town centre circular service linking up various areas of the town centre. It was free until the borough council withdrew funding for it in August 2008, at which point the route was withdrawn. The operator of the service reintroduced it in January 2009 on a commercial basis, however withdrew it again in May 2010.
There is also a park and ride service, with three main sites at Artington, Merrow and the Spectrum.
service 030 between London Victoria Coach Station
and Portsmouth
and Southsea
via Park Barn in Guildford, but not stopping in the town centre.
, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
and Through the Looking-Glass
, had a house in Guildford and is buried in the Mount Cemetery
. Edward Carpenter
, the gay socialist poet and activist, moved to the town after the First World War and lived there until his death in 1929. He too is buried in Mount Cemetery. Other authors from the town include Gerald Seymour
, writer of Harry's Game
Albert Jack
and New York Times film critic Mordaunt Hall
. P. G. Wodehouse
was born, prematurely, in Guildford in 1881 whilst his mother was visiting the town. Christian writer and biographer Joyce Reason
was a resident of the town, as was novelist Kazuo Ishiguro
.
In music, Guildford lays claim to rock group The Stranglers
, who were based in the town in the early 1970s and were briefly known as "The Guildford Stranglers". Drummer/backing vocalist of Queen, Roger Taylor, currently resides in Guildford. Drummer Jet Black
ran an off-licence in the town and bass player Jean Jacques Burnel attended the Royal Grammar School
. Progressive rock
musicians Mike Rutherford
, of Genesis
and Andrew Latimer
of the band Camel
, were both born in Guildford, as was jazz saxophonist
Iain Ballamy
. In more contemporary music, drum and bass
producers Cause 4 Concern
and Sub Focus
are from the town,.
Several actors and actresses live in the area, including: Edward Kelsey
, who plays Joe Grundy in The Archers
; Stuart Wilson, and Bonnie Langford
. Yvonne Arnaud
, singer and actress, lived in the town for many years before she died. Terry Jones
, the Monty Python
writer, went to the Royal Grammar School
from 1953–61. Other entertainers born in Guildford include WWE
wrestler Paul Burchill
, comic Mackenzie Taylor, and Holly Samos
– radio researcher and presenter, and former member of Chris Evans' Zoo Squad.
In sport, Guildford has been home to ChampCar driver Katherine Legge
and Allan Wells
, gold medallist in the 100 metres
at the 1980 Olympics
.
Other notable residents include the model Jodie Kidd
who was born in the town; mathematician, logician and cryptographer, Alan Turing
, whose family home was in Guildford; Michael Buerk
, BBC
newsreader; Roger Fry
, the English artist, critic and member of the Bloomsbury Group
who lived in the house (Durbins) he designed and built in the town from 1909 to 1919;.
The fictional Ford Prefect
, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
, claimed to be from Guildford, though in fact he was from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse
.
, which was filmed at the former Queens Barracks, and The Omen
, a scene from which was filmed at Guildford Cathedral
. Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock
has sung about the town in "No, I Don't Remember Guildford", a song from his 1999 album "Jewels for Sophia". The University Hall on the campus of the University of Surrey
was the site of the first ever Led Zeppelin
gig on 25 October 1968.
is the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford
Guildford (borough)
Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. It is named after Guildford where its council is based....
and the administrative headquarters of the South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
region. It is situated 27 miles (43 km) southwest of London on the A3 trunk road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
linking the capital to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
The town has Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
roots,
and likely owes its location to the existence of a gap in the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
where the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
is forded
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
by the Harrow Way
Harrow Way
The Harrow Way forms the western part of the Old Way, an ancient trackway in the south of England, dating from the Neolithic period, which can be traced from Rochester and the Channel ports in the Straits of Dover along the North Downs and through Guildford, Farnham, Andover and Basingstoke to...
. The town grew enough in importance that by 978 it was home to the Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
. With the building of the Wey Navigation and Basingstoke Canal
Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation....
Guildford was in the centre of a network of waterways that aided its prosperity.
The Guildford pub bombing
Guildford pub bombing
The Guildford pub bombings occurred on 5 October 1974. The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated two 6-pound gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford, England. The pubs were targeted because they were popular with British Army personnel...
by the Provisional IRA in 1974 killed five people including four off-duty soldiers from the local barracks. The subsequently arrested suspects became known as the Guildford Four
Guildford Four
The Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven were two sets of people whose convictions in English courts for the Guildford pub bombings in the 1970s were eventually quashed...
.
History
It is believed that Guildford was founded by SaxonSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
settlers shortly after Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
authority had been removed from Britain (which was c.410AD). The site was likely chosen because the Harrow Way
Harrow Way
The Harrow Way forms the western part of the Old Way, an ancient trackway in the south of England, dating from the Neolithic period, which can be traced from Rochester and the Channel ports in the Straits of Dover along the North Downs and through Guildford, Farnham, Andover and Basingstoke to...
(an ancient trackway
Ancient trackway
Ancient trackway can refer to any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity. Such paths existed from the earliest prehistoric times and in every inhabited part of the globe...
that continues along Hog's Back
Hog's Back
The Hog's Back is a part of the North Downs in Surrey, England, that lies between Farnham, Surrey in the west and Guildford in the east.-Name:Compared with the main part of the Downs to the east of it, it is a narrow elongated ridge, hence its name....
