Guildford

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Guildford
Coordinates: 51.2354° N 0.5746° W
Population	66,773[1]
OS grid reference	SU9949
District	Guildford
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GUILDFORD
Postcode district	GU1-3
Dial code	01483
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Guildford
European Parliament	South East England
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Guildford is the county town of Surrey,^[2] England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region. Surrey County Council, however, has its administrative base in Kingston upon Thames^[3] which, although formerly in Surrey, is now in Greater London.

The population of the whole borough as of the 2001 census was 117,701 with 66,773 people living in the town itself.^[1]

The town is twinned with Freiburg in southern Germany,^[4] and linked with Mukono in central Uganda.^[5]

Contents 1 History 2 Town 3 Sport 4 Education 5 Politics 6 Business 7 Transport 7.1 Rail 7.2 Road 7.3 Bus 8 Notable residents (past and present) 9 Emergency Services 10 Trivia 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

It is believed that Guildford was founded by Saxon 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. It has been suggested that the gold may refer to golden flowers by the ford, or the golden sand, but this is not certain.

It has long been speculated that Guildford may have been the Astolat of Arthurian renown,^[6] however the legendary city is more likely to have been Calleva (modern day Silchester), the capital of the Atrebates, which resisted the Anglo-Saxons for many years. Guildford's model railway club, the Astolat Model Railway Circle,^[7] and a local pub, the Astolat,^[8] 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.^[6]

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.^[6] Today only the keep, restored in Victorian times and then in 2004, remains; the rest of the grounds are a pleasant public garden.

In 1598, a court case referred to a sport called kreckett being played at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford around 1550. 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,^[6] now commonly known as Abbot's Hospital,^[9] one of the finest sets of almshouses 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.^[9]

In 1995 a Chamber was discovered in Guildford High Street. It is widely 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 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.^[10] 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 tortured by the police and denied involvement in the bombing. In 1989, after a long legal battle, their convictions were overturned and they were released.^[11]

[edit] Town

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^[12] and several hotels including the historic Angel Hotel which long served as a coaching stop on the main London to Portsmouth stagecoach route.^[13] According to Channel Four Television's "The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK" TV show Guildford is the 9th best place to live in Britain.^[14]

There is a small museum in the town centre and 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.

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. It is open Tuesdays to Saturdays and admission is free. Its own art collection includes works of Guildford and the surrounding area, and work by Guildford Artists, most notably John Russell R.A.

The town's principal commercial theatre is the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre [1] which often shows productions before (and after) they have spent time in London's West End. The Electric Theatre [2] 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.

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.^[15][16]

It is also home to several local radio stations including 96.4 The Eagle, County Sound Radio 1566 AM, GU2 Radio, and BBC Southern Counties Radio.

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.

[edit] Sport

Guildford's Spectrum Leisure Centre is a national prizewinning^[17][18] sports centre that includes a variety of pools (for leisure and for serious swimming),^[19] Ten-pin bowling,^[20] a small inflatable Laser tag arena called Ice Station Zero^[21] (there is a full sized Laser Quest in the town centre^[22]), an ice rink (discos every weekend)^[23] and an athletics track, as well as general halls used for indoor sports including gymnastics and trampolining. The Spectrum, in Stoke Park, is home to several local sports teams, including the Guildford Flames^[24] of the English Premier Ice Hockey League.

Guildford is also home to Guildford United of the Combined Counties Football League, Guildford International of the National Volleyball League and the Guildford Heat of the British Basketball League who are the current holders of the BBL Cup.

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.

The town 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.

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.

[edit] Education

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. The feeder school for the Royal Grammar School is Lanesborough preparatory school which is the choir school for Guildford Cathedral. The Academy of Contemporary Music, a school for rock and pop musicians, is in Guildford.

Other educational establishments in Guildford include Guildford College of Further and Higher Education, Guildford County School, George Abbot, Christ's College, Guildford High School, King's College, University of Surrey, Guildford School of Acting, St Peter's, Northmead Junior, Rydes Hill Preparatory School, Tormead School, Worplesdon Primary School and St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School.

