Guildford
.
It is believed that Guildford was founded by
Saxon settlers shortly after
Roman authority had been removed from Britain. 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. It has been suggested that the gold may refer to golden flowers by the ford, or the golden sand, but this is not certain.
Alfred Atheling, son of King
Ethelred II, had been living in
Normandy in France during the Danish invasion of Saxon England. After
Canute died, around 1040, Alfred returned to England, where he was met and entertained in Guildford by the Earl Godwine. Godwine handed him to
Harold Harefoot's men, who blinded and mutilated him to the extent that he died not long after.
There is a 12th century
Norman castle, which was built as an overnight resting place as the southernmost point of the
Windsor hunting park. It was visited on several occasions by
King John and
King Henry III. Today only the keep, restored in Victorian times and then in 2004, remains; the rest of the grounds are a pleasant public garden.
In 1995 a Chamber was discovered in Guildford High Street which is widely to believed to be the remains of a 12th century
synagogue. This remains a matter of contention though 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.
Guildford was made a
diocese in 1927, and
Guildford Cathedral was consecrated in 1961. Previously, it had been part of the diocese of
Winchester.
On
October 5,
1974, bombs planted by
Provisional Irish Republican Army terrorists
went off in two Guildford pubs, killing five
civilians. 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. They claimed to have been
tortured by the police and denied involvement in the bombing. After a long legal battle, they were released in 1989 when their convictions were overturned.
In the 21st Century Guildford is a bustling English town, with an attractive High Street made of granite setts (frequently referred to as cobbled), numerous shops and department stores. 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 stage coach route. In addition there is a bus station, a free town centre shuttle bus and a 'Park and Ride' service from the north and south of the town.
There is a small
museum in the town centre and a nationally successful sports centre, The Spectrum, in Stoke Park, which is home to the
Guildford Flames ice hockey team. The
University of Surrey is situated to the north-west of the town centre, about ten minutes' walk from Guildford main line train station. Guildford Cathedral is adjacent to the university's main campus and the Royal Surrey County Hospital is nearby.
The
Royal Grammar School, Guildford's '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. Other schools in Guildford include
County School,
George Abbot,
Christ's College, Guildford,
Guildford High School,
Kings College,
University of Surrey,
Guildford School of Acting,
St. Peter's,
Northmead Junior,
Tormead school and
Worplesdon Primary School.
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.
In 2002 Guildford's latest 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. See
City status in the United Kingdom.
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 Member of Parliament,
Sue Doughty. The 2003 Borough Council 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.
Guildford's
Spectrum Leisure Centre [
1] is a national prizewinning sports centre that includes a variety of pools (for leisure and for serious swimming), ten pin bowling, a small inflatable laser tag arena called Ice Station Zero (However there is a full sized Laser Quest in the town centre), an ice rink (discos every Friday and Saturday night) and an athletics track, as well as general halls used for indoor sports including gymnastics and trampolining.
The town's principal commercial theatre is the
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre [
2] which often shows productions before (and after) they have spent time in London's West End.
The Electric Theatre [
3] opened in 1997 to host performances by musicians and amateur drama groups.
Guildford has an
Odeon cinema multiplex.
A wide variety of cuisines are available in the many restaurants in Guildford. Additionally, there are numerous pubs and bars and several nightclubs.
Each summer Guildford hosts the Ambient Picnic [
4] in Shalford Park by the
River Wey. 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.
Guildford is home to the
Guildford Flames of the
English Premier Ice Hockey League,
Guildford United of the
Combined Counties Football League and the
Guildford Heat of the
British Basketball League.
Guildford is home to two-time
BCAFL Southern Conference, Southern Division Champions, the University of
Surrey Stingers American Football team. One of the most successful teams currently in the University.
It is also home to the local radio station,
96.4 The Eagle.
Rail
There are two railway stations in Guildford. The main station, entitled
Guildford, is located near the original town bridge over the
River Wey and serves the main line between
London Waterloo and
Portsmouth. There are also lines to
Reading,
Epsom and
Gatwick airport and long distance services, operated by
Virgin Trains, connect Guildford with
Birmingham and
Manchester.
London Road station is on the other side of the town centre to the main station. It serves stopping services running between the main station and
Waterloo and
London Victoria stations.
Road
The
A3 links Guildford to
Portsmouth,
London and the
M25.
*
Yvonne Arnaud, singer and actress, lived in Guildford for many years before she died.
*
Michael Buerk,
BBC newsreader, lives in Guildford.
*
Jean Jacques Burnel, the bassist from
the Stranglers, went to the Royal Grammar School, Guildford.
*
Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and
Through the Looking-Glass lived in Guildford and is buried in the
Mount Cemetery.
*
Paul Grunert, actor, lives in the Guildford area.
*
Terry Jones, the Monty Python writer, went to the Royal Grammar School, Guildford.
*
Bonnie Langford, star of Celebrity Skating, has lived in and around Guildford for some years.
* Sir
John Rose , Former Canadian Minister of Finance
*
Holly Samos, radio researcher and presenter, and former member of
Chris Evans Zoo Squad, was born in the town
* Author
Gerald Seymour is from Guildford.
* Actor
Stuart Wilson is from Guildford.
* Author
P. G. Wodehouse was born in Guildford in 1881.
* Actor
Edward Kelsey who plays Joe Grundy in
The Archers lives in Guildford
* Musician Pete McCarthy formed the band The Reformations in Guildford.
* Ben Smith, actor, lived in Guildford from 1987-2002.
* Mathematician, logician and cryptograper,
Alan Turing had his family home in Guildford.
*
Paul Birchall,
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestler.
Guildford is served by these Emergency Sevices:
*
Surrey Police*
South East Coast Ambulance Service as of
1 July 2006. (Formed by a merger of the
Surrey Ambulance Service,
Sussex, and
Kent ambulance services.)
*
Surrey Fire & Rescue Service* Guildford is the 9th best place to live in the UK, according to
Channel Four Television's "The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK" TV show. It has also come top two years running as the most attractive and safe shopping destination in the UK, according to the Eve Prime Retail Survey 2005.
* The 2006
Financial Times annual list of Top 500 Global Companies lists four major businesses with a significant Guildford presence.
* 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 born near
Betelgeuse.
* The
Podcasting pioneer
Adam Curry sends out his podcasts from the "Curry Cottage" in Guildford.
* Well-known rock stars that can be spotted in Guildford include
Eric Clapton,
Ray Davies,
Phil Collins,
Joan Armatrading and
Roger Taylor.
* The
Girls Aloud singer
Cheryl Tweedy was arrested for assault in Guildford in January 2003 at The Drink nightclub.
* Rock group
The Stranglers were based in the town in the early 1970s and were briefly known as "The Guildford Stranglers". Drummer
Jet Black ran an
off-licence called The Jackpot, which was demolished to make way for the Friary shopping centre. Only bass player
Jean Jacques Burnel grew up locally, however.
* Singer/songwriter
Robyn Hitchcock has sung about Guildford.
* The Academy of Contemporary Music [
5], a school for rock and pop musicians, is in Guildford.
* The studio of
Top Gear, a
BBC programme on cars, was at Dunsfold Park,
Dunsfold, near Guildford, until 2006.
* The games company
Lionhead Studios and
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd are based in Guildford.
*
Guildford Borough Council*
University of Surrey*
The Academy of Contemporary Music*
Guildford Jewish Community**
Information on the possible synagogue remains*
Guildford tourist guide from Wikitravel
