Barnett Hill

Surrey Hills Days Out

by hotlipz

I have just discovered this wonderful page written by the Surrey Hills Website. It describes how to have a day out in Guildford (and other Surrey Hills towns and villages) and has many more links than I could think of as well as many more ideas. Check it out - they know the beauty of Surrey! http://www.surreyhills.org/itineraries/guildford.asp

St. Mary's Church

by Jefie

Built in the mid-10th century, St. Mary's Church is the oldest surviving building in Guildford. The fact that it was built in stone is rather surprising considering that most parish churches of that period were made of wood. The original stone tower (circa 1050) still survives.

My Home Town!

by hotlipz

Guildford is noted as one of the richest towns in England (I'd love to see some of that wealth!!) It's true, the town is expensive (you cant even buy a one bedroom flat/appartment for less that ?250,000) but the town is so rich in history, culture and interest that you can see why it is so popular. It's also only 30 mins by train to London which I suppose has added to it's popularity.

Guildford has a Cathedral (which featured in the 1976 film The Omen), a Crown Court and a Town Hall but unfortunately still has not attained City status (which can only be granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II).

We also have our own castle which dates back to Henry III. It's set in the most beautiful grounds and is just a few yards from all the hustle and bustle of the High Street Shops. It's also a really good place to have a picnic in the summer.

"The High Street"

In Guildford you really can 'meet me under the clock' - and what a fantastic clock this is. It was built in 1673 and still tells the time perfectly!

"The Undercroft"

I couldnt even begin to decribe what an Undercroft is so here it is from the people who know!

Measuring some thirty feet by nineteen, the Undercroft has a rib-vaulted ceiling supported by two central columns. The corbels the brackets where the arches spring from the walls are carved in the shape of grotesque faces. By the stair, for example, is one carved in the shape of the head of a woman wearing the folded headcloth, or wimple, in the style fashionable in the late 1200s. The ceiling is above street level giving room for a doorway and steps down from the street. The doorway is on the downhill side to gain the maximum headroom. On the uphill side was a low window which afforded a little daylight. Near the far corner in the uphill wall is a narrow doorway which once led to a spiral stair to the house above. The house would have been timber framed and nothing of this has survived.

Undercrofts like these were mostly built in the 1200s and the early 1300s. They were used as shops: the extensive stonework and the carvings were intended for display and not merely as an embellishment to a cellar or storeroom. The undercroft arrangement meant that a short flight of steps up from the street could lead to another shop thus effectively doubling the street frontage. The merchant who lived in the house above might have used the undercroft himself or possibly sublet it as a separate shop, as is known to have happened in London and elsewhere.

Since the Middle Ages the Undercroft has been used simply for storage and for much of the present century has stood empty. In 1989 work was carried out to open the long-blocked street entrance and refurbish the interior for use as an Information Centre for visitors to the town. This has been achieved with very little alteration to the medieval structure and so now once again the Undercroft is playing an important part in the town's commercial life, looking very much as it did when it was built 700 years ago.Measuring some thirty feet by nineteen, the Undercroft has a rib-vaulted ceiling supported by two central columns. The corbels the brackets where the arches spring from the walls are carved in the shape of grotesque faces. By the stair, for example, is one carved in the shape of the head of a woman wearing the folded headcloth, or wimple, in the style fashionable in the late 1200s. The ceiling is above street level giving room for a doorway and steps down from the street. The doorway is on the downhill side to gain the maximum headroom. On the uphill side was a low window which afforded a little daylight. Near the far corner in the uphill wall is a narrow doorway which once led to a spiral stair to the house above. The house would have been timber framed and nothing of this has survived.

Godalming....near Guildford

by Jamesfrankcom

"My Home"

I am a native Godhelmian. This is the town where I am from. An ancient place meaning Godhelm's Clan...he was the Saxon warlord who drove out the Welsh from the area...in a valley on the River Wey. A charming mediaeval high street. Lots of history. Lots of pubs.