[edit] Politics

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 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.

[edit] Business

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. Other notable companies include the games company Lionhead Studios, run by Guildford-born Peter Molyneux, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. The bus and fire engine manufacturer Dennis is also located in the town as well as military vehicle builders Automotive Technik.

[edit] Transport

[edit] Rail

There are two railway stations in Guildford:

• The main station, entitled Guildford, is located near the original town bridge on the west side of the River Wey and serves the main line between London Waterloo and Portsmouth. There are also lines to Reading, Epsom, Gatwick airport, London Bridge 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 Bridge stations.

[edit] Road

The A3 links Guildford to Portsmouth, London and the M25. As well as town centre parking there are a number of 'Park and Ride' services.

[edit] Bus

Bus services in Guildford are primarily operated by Arriva with some additional services provided by 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 (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. There are also national bus services to London and Portsmouth.^[25] 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.

[edit] Notable residents (past and present)

See also: People from Guildford

Many famous musicians have their homes in and around Guildford. Jean Jacques Burnel, the bassist from the Stranglers, went to the Royal Grammar School.^[26] Guitar legend Bruce Foxton, founder member of The Jam, has been a resident of Wonersh Village, on the outskirts of Guildford, for over 20 years^{[citation needed]}. Drum and bass producers Cause 4 Concern are from Guildford.^[27]

Several actors and actresses live in the area, including: Edward Kelsey, who plays Joe Grundy in The Archers;^[26] Stuart Wilson^[28] and Paul Grunert.^[29] Yvonne Arnaud, singer and actress, lived in the town for many years before she died.^[30] Terry Jones, the Monty Python writer, went to the Royal Grammar School from 1953-61.^[31]

The Rev. Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) (1832-1898), author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, had a house in Guildford and is buried in the Mount Cemetery.^[32] Other authors from the town include: P. G. Wodehouse, who was born in Guildford in 1881;^[33] Gerald Seymour, who wrote Harry's Game;^[34] and Albert Jack, who was born in Guildford and remains a resident.^[35][36]

From the world of sport and entertainment, Guildford has been home to Katherine Legge, female ChampCar driver,^[37] and Paul Burchill, WWE professional wrestler.^[38] Holly Samos – radio researcher and presenter, and former member of Chris Evans' Zoo Squad – was born in the town^{[citation needed]}, and Bonnie Langford^[29] – star of Dancing on Ice – has lived in and around Guildford for some years.

Mathematician, logician and cryptograper, Alan Turing had his family home in Guildford.^[39]

Other notable residents include: Michael Buerk, BBC newsreader;^[40] 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^{[citation needed]}; Sir John Rose, former Canadian Minister of Finance;^[26] and Alex Fryer, writer and illustrator of Disco Junkies, who currently lives in the town^{[citation needed]}.

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.^[41]

[edit] Emergency Services

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

[edit] Trivia

• Worldwide bestselling book Red Herrings and White Elephants, on the UK bestseller list for two years, translated into Japanese, French and also a best seller in the USA, Canada and Australia, was written by Albert Jack (real name Graham Willmott) in Guildford during 2003.
• Guildford has come top two years running as the most attractive and safe shopping destination in the UK, according to the Eve Prime Retail Survey 2005^{[citation needed]}.
• 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 (Cheryl Cole) was arrested for the assault and racial abuse of a toilet attendant in Guildford in January 2003 at The Drink nightclub.^[42]
• Guildford is mentioned in BBC4's radio comedy The Museum of Everything in one of its audiovisual exhibits, claiming that the only historically important thing to mention of Guildford was that "a bit of The Omen was filmed there".
• 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^[43] 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.
• One of the studios used by 'Top Gear', a BBC motoring programme is located at Dunsfold Park, Dunsfold, near Guildford^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• 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
• The River Wey and Wey Navigations Community Site — a non-commercial site of over 200,000 words all about the Wey Navigations and includes information and images about Guildford.