Guildford
Guildford – a wonderful town that dates back to at least Saxon times, and that has architecture from every period since. It’s a town of significant wealth, much of it now centred around technology and space exploration. In many ways recently a dormitory town for London commuters, changes are afoot to maintain the mixed use of the centre to include retail, commercial, science, and residential. The single largest employer in Guildford is the Royal Surrey County Hospital – providing Guildford and the surrounding towns and villages with essential health services.
It’s a town that, like so many, has suffered at the hands of the motor car, and the insatiable desire that we’ve had to be able to bring our polluting and anti-social vehicles into town centres – simultaneously killing the very essence that brought us here in the first place. As someone that has taken the time to explore Guildford over the last 25 years, I’m saddened by the way in which the town has been cleaved in two by the road system, and while I appreciate that not every building is worth saving, or can be saved, it feels that the wrecking ball has been swung a little too much.
Taking the time to walk around, without purpose or agenda reveals a beguiling town that clings to a hope and belief that independent retail can survive – with sufficient love and care.
This free self-guided Guildford walking tour takes you around the centre of Guildford, uncovering places such as Quaker’s Acre, the Synagogue that purportedly dates back as far as 1086, Guildford’s oldest building, the resting place of Lewis Carroll, and much more besides.
There’s more information on the page dedicated to this free Guildford resource, but it has been written and published with the intention of encouraging discovery of some of the less obvious locations and landmarks in Guildford.
This historic blue plaque self-guided walking tour that takes you around the 30 or so historic blue plaques that describe people, events, and places of interest (probably!) in central Guildford. Did you know that there used to be a tank parked outside what is now the Friary, or that there’s a large air-raid shelter designed to hold 1,000 people under some tennis courts behind RGS?
Whether you’re a long-standing local, or fresh into town, there’s every chance that you’ll find something that’s new to you.
There’s nothing to pay, and the walk is suitable for most ages – though, the content is likely to appeal more to an older audience than younger.
The future of this page
As I create more content this page will include the following:
A young persons free treasure hunt around central Guildford – helping save the local animals.
A free treasure hunt for adults to explore the area, finding clues, and solving puzzles.