) crosses the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
at this point, via a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
. This probably gives rise to the second half of Guildford's name. The root of the first part is gold rather than society or meeting place. The Saxon name would have been Gyldeford, meaning golden ford. It has been suggested that the gold may refer to golden flowers by the ford, or the golden sand, but this is not certain. There is an old coaching Inn on the Epsom Road previously called the 'Sanford Arms', which almost certainly derives from 'Sand Ford', so this adds weight to the suggestion that 'Guildford' is a corruption of 'Gold Ford', referring to the very distinctive golden sand showing on the banks of the River Wey where it cuts through the sandy outcrop just south of the town.
In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
, Guildford is identified with Astolat
Astolat
Astolat is a legendary city of Great Britain named in Arthurian legends. It is the home of Elaine, "the fair maiden of Astolat", and of her father Sir Bernard and her brothers Lavaine and Tirre. The city is called Shallott in many cultural references, derived from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The...
of Arthurian
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
renown. Guildford's model railway club, the Astolat Model Railway Circle, and a local pub, the Astolat, are just a couple of the modern day reminders of the legend to be found in the town.
From 978 Guildford was the location of the Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
.
Guildford Castle
Guildford Castle is in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is thought to have been built shortly after the 1066 invasion of England by William the Conqueror.-Construction and development:...
may date back to Saxon times, if not much earlier. Its situation overlooks the pass through the hills taken by the Pilgrims' Way
Pilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
, and also, presumably, once overlooked the ancient ford across the Wey, thus giving a key point of military control of this important East-West route way across the country; just as Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
and the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
once guarded the Thames.
Guildford appears in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Geldeford and Gildeford, a holding of William the Conqueror. The king held 75 hagæ (houses enclosed in fences) and the town rendered £32. Stoke, a suburb within today's Guildford, appears in the Book as Stoch, and was also held by William. Its domesday assets were: 1 church, 2 mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
s worth 5s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
, 22 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
, and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
worth 40 hogs. Stoke was listed as being in the King's park, with a rendering of £15.
William the Conqueror used The Pilgrims' Way when he sacked the countryside, including Guildford, after his victory at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. He then had the castle built, or rebuilt, in the classic Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
style, the keep of which still stands. Another major purpose of Norman castle building was to overawe the conquered population and at Guildford this also was the case. As the threat of invasion and insurrection declined the castle's status was demoted to that of a Royal hunting lodge as Guildford was, at that time, at the edge of Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
. It was visited on several occasions by King John and King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. The surviving parts of the castle were restored in Victorian times and then in 2004; the rest of the grounds are a pleasant public garden.
In 1995, a chamber was discovered in the High Street, which is considered to be the remains of the 12th century Guildford Synagogue
Guildford Synagogue
Guildford Synagogue refers both to a probably medieval synagogue and to a modern congregation in Guildford, England.-Medieval synagogue:The Jews probably arrived in Guildford during the 12th Century. It is widely believed that they built a synagogue in the High Street, on a site that is now owned...
. While this remains a matter of contention, it is likely to be the oldest remaining synagogue in Western Europe.
Guildford elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
. From the 14th century to the 18th century, it prospered with the wool trade.
In the 14th century the Guildhall was constructed and still stands today as a noticeable landmark of Guildford. The north end was extended in 1589 and the Council Chamber was added in 1683. It was in 1683 when a projecting clock was made for the front of the building and can be seen throughout the High Street.
In 1598, a court case referred to a sport called kreckett being played at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford
Royal Grammar School, Guildford
The Royal Grammar School is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who left provision in his will to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'; in 1512 a governing body was set up to form...
which was built in 1509 and became a Royal Grammar School in 1552 granted by Edward the Sixth. The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
gives this as the first recorded instance of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s in the country. It is sited at the top end of the High Street, opposite Holy Trinity church
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Guildford, England. A large, red brick building, it was built on the site of a mediaeval church which collapsed in the mid-18th century...
. The brick-built, three-storey entrance tower faces the church; a grand stone archway leads into the courtyard. On each corner of the tower there is an octagonal turret rising an extra floor, with lead ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
domes.
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
by boat and predated the major canal building program in Britain by more than a century. In 1764 the navigation was extended as far as Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
and in 1816 to the sea at Arundel via the Wey and Arun Junction Canal
Wey and Arun Canal
The Wey and Arun Canal is a 23-mile-long canal in the south of England, between the River Wey at Shalford, Surrey and the River Arun at Pallingham, in West Sussex...
and the Arun Navigation. The Basingstoke Canal
Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation....
also was built to connect with the Wey navigation, putting Guildford in the centre of a network of waterways. Although the Wey was never made navigable as far as Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, that town also benefited greatly from the existing navigation, being able to transport produce to and from Guildford via the Pilgrims' Way
Pilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
.
In the years from 1820 to 1865 Guildford was the scene of severe outbursts of semi-organised lawlessness commonly known as the “Guy Riots” The Guys would mass on the edge of the town from daybreak on Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
, wearing masks or bizarre disguises and armed with clubs and lighted torches. With the onset of nightfall, or maybe before, they would enter the town and avenge themselves on those who had crossed them in the preceding year by committing assaults and damaging property; often looting the belongings of victims from their houses and burning them on bonfires in the middle of the street.
In later years attempts to suppress the Guys led to the deaths of two police officers. In 1866 and 68 the Guys were dispersed by cavalry and this seems to have brought an end to the riots. Similar disorder surrounding the St Catherine’s Hill Fair, held just outside the town on the Pilgrims' Way, was suppressed around the same time.
