Guildford, Surrey (hotel, theatre, school)

[Chava61]

I lived as a small child in Guildford, Surrey but I haven't been back since. I was wondering if it was still a nice and small town with a good quality of life. Also if one were to visit, what attractions should one see as a visitor?

[britinparis]

Never been there, but it's well known for being a very affluent commuter town - lots of rich London types who've moved out for the fresh air and country walks - and less of the stabbyness of the metropolis.

[Yorkie Bar]

Only thing I know about Guildford is that it is famous for having a well know bearded lady.

[ian6479]

I lived there for a little while. It's a nice town but very expensive.

[geoff956]

I was born there. Haven't been back for a few years but it was still then a lovely town.
Bit of a nightmare to drive through at times and expensive, but has a lot going for it - in particular the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre which sits alongside the beautiful River Wey.

[Chava61]

I remember the High Street having a beautiful clock hanging over head and I believe that there is a famous cathedral in town. Any other notable attractions for visitors?

[dunno what to put here]

Guildford is still a very rich and very expensive place.

[Whatsthenews]

I spent some time there and thought it was lovely, but in the evenings a lot of people from Aldershot seemed to come into the town, which wasn't so nice.

I remember hiring a rowing boat and going onto the canal -I guess it was between Godalming and Guildford .....

Google is your friend (google map -search nearby for boat hire)
River Wey Boating Holidays & Day Boat Hire Farncombe Boat House

We took a picnic with us and sat on the banks to eat it.


Also drove to some Downs not far away and parked and had a nice walk with great views.

[CM100]

Guildford- Surrey- England
Hi,
Reading your query brought up a lot of memories for me so I decided to put in a post for you.
I grew up very near Guildford in the 50’s and 60’s. It was the next larger town on the bus route for me to go to. I too remember it as a nice small compact town on a hill and nestling on a river around its base. As you drove in on the bus the first place of notice was the big cinema on the left side and I used to go there on many Saturdays for the children’s matinees. The city is basically on a hill so on entering the main shopping area the road would slope down at a gradient of 1 in 10 until you reached the bottom and the end of the shopping areas.
There was a very old hotel in a timber-framed building called The Angel in the middle of the High Street with the famous old clock and the road was still cobbled. I think that this used to be a posting hotel for coaches whose history stretches back to the Middle Ages. The shops were all small except a Debenhams dept. store which was also in the middle. I also remember that this was where I was brought to for my first school uniform for boarding school in a shop that seemed to only sell school uniforms. Guildford also has a castle which was built in approximately 1066, it is now a picturesque ruin. I believe that near the castle is also a museum of local interest on Castle Hill.
Later after being away at school and then college I did go back to Guildford again after having been in London for quite a while. I had a job there for a short period of time at the end of the 70’s and then drove in every day from my village nearby. The city didn’t seem any different, but yes, the parking was much changed. I left England shortly after and moved to Canada, later in the 80’s I returned to visit my mother and went in the Guildford again-and was so shocked by the changes. Yes, the basic geography was of course still there and the main road through the middle of the town, but it seemed to me that everything else had changed, driving around I got lost! It felt to me that the charm was gone and I didn’t like what was left at all.