Guildford

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Guildford is the county town of Surrey, 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 which, although formerly in Surrey, is now in Greater London.

The population of the whole borough as of the 2001 census was 129,717 , with roughly 70,000 living in the town itself.

The town is twinned with Freiburg in southern Germany, and linked with Mukono in central Uganda. Its geographic coordinates are Template:Coor dm.

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History

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. 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.

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

In 1995 a Chamber was discovered in Guildford High Street which is widely to 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 Provisional Irish Republican Army terrorists went off in two Guildford pubs, killing five civilians. The pubs were targeted because soldiers from barracks near Guildford were known to frequent them. The subsequently arrested suspects, who became known as the Guildford Four, were convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences. They claimed to have been tortured by the police and denied involvement in the bombing. After a long legal battle, they were released in 1989 when their convictions were overturned.

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Town

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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 and several hotels including the historic Angel Hotel which long served as a coaching stop on the main London to Portsmouth stage coach route. In addition there is a bus station, a free town centre shuttle bus and a 'Park and Ride' service from the south of the town.

There is a small museum in the town centre and a nationally successful sports centre, The Spectrum, in Stoke Park, which is home to the Guildford Flames ice hockey team. 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.

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. Other schools in Guildford include County School, George Abbot, Christ's College, Guildford, Guildford High School, Kings College, St. Peter's, Northmead Junior and Tormead school.

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.

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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 Member of Parliament, Sue Doughty. The 2003 Borough Council 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 very narrow margin (0.7% of the voting electorate, or 347 votes) and despite a 0.5% rise in the Liberal Democrat vote.

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Leisure and Sport

Guildford's Spectrum Leisure Centre [1] is a national prizewinning sports centre that includes pools, bowls, laser tag arena, an ice rink, an athletics track as well as general halls used for indoor sports.

The town's principal commercial theatre is the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre [2] which often shows productions before (and after) they have spent time in London's West End. The Electric Theatre [3] 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.

Each summer Guildford hosts the Ambient Picnic [4] in Shalford Park by the River Wey. 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.

Guildford is home to the Guildford Flames of the English Premier Ice Hockey League, Guildford United of the Combined Counties Football League and the Guildford Heat of the British Basketball League.

Guildford 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.

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Transport

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Rail

There are two railway stations (Guildford railway station, near the Friary Centre, and London Road (Guildford) railway station) which provide a convenient link to London Waterloo for commuters in under 40 minutes. The main line station also connects to Portsmouth, Reading, Epsom and Gatwick airport. There are long distance services, operated by Virgin Trains, which connect Guildford with Birmingham and Manchester.

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Road

The A3 links Guildford to Portsmouth, London and the M25.

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Notable residents (past and present)

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Trivia

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External links

fr:Guildford nl:Guildford (stad) no:Guildford pt:Guildford sv:Guildford

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