The Catholic order of Franciscan Friars built a friary for the training of young friars at Chilworth
Chilworth, Surrey
Chilworth is a village in Surrey, England, southeast of Guildford. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches , two schools , a pub and a railway station. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill and St. Martha's Church...
, on the outskirts of Guildford, with the building completed in 1892. The friars continue to minister at Chilworth to this day.
The diocese of Guildford
Diocese of Guildford
The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese based in Guildford, covering most of Surrey and part of Hampshire. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Guildford. It is part of the Province of Canterbury....
was created in 1927, and Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
was consecrated in 1961. Previously, Guildford had been part of the diocese of Winchester
Diocese of Winchester
The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England.Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in England.The area of the diocese incorporates:...
.
During World War II, the Borough Council built 18 communal air raid shelters. One of these shelters, known as the Foxenden Quarry deep shelter, was built into the side of a disused chalk quarry. Taking a year to build, it comprised two main tunnels with interconnecting tunnels for the sleeping bunks. It could accommodate 1000 people and provided sanitation and first aid facilities. Having been sealed since decommissioning in 1944, it has survived fairly intact. The quarry itself is now the site of the York Road car park, but the shelter is preserved and open once a year to the public.
In May 1968 students at Guildford School of Art
Guildford School of Art
Guildford School of Art was one of several schools of art run by Surrey County Council. In 1969 it merged with Farnham College of Art to become the West Surrey College of Art and Design...
began a "sit-in" at the School in Stoke Park which lasted until mid-summer.
On 5 October 1974, bombs planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
went off in two Guildford pubs
Guildford pub bombing
The Guildford pub bombings occurred on 5 October 1974. The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated two 6-pound gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford, England. The pubs were targeted because they were popular with British Army personnel...
, killing four off-duty soldiers and a civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
. The pubs were targeted because soldiers from barracks near Guildford were known to frequent them. The subsequently arrested suspects, who became known as the Guildford Four
Guildford Four
The Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven were two sets of people whose convictions in English courts for the Guildford pub bombings in the 1970s were eventually quashed...
, were convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences in October 1975. They claimed to have been torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d by the police and denied involvement in the bombing. In 1989 after a long legal battle, and a police investigation which resulted in the suspension of DC Leila Fradley, their convictions were overturned and they were released.
In the summer of 2007, a farm near the local village of Normandy, Surrey
Normandy, Surrey
Normandy is both the name of a civil parish in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England and the name of the largest village in that parish. It lies close to the western edge of the county of Surrey close to the border with Hampshire and just north of the chalk hill known as the Hog's Back...
was the centre of a foot and mouth disease crisis
2007 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak
An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom was confirmed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs , on 3 August 2007, in the parish of Normandy, Surrey....
amongst livestock. A major operation occurred to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease.
Modern Guildford
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
setts (frequently referred to as cobbled
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
), numerous shops and department stores.
It is a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
with the market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
being held on Fridays and Saturdays. A farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
is usually held on the first Tuesday of each month. There is a Tourist Information Office and several hotels including the historic Angel Hotel which long served as a coaching stop on the main London to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
route. According to Channel Four Television's "The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK" TV show Guildford was the 9th best place to live in Britain in 2006 but slipped to 12th position in 2007, largely due to the pollution produced by the numerous cars found on the roads. Guildford still remains one of the most expensive places to live in the UK outside of London. Guildford is the most attractive and safe shopping destination in the UK, according to the Eve Prime Retail Survey 2004 and ranked 27th in the country overall.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and Surrey, Guildford experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station for which records are available is Wisley, about 6.5 miles to the North East of Guildford. Extremes of temperature recorded in the area range from 37.8 °C (100 °F) during August 2003 down to -15.1 C during January 1982. The weather station also holds the UK July record high of 36.5 °C (97.7 °F)(2006). The lowest temperature reported in recent years was -12.6 C during December 2010..
Culture
Guildford has the most visited Art Gallery in Surrey, Guildford House Gallery, with over 120,000 visitors per annum. The Gallery is situated in the High Street, in a 17th century Grade I Listed Town House and is run by Guildford Borough Council. Its own art collection includes works of Guildford and the surrounding area, and work by Guildford Artists, most notably John Russell R.AJohn Russell (painter)
John Russell was an English painter renowned for his portrait work in oils and pastels, and as a writer and teacher of painting techniques.-Life and work:...
. Also run by the borough Council is Guildford Museum
Guildford Museum
Guildford Museum is a museum is in the town of Guildford, Surrey, England. The museum can be found on Quarry Street, a road running just off the High Street. Part of the Museum is housed in the gatehouse of Guildford Castle. It is run by Guildford Borough Council, and offers free entry between 11am...
.
The town's principal commercial theatre is the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey presents in-house productions which often tour and transfer to London's West End. Other performances include opera, ballet and pantomime. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, the company has two performance venues, a main theatre and the smaller Mill...
which often shows productions before (and after) they have spent time in London's West End. The Electric Theatre
Electric Theatre
The Electric Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England, which has gained a widespread reputation for promotion of the musical arts at all levels from community workshops to concerts by internationally well-known artists....
opened in 1997 to host performances by musicians and amateur drama groups. It also hosts regular film, family and music festivals as well as comedy and has a Riverside Cafe Bar and Terrace. Guildford also has an Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
cinema multiplex, which is as of June 2007 the only cinema in the world showing digital 4K
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
films to the public . Guildford Civic Hall was the town's main arts and entertainment venue. It closed in January 2004 and has been replaced by a new live entertainment and conference venue, G Live, which opened in September 2011. G Live is operated by HQ Theatres Limited on behalf of Guildford Borough Council. In 2009 the Mill Studio in Guildford featured the English premiere of the one-woman musical, Estelle Bright, starring actress/singer Sarah Tullamore
Sarah Tullamore
Sarah Tullamore is an English-born actress, singer, dancer and voice-over artist who lives in Paris, France.-Biography:Tullamore was born in Carshalton, a suburb of the London Borough of Sutton, England and grew up in Banstead....
