Guildford is the county town of Surrey, situated 27 miles (43 km) southwest of London on the A3 trunk road mid-way between the capital and 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.

Guildford has the most visited Art Gallery in Surrey, Guildford House Gallery, with over 120,000 visitors per year. 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. 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. Guildford also has an Odeon cinema multiplex, which is the only cinema in the world showing digital 4K films to the public.

Stoke Park is the venue for both the Guilfest music festival during the summer and the Surrey County Show on the last bank holiday Monday in May. Guildford has been the home of several notable writers. Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, had a house in Guildford and is buried in the Mount Cemetery. Drummer/backing vocalist of Queen, Roger Taylor, currently resides in Guildford. Guildford has been captured on film in Carry on Sergeant, which was filmed at the former Queens Barracks, and The Omen, a scene from which was filmed at Guildford Cathedral. The University Hall on the campus of the University of Surrey was the site of the first ever Led Zeppelin gig in 1968.

Accommodation in Guildfords university residences

The campus of the University of Surrey is located in Guildford and offers visitor accommodation during the university vacation periods. It should be understood that these residences are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, the properties do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.

Getting to Guildford

There are two railway stations in the town. The main station, Guildford, serves the main line between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour. There are also lines to Ascot, Reading, Epsom, Gatwick Airport and London Bridge. There is also one daily long-distance service to Newcastle, via Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, Doncaster and York. This service is operated by CrossCountry and departs at 0602 (0609 on Saturdays). Guildford's other station, London Road, is served by stopping services running between Guildford and Waterloo. This station sees four trains an hour to London, two via Cobham, and two via Epsom.

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. In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Guildford is identified with Astolat of Arthurian renown. Guildford appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Geldeford and Gildeford, a holding of William the Conqueror. He had the castle built, or rebuilt, in the classic Norman style, the keep of which still stands. 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. 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.

In the 14th century the Guildhall was constructed and still stands today as a noticeable landmark of Guildford. 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.

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.