Visit Guildford Places

Welcome to Visit Guildford Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Guildford

  

Guildford Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Guildford

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Guildford history

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Etymology

The only known 10th-century (Saxon) record uses Guldeford and in the 11th century Gealdeford; both meaning gold and ford. The root of the first part may be the word ‘gold’ rather than Guild, a society or meeting of tradesmen. Local historians cite the lack of gold in the region’s sedimentary rocks.

Early settlement

Rural Bronze Age pieces have been found in the town of Guildford. Some of the tiles built into Guildford Castle may be Roman. A Roman villa has been found on Broad Street Common.

Middle Ages

Guildford was established as a small town by Saxon settlers shortly after Roman authority had been removed from Britain at the beginning of the 5th century. The settlement was most likely expanded because of the Harrow Way (an ancient trackway connecting the ancient cities of Winchester and Canterbury) The town was the location of the Royal Mint from 978 until part-way through the reign of William the Conqueror. Guildford Castle is of Norman design, although there are no documents about its earliest years.

Post-Renaissance/Dissolution of the Monasteries

The town’s Royal Grammar School was built in 1509 and became Royal by gaining the patronage of Edward VI in 1552. In 1619 George Abbot founded the Hospital of the Holy Trinity, now commonly known as Abbot’s Hospital, one of the finest almshouses in the country.

Post-Industrial Revolution

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. In 1866 and 1868 the Guys were dispersed by cavalry and this seems to have brought an end to the riots.

20th century

In 1901, the Dennis brothers built the first purpose-built car factory in England. 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 a disused chalk quarry.

Modern Guildford

In the 21st century Guildford still has a High Street paved with granite setts. Guildford is one of the most expensive places to buy property in the UK outside London. It was voted the 9th best place to live in Britain in 2006, but slipped to 12th position in 2007 due to pollution.

Guildford culture & places

Guildford has an art gallery, Guildford House Gallery, in the High Street, in a 17th-century Grade I listed town house. The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is the town’s principal commercial theatre. The Guildford Institute is to provide an educational, cultural and social community hub in the heart of the town.

You can visit Guildford places with Walkfo Guildford to hear history at Guildford’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Guildford has 77 places to visit in our interactive Guildford map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Guildford, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Guildford places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Guildford & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 77 audio facts unique to Guildford places in an interactive Guildford map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Guildford Places Map
77 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Guildford historic spots	Guildford tourist destinations	Guildford plaques	Guildford geographic features
Walkfo Guildford tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Guildford

  

Best Guildford places to visit

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Guildford has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Guildford’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Guildford’s information audio spots:

Stoke Park, Guildford Stoke Park is a large area of parkland on the edge of Guildford, Surrey. It was donated to Guildford by the Lord Onslow in 1925. The park and its woodland have remained more or less intact since they were laid out in the 18th-century.

Guildford Golf Club Guildford Golf Club is a private members golf club located in Merrow, Guildford, England. Founded in 1886, it is the oldest golf club in the county of Surrey.

Stoke Mill, Guildford Stoke Mill is a corn mill on the River Wey that has been converted into offices. It is situated off the Woking Road just north of Guildford town centre. It forms the centrepiece of a small group of buildings that includes Grade II listed Stoke Mill House.

St Mary’s Church, Guildford St Mary’s Church is an Anglican church in Guildford in Surrey. The church’s Anglo-Saxon tower is the oldest surviving structure in the town. Lewis Carroll’s funeral was held in the church in 1898.

Sports Ground, Woodbridge Road, Guildford 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. Surrey County Cricket Club play at least one County Championship match there each season.

Farnham Road Hospital Farnham Road Hospital is a mental health hospital in Guildford, Surrey. It is managed by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The main building is a Grade II listed building.

Mount Cemetery Mount Cemetery, also known as Guildford Cemetery, is a cemetery in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is the location of Booker’s Tower and is surrounded by low-density houses with gardens and a covered reservoir. It contains the war graves of 33 Commonwealth service personnel, 14 from the First World War and 19 from the Second World War.

River Tillingbourne River Tillingbourne runs along the south side of the North Downs and joins the River Wey at Guildford. Source is a mile south of Tilling Springs to the north of Leith Hill at grid reference TQ143437. The catchment is situated on sandstone which has a low rate of weathering.

St Catherine’s Hill, Surrey St Catherine’s Hill is a hill south of Guildford in Surrey, England, with a ruined chapel on its top. The hill is on a sandstone outcrop near the Pilgrims’ Way, at the crossing on the river.

Shalford Mill Shalford Mill is an 18th-century Grade II* listed watermill. It was endowed to the National Trust by a group of eccentric young female philanthropists called Ferguson’s Gang.

Visit Guildford plaques