.
Stoke Park is the venue for both the Guilfest
GuilFest
GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...
music festival during the summer and the Surrey County Show (agricultural and general) on the last bank holiday Monday in May. Previous to 2007, the Ambient Picnic was held in Shalford Park, by the River Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
.
Radio stations Radio Lion, 96.4 The Eagle
96.4 The Eagle
96.4 Eagle Radio is an Independent Local Radio station in the Surrey and North Hampshire area of England owned by the UKRD Group. The radio station, based in Guildford, Surrey, was the brainchild of Mike Powell, previously the Managing Director of Surrey and Hampshire's County Sound Radio.Peter...
, County Sound Radio 1566 am, GU2 Radio
GU2 Radio
GU2 is the radio station run by the students of the University of Surrey in Guildford, Surrey, England, which broadcasts on 1350AM during term-time. It is a long term Restricted Service Licenced broadcaster operating under an Low-power AM License...
, and BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio service covering the English county of Surrey, along with North-East Hampshire and the northern fringes of West Sussex including Crawley, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport...
are all based in Guildford.
Sport
Guildford's Spectrum Leisure CentreGuildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 28 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, and other sports clubs...
, in Stoke Park, is a national prizewinning sports centre that includes a variety of pools (for leisure and for serious swimming), Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
, a Laser tag
Laser tag
Laser tag is a team or individual sport or recreational activity where players attempt to score points by tagging targets, typically with a hand-held infrared-emitting targeting device. Infrared-sensitive targets are commonly worn by each player and are sometimes integrated within the arena in...
area (with a similar facility in the town centre), an ice rink and an athletics track, as well as general halls used for indoor sports including gymnastics and trampolining
Trampolining
Trampolining is a competitive Olympic sport in which gymnasts perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. These can include simple jumps in the pike, tuck or straddle position to more complex combinations of forward or backward somersaults and twists....
. The Spectrum is home to several local sports teams, including the Guildford Flames
Guildford Flames
The Guildford Flames are an ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and their home ice is the Guildford Spectrum.Founded in October 1992, the team played for many years in the British National League...
of the English Premier Ice Hockey League
English Premier Ice Hockey League
The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association...
, Guildford City of the Combined Counties Football League
Combined Counties Football League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional English football league currently comprising teams from southwestern Greater London, Surrey, small parts of Hampshire and Berkshire, and Guernsey...
and Guildford International of the National Volleyball League.
The Surrey Sports Park, owned by the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, opened its doors to general public on 19 April 2010 and its part of university's Manor Park campus close to the Royal Surrey County Hospital
Royal Surrey County Hospital
The Royal Surrey County Hospital is a 527-bedded District General Hospital, located on the fringe of Guildford, serving a population of 320,000 for general services and 1,200,000 for cancer services...
and the Surrey Research Park
Surrey Research Park
The Surrey Research Park is located in Guildford, Surrey, UK close to the A3 road and the Royal Surrey County Hospital. The park is owned and run by the University of Surrey....
. It has a 50 metre swimming pool, as well as squash courts, floodlit tennis and pitches. It is now the home of Guildford Heat
Guildford Heat
Guildford Heat is a basketball club based in Guildford, England that currently play in the British Basketball League. Heat play their home games at the brand-new Surrey Sports Park and was formed in 2005 by fans of former BBL franchise Thames Valley Tigers, who folded during the same year...
of the British Basketball League
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
and the Guildford Giants
Guildford Giants
The Guildford Giants are a rugby league team based in Guildford, Surrey. They compete in the London and South East Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:Guildford Giants were formed in December 2008 and were based at Guildford RUFC...
of the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
London & South division.
Guildford Cricket Club play their home matches at the Woodbridge Road
Woodbridge Road
The Sports Ground, Woodbridge Road is a cricket ground in Guildford, Surrey. The ground was given to the town in trust in 1911 by Sir Harry Waechter, Bart. Guildford Cricket Club play their home matches on the ground. Surrey CCC play one County Championship match and one List A one-day match there...
ground. Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
also play one or two matches a season there. Charlotteville Cycling Club
Charlotteville Cycling Club
-History:The first cycling club in Guildford was in the early days of cycling in 1877, when the high bicycle was in vogue. It began as Guildford Bicycle Club and changed name to Guildford Cycling Club...
is based in Guildford and named after one of the areas of the town. They promote the Guildford Town Centre Cycle Races that take place on the cobbled high street each July. There is a martial arts and fitness centre, AJIMA located on Cabell Road in Park Barn
Park Barn Estate
The Park Barn Estate is a housing estate in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is bordered to the south by the Guildford to Reading railway line, the east by the A3 and Woodbridge Hill, the north by the Aldershot Road and Rydeshill, and the west by Broadstreet Common. The Surrey Advertiser...
. Guildford also has two indoor rock climbing centres, Craggy Island on Moorfield Road in the Slyfield Industrial Estate, and The Vertex on the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
campus. Guildford City Boxing Club, the oldest amateur boxing club in Surrey, is based in the Bellfields area of Guildford.
Guildford Crows Australian Rules Football Club were founded in 2010 and compete in the AFL GB Southern Division. They train at Stoke Park and play home matches at Effingham and Leatherhead Rugby Club.
State schools
As for the rest of Surrey, Guildford's state schools operate in a three tier system. Primary schools in the town include Burpham, St Thomas of Canterbury (Catholic), Boxgrove (with its award winning headteacher and its international links), Sandfield and Guildford Grove. Amongst the Junior schoolJunior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
s are Bushy Hill, Holy Trinity, Northmead Junior and Queen Eleanor's C of E. Secondary schools include Guildford County School
Guildford County School
Guildford County School is a foundation secondary school and Sixth Form College located on Farnham Road , Guildford, England, approximately 200 metres from Guildford town centre and opposite Farnham Road Hospital. It has around 950 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form, and about 87 teachers...
, St Peter's
St. Peter's School, Guildford
St. Peter's Catholic School in Guildford, Surrey caters for 1,036 students from the ages of 11 to 18. this includes a 6th form college. The school for many years has been a technology college. It is one of the few Catholic Comprehensive Schools in the Surrey area.-History:St Peter’s and Merrow...
, King's College
King's College, Guildford
Kings College Guildford is a secondary school and sixth form located in Guildford, Surrey. The school has around 800 students and has technology College status.- History :...
, Christ's College
Christ's College, Guildford
Christ's College, Guildford is a Church of England comprehensive school in Guildford, Surrey, England, situated on the Bellfields housing estate....
and George Abbot
George Abbot School
George Abbot School is a large state secondary school with Arts College status in Burpham, north-east of the town of Guildford. The school is named after the 17th-century Archbishop of Canterbury George Abbot. Surrey County Cricket Club's Cricket Academy is located in the grounds of the school.The...
.
Independent Schools
The best-known school in Guildford itself is the Royal Grammar School, GuildfordRoyal Grammar School, Guildford
The Royal Grammar School is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who left provision in his will to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'; in 1512 a governing body was set up to form...
. The 'old school' building which was constructed over the turn of the Tudor
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
and Elizabethan periods and houses a chained library
Chained library
A chained library is a library where the books are attached to their bookcase by a chain, which is sufficiently long to allow the books to be taken from their shelves and read, but not removed from the library itself...
, lies towards the top of the High Street. The school was established in 1509. The feeder school for the Royal Grammar School is Lanesborough School
Lanesborough School
Lanesborough School is an independent, preparatory school in Guildford, Surrey. The school was established in 1930 and acts as the choir school for Guildford Cathedral. It has been the preparatory school for the Royal Grammar School since 1978.-History:...
which is the choir school for Guildford Cathedral. Other private schools in the town include St. Catherine's School, Bramley, Guildford High School
Guildford High School
Guildford High School is an all girls independent school not far from Guildford High Street, on London Road, Guildford, Surrey. It works closely with the Royal Grammar School. It houses a junior and senior school, and a sixth-form college...
, Tormead School
Tormead School
Tormead School is an academically selective, independent day school for girls aged 4 – 18 years old. Founded in 1905, it is situated in Guildford, Surrey, England. It comprises a Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form...
and Rydes Hill Preparatory School.
Higher education
The campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
of the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
is in Guildford. Battersea College of Technology (previously the Battersea Polytechnic Institute) moved to the town in 1966, gaining a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
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 College of Law
The College of Law
The College of Law of England and Wales is a private educational institution in England and a registered charity which provides legal education for students and professionals.-20th century:...
and to the Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting is a drama school located in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an affiliate of the University of Surrey and is an accredited member of the National Council for Drama Training and The Conference of Drama Schools.-Overview:...
. Other institutions in Guildford include Guildford College of Further and Higher Education
Guildford College
Guildford College of Further and Higher Education in Guildford, Surrey caters for students of age 16+ in full-time and part-time study. It has three campuses, one at Stoke Road, adjacent to Stoke Park in Guildford; the second at Merrist Wood near Worplesdon and the third Farnham College...
(which also occupies the site of the former Guildford School of Art
Guildford School of Art
Guildford School of Art was one of several schools of art run by Surrey County Council. In 1969 it merged with Farnham College of Art to become the West Surrey College of Art and Design...
), Academy of Contemporary Music
Academy of Contemporary Music
The Academy of Contemporary Music is a music academy located in Guildford, Surrey, England.The school differs from more traditional music academies by its focus on rock and pop music, and its vocational approach...
and the Italia Conti Arts Centre.
Administration
The town of Guildford forms part of the larger area administered by the borough of GuildfordGuildford (borough)
Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. It is named after Guildford where its council is based....
, which in turn forms part of the county of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Whilst the rest of the borough's area is split into civil parishes, the urban area of Guildford in unparished. Thus, within the town of Guildford, the Borough Council takes the role of both first and second tier local authority, whilst the County Council forms the third tier of local authority.
Though often referred to as a city Guildford is a town, but has applied for city status
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
several times. Guildford's 2002 application to be granted the status of a city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
was unsuccessful, losing out to Preston, the only English town being formally recognised as a city as part of the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Traditionally, the establishment of a diocesan cathedral in a town conferred city status, and the presence of a University is often used as a rule of thumb in determining a settlement's status. Guildford has both of these institutions, has a rich social history and is a significant economic hub in Surrey, a county with no city.
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, the council itself has its administrative base in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
which, although formerly in Surrey, is now in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. Public sector organisations of note that have headquarters in Guildford include Surrey Police
Surrey Police
Surrey Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Surrey in the south of England.The force is led by Chief Constable Mark Rowley and has its headquarters at Mount Browne, Guildford, Surrey...
, the South East England Development Agency
South East England Development Agency
SEEDA, more officially the South East England Development Agency, is one of a number of regional development agencies in England. It was set up as a non-departmental public body in 1999 to promote the region and to enable a number of more difficult regeneration projects which otherwise might not...
and the Government Office for the South East
Government Office
Government Offices for the English Regions were established in 1994 by the John Major administration. Until 2011, they were the primary means by which a wide range of policies and programmes of the Government of the United Kingdom were delivered in the regions of England.There were Government...
.
Politically, the constituency of Guildford
Guildford (UK Parliament constituency)
Guildford is a county constituency in Surrey which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
is thought of as a traditional Conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
seat. However, for the first time in over ninety years, the 2001 general election returned a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Sue Doughty
Sue Doughty
Susan Kathleen Doughty, known as Sue Doughty, is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Guildford .-Early life:...
. The 2003 Borough Elections
Guildford local elections
-Political control:-1973:Number of councillors per ward is shown in brackets after the ward name.Wards won by the Conservatives - Artington, Compton, Puttenham, Seale and Tongham, Shackleford and Wanborough ; Ash ; Effingham ; Merrow and Burpham ; Normandy ; Onslow ; Pirbright ; Ripley, Wisley and...
returned a majority council for the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, replacing the Liberal Democrat-controlled council. In the 2005 general election Guildford returned a Conservative Party MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Anne Milton
Anne Milton
Anne Frances Milton is a British Conservative Party politician and former nurse who has been the Member of Parliament for Guildford since 2005. After service on the Health Select Committee, in November 2006 she was appointed Shadow Minister for Tourism. In July 2007 she was appointed Shadow...
– by a narrow margin (0.7% of the voting electorate, or 347 votes) and despite a 0.5% rise in the Liberal Democrat vote. The Conservatives also held the council majority in the local elections of 2007.
The town is twinned with Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
in southern Germany, and linked with Mukono in central Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Business
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
annual list of Top 500 Global Companies listing four major businesses with a significant presence in the town – the list includes Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
, Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, and Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
. Electronic Arts (formerly Bullfrog Productions
Bullfrog Productions
Bullfrog Productions was a UK computer game developer that was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux. The company achieved recognition in 1989 for their third release, Populous....
), Media Molecule
Media Molecule
Media Molecule is a British video game developer based in Guildford in Surrey. The studio was founded in January 2006 by former Lionhead Studios employees Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith, and Kareem Ettouney...
and Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios is a British computer game development company led by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in April 2006. Lionhead started as a breakaway from the developer Bullfrog, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a...
and also Criterion Games
Criterion Games
Criterion Games is a Guildford, England based British video game developer. It is best known for its work on the award-winning, multi-platform Burnout series, the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox first-person shooter Black.Criterion Software Ltd was created in 1993 to commercialise 3D...
have helped the town become a centre for video game production. The fire engine manufacturer Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...
and bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis Limited is the largest bus builder in the United Kingdom. It incorporated the three last surviving bus manufacturers which started bus production before World War II: Dennis, Alexander and Plaxton.- History :Alexander Dennis was formed as TransBus on 1 January 2001, after the...
are also located in the town as well as military vehicle builders Automotive Technik
Automotive Technik
Automotive Technik took over production of the Pinzgauer from Steyr-Daimler-Puch in the year 2000. In 2006 it was taken over by Armor Holdings, Inc..The company also produces engineering, automotive and military solutions....
. The Surrey Research Park
Surrey Research Park
The Surrey Research Park is located in Guildford, Surrey, UK close to the A3 road and the Royal Surrey County Hospital. The park is owned and run by the University of Surrey....
, contains a number of world leading companies including satellite manufacturers Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a spin-off company of the University of Surrey, now fully owned by EADS Astrium, that builds and operates small satellites. Its satellites began as amateur radio satellites known by the UoSAT name or by an OSCAR designation...
.
A global gas and engineering company, The Linde Group
The Linde Group
The Linde Group, registered as Linde AG is an international industrial gases and engineering company founded in Germany in 1879. Linde shares are traded on all the German stock exchanges and also in Zürich, and the Linde share price is included in the DAX 30 index...
, is also present in Guildford.
Rail
There are two railway stations in the town. The main station, entitled Guildford, is located near the original town bridge on the west side of the River WeyRiver Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
and serves the main line between London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. There are also lines to Ascot
Ascot railway station
Ascot railway station is a railway station in the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line....
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Epsom
Epsom railway station
Epsom railway station is the main railway station for Epsom in the county of Surrey. It is located off Waterloo Road, near to the High Street....
, Gatwick airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
, London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
and occasional long distance services, operated by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
, connect Guildford with Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. The town's other station, London Road
London Road (Guildford) railway station
London Road railway station is situated in the east of Guildford in Surrey, England, lying close the suburbs of Merrow and Burpham.The station is managed by South West Trains, who provide the majority of train services...
, is to the North East of the town centre. It serves stopping services running between the main station and Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
and London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
stations.
Road
The stretch of the A3 extending from beneath the A31A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
(Hog's Back) to Potter's Lane is known as the Guildford Bypass and is busy at peak times since the A3 trunk road links Guildford to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to the south and London and the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
to the north east. The M3 and M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
s are within short distance. The A31
A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
(known locally as the 'Hog's Back
Hog's Back
The Hog's Back is a part of the North Downs in Surrey, England, that lies between Farnham, Surrey in the west and Guildford in the east.-Name:Compared with the main part of the Downs to the east of it, it is a narrow elongated ridge, hence its name....
' as it looks like the ridge of a hog's back from aerial view) extends from Guildford to Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
and is built on the old site of a Roman Road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
and made up part of the Pilgrim's Way which extended from Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
to Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. Today, there is no direct route from Winchester to Canterbury and the A31 links Guildford to mid-Dorset (east of Dorchester). Guildford has a locally "notorious" gyratory system in the town centre. There are other numerous A-Roads linking Guildford to various other towns including Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
and Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
.
Bus
Bus services in Guildford are primarily operated by Arriva with some additional services provided by CountrylinerCountryliner Coaches
Countryliner is a large independent bus and coach operator, based in Merrow, Surrey, England. It operates in Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex, running a number of bus and private hire coach services...
, Safeguard
Safeguard Coaches
Safeguard Coaches is a bus and coach operator based in the Surrey town of Guildford, England.Established in 1924, Safeguard currently provide a number of bus services around Guildford, some of which are jointly operated with Arriva Guildford and West Surrey, and coach private hire services over a...
and Stagecoach
Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey
Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey is an operating sub-division Stagecoach South, which itself is part of the Stagecoach Group.Together, Stagecoach South carries 29.5 million passengers a year with a fleet of 460 buses and 950 staff.-Services:...
. Most routes are centred on the bus station which is attached to the Friary shopping centre. Many internal bus services within Guildford are loop shaped circulars (starting and ending at the bus station) with different numbers for the clockwise and anticlockwise services. There are also services to many surrounding towns and villages including Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
and Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
.
Due to the location of the main railway station on the other side of the river from the bus station, only a small proportion of bus services stop at the railway station leading to poor integration between bus and rail services. To address this issue, the Guildford Shuttle
Guildford Shuttle
The Guildford Shuttle was a bus service linking together Guildford town centre. Starting in 2000, and running free, it was withdrawn in August 2008 following the withdrawal of its funding...
was introduced in 2000. It was a town centre circular service linking up various areas of the town centre. It was free until the borough council withdrew funding for it in August 2008, at which point the route was withdrawn. The operator of the service reintroduced it in January 2009 on a commercial basis, however withdrew it again in May 2010.
There is also a park and ride service, with three main sites at Artington, Merrow and the Spectrum.
Coach
National Express operate coachCoach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
service 030 between London Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
via Park Barn in Guildford, but not stopping in the town centre.
Notable residents (past and present)
Guildford has been the home of several notable writers. Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
and Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
, had a house in Guildford and is buried in the Mount Cemetery
Mount Cemetery
Mount Cemetery is a cemetery in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is situated to the south of Guildford on a hill overlooking the town centre. The cemetery is now full and is no longer able to accept further requests for burials unless the grave has been reserved or there is an existing family...
. Edward Carpenter
Edward Carpenter
Edward Carpenter was an English socialist poet, socialist philosopher, anthologist, and early gay activist....
, the gay socialist poet and activist, moved to the town after the First World War and lived there until his death in 1929. He too is buried in Mount Cemetery. Other authors from the town include Gerald Seymour
Gerald Seymour
Gerald Seymour is a British writer.-Life:The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London...
, writer of Harry's Game
Harry's Game
Harry's Game is a British television miniseries made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour, which was published in 1975.The three-part serial starred Ray Lonnen as Capt...
Albert Jack
Albert Jack
Albert Jack is the pen name of English writer Graham Willmott, born in Guildford, Surrey on 24 April 1964 and noted for his books Red Herrings and White Elephants , Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep , Pop Goes the Weasel and It's a Wonderful Word .Jack's first book, Red Herrings and White Elephants...
and New York Times film critic Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for The New York Times, from October 1924 to September 1934....
. P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
was born, prematurely, in Guildford in 1881 whilst his mother was visiting the town. Christian writer and biographer Joyce Reason
Joyce Reason
Joyce Reason was a British author of missionary biographies and historical fiction for young readers.- Life and Works :Joyce Reason was born in Canning Town, London...
was a resident of the town, as was novelist Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
.
In music, Guildford lays claim to rock group The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
, who were based in the town in the early 1970s and were briefly known as "The Guildford Stranglers". Drummer/backing vocalist of Queen, Roger Taylor, currently resides in Guildford. Drummer Jet Black
Jet Black
Jet Black is an English drummer and founder member of punk rock / new wave band The Stranglers.-Early years:...
ran an off-licence in the town and bass player Jean Jacques Burnel attended the Royal Grammar School
Royal Grammar School, Guildford
The Royal Grammar School is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who left provision in his will to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'; in 1512 a governing body was set up to form...
. Progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
musicians Mike Rutherford
Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...
, of Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and Andrew Latimer
Andrew Latimer
Andrew Latimer is an English musician and one of the original members of the progressive rock band Camel. He is mainly a guitarist and singer, but also a flautist and keyboardist....
of the band Camel
Camel (band)
Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. An important group in the Canterbury scene, they have been releasing studio and live recordings steadily, with considerable success, since their formation.-1970s:...
, were both born in Guildford, as was jazz saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Iain Ballamy
Iain Ballamy
Iain Ballamy is a British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player.- Career :Ballamy was schooled at 1975-80 George Abbot School, Guildford. He then studied Musical Instrument Technology from 1980-1982 Merton College...
. In more contemporary music, drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
producers Cause 4 Concern
Cause 4 Concern
Cause 4 Concern is a drum and bass recording and production group, consisting of Ed Holmes , Mark Clements , Stuart Perkins , and Tobie Burrows. Founded in 1999, the group initially signed with Moving Shadow label under the alias nCode...
and Sub Focus
Sub Focus
Nick Douwma, better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English Electronic Music record producer. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut album.-Chart success:...
are from the town,.
Several actors and actresses live in the area, including: Edward Kelsey
Edward Kelsey
Edward Kelsey is a British actor of stage and screen as well as a voiceover artist. He is perhaps best recognised as the voice of Joe Grundy on the long-running BBC radio soap opera The Archers - a role he took over in 1985.On television, he is known for voicing the characters of Colonel K and...
, who plays Joe Grundy in The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
; Stuart Wilson, and Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
. Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
, singer and actress, lived in the town for many years before she died. Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
, the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
writer, went to the Royal Grammar School
Royal Grammar School, Guildford
The Royal Grammar School is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who left provision in his will to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'; in 1512 a governing body was set up to form...
from 1953–61. Other entertainers born in Guildford include WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
wrestler Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
, comic Mackenzie Taylor, and Holly Samos
Holly Samos
Holly Samos is a radio researcher and presenter. A former member of Chris Evans's Zoo Squad, she was the Formula 1 pit lane reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live until the end of the 2010 season....
– radio researcher and presenter, and former member of Chris Evans' Zoo Squad.
In sport, Guildford has been home to ChampCar driver Katherine Legge
Katherine Legge
Katherine Legge is a British auto racing driver, formerly racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.-Early racing and Atlantics:Prior to joining the Toyota Atlantic series, she raced in several developmental open-wheel series in Britain, including Formula Three, Formula Renault and Formula Ford....
and Allan Wells
Allan Wells
Allan Wipper Wells MBE is a former Scottish athlete, who became Olympic Champion in the 100 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.-Biography:...
, gold medallist in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
at the 1980 Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
.
Other notable residents include the model Jodie Kidd
Jodie Kidd
Jodie Kidd is an English television personality and fashion model.-Early life:Jodie was a showjumper as a child and attended St Michael's School, Petworth.-Family:Jodie is the granddaughter from Hon...
who was born in the town; mathematician, logician and cryptographer, Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
, whose family home was in Guildford; Michael Buerk
Michael Buerk
Michael Duncan Buerk is a BBC journalist and newsreader, most famous for his reporting of the Ethiopian famine on 23 October 1984, which inspired the Band Aid charity record.-Early life:...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
newsreader; Roger Fry
Roger Fry
Roger Eliot Fry was an English artist and art critic, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Establishing his reputation as a scholar of the Old Masters, he became an advocate of more recent developments in French painting, to which he gave the name Post-Impressionism...
, the English artist, critic and member of the Bloomsbury Group
Bloomsbury Group
The Bloomsbury Group or Bloomsbury Set was a group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who held informal discussions in Bloomsbury throughout the 20th century. This English collective of friends and relatives lived, worked or studied near Bloomsbury in London during the first half...
who lived in the house (Durbins) he designed and built in the town from 1909 to 1919;.
The fictional Ford Prefect
Ford Prefect (character)
Ford Prefect is a fictional character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by the British author Douglas Adams. He is the only character other than the protagonist, Arthur Dent, to appear throughout the entire Hitchhiker's saga.-Name:Although Ford had taken great care to blend into Earth...
, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, claimed to be from Guildford, though in fact he was from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Orionis , is the eighth brightest star in the night sky and second brightest star in the constellation of Orion, outshining its neighbour Rigel only rarely...
.
Guildford and the media
Guildford has been captured on film in Carry on SergeantCarry On Sergeant
Carry On Sergeant is the first Carry On film. Its first public screening was on 1 August 1958 at Screen One, London. Actors in this film who went on to be part of the regular team in the series were Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor and Terry Scott...
, which was filmed at the former Queens Barracks, and The Omen
The Omen
An original score for the film, including the movie's theme song Ave Satani, was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career. The score features a strong choral segment, with a foreboding Latin chant...
, a scene from which was filmed at Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
. Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
has sung about the town in "No, I Don't Remember Guildford", a song from his 1999 album "Jewels for Sophia". The University Hall on the campus of the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
was the site of the first ever Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
gig on 25 October 1968.
See also
- Guildford CastleGuildford CastleGuildford Castle is in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is thought to have been built shortly after the 1066 invasion of England by William the Conqueror.-Construction and development:...
- Guildford MuseumGuildford MuseumGuildford Museum is a museum is in the town of Guildford, Surrey, England. The museum can be found on Quarry Street, a road running just off the High Street. Part of the Museum is housed in the gatehouse of Guildford Castle. It is run by Guildford Borough Council, and offers free entry between 11am...
- Royal Grammar School, GuildfordRoyal Grammar School, GuildfordThe Royal Grammar School is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who left provision in his will to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'; in 1512 a governing body was set up to form...
- University of SurreyUniversity of SurreyThe University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
- Guildford (borough)Guildford (borough)Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. It is named after Guildford where its council is based....
- SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
- River WeyRiver WeyThe River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...