Editing Guildford (section)

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:An Iron Age Gold quarter stater from SURREY NULL Celtic Coin Index reference, 74.0154 (FindID 326189).jpg|thumb|right|An [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]] gold [[Celtic currency of Britain|quarter stater]] coin, found in Guildford in 1974<ref>{{cite web |last= Williams |first= David |title= Coin |publisher= Portable Antiquities Scheme |url= https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/326189 |date= 21 March 2010 |access-date= 10 August 2022 |archive-date= 10 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220810203524/https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/326189 |url-status= live }}</ref>]]
The earliest evidence of human activity in the Guildford area is from [[St Catherine's Hill, Surrey|St Catherine's Hill]], where [[Mesolithic]] flint tools have been found.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Gabel |first= G. |year= 1976 |title= St Catherine's Hill: a Mesolithic Site near Guildford |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Research Volumes |volume= 3 |pages= 77–101 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-2249-1/dissemination/pdf/r_vol_3/surreyrv003_077-101_gabel.pdf |access-date= 11 July 2022 |archive-date= 12 July 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220712182020/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-2249-1/dissemination/pdf/r_vol_3/surreyrv003_077-101_gabel.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> There may also have been [[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]] and [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]] settlements on the hill.<ref name=Field_2022_pp1-2/> The areas now occupied by [[Christ's College, Guildford|Christ's College]] and Manor Farm were farmed in the Bronze Age, Iron Age and [[Roman Britain|Roman period]].<ref>''Bronze Age and Roman farming and settlement at Christ's College School, Guildford'' 40 pages, Spoilheap Publications, Woking {{ISBN|0955884667}} radiocarbon dated finds. By Archaeology South-East, Surrey County Unit, Rebecca Lambert, Phil Jones, Nick Marples, L. Allott and D. Young, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web <!-- Citation bot bypass--> |last= English |first= Judie |year= 1999 |title= Evaluation excavation at Manor Farm, Guildford |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |doi= 10.5284/1027444 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-1352-1/dissemination/pdf/Surrey/GL10036.pdf |access-date= 11 July 2022 |archive-date= 12 July 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220712182021/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-1352-1/dissemination/pdf/Surrey/GL10036.pdf |url-status= live }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Traces of a 2nd-century [[Roman villa|villa]] were discovered at [[Broadstreet, Backside and Rydes Commons|Broadstreet Common]] during an excavation in 1998.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Poulton |first= Rob |year= 1999 |title= The excavation of a Roman settlement site adjacent to Broad Street Common, Worplesdon, Surrey |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Bulletin |volume= 334 |pages= 1–6 |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS334.pdf |access-date= 11 July 2022 |archive-date= 14 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210514000235/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS334.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Anglo-Saxon period===
There is thought to have been an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] settlement in the Guildford area by the early 6th century, although its precise location is unclear. Excavations in the 1930s revealed a Saxon cemetery at Guildown at the east end of the Hog's Back. Burials took place at the site up to the mid-11th century, but the oldest skeletons were buried in the late 6th century.<ref name=Lowther_1931>{{cite journal |last= Lowther |first= A. W. G. |year= 1931 |title= The Saxon Cemetery at Guildown, Guildford, Surrey |doi= 10.5284/1068778 |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 39 |pages= 1–50 }}</ref>{{refn|Thirty of the oldest skeletons excavated from Guildown were found with [[grave goods]], including brooches, rings and knives. The presence of these objects suggests that these were [[paganism|pagan]] burials. Fragments of cinerary urns of the same period indicate that [[cremation]] burials also took place at the site.<ref name=Lowther_1931/>|group=note}}

[[File:05-393 Cut halfpenny of Harthacnut (reverse) (FindID 116261).jpg|thumb|right|A [[history of the English penny (c. 600 – 1066)|cut halfpenny]] of [[Harthacnut]], minted at Guildford in 1036 or 1037<ref>{{cite web |last= Williams |first= David |title= Coin |url= https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/116261 |date= 24 February 2011 |orig-date= 5 December 2005 |publisher= Portable Antiquities Scheme |access-date= 9 August 2022 |archive-date= 9 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220809180408/https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/116261 |url-status= live }}</ref>]]
The first written record of Guildford is from the will of [[Alfred the Great]], dated to around 880, in which the settlement was left to his nephew, [[Æthelwold ætheling|Aethelwold]].<ref name=Field_2022_p3>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=3}}</ref> Although it does not appear in the [[Burghal Hidage]], compiled {{circa|914}},<ref name=Corke_1990_Princes>{{harvnb|Corke|1990|loc=Chapter: A resort of princes}}</ref>{{refn|In contrast, the [[burh]] at [[Shackleford#Eashing|Eashing]] (around {{cvt|7|km|mi}} southwest of Guildford) is recorded in the [[Burghal Hidage]]. The fortified site, on a low sandstone hill overlooking the River Wey, is thought to have been in use {{circa|880|930}}. The decline of the Eashing burh may be linked to the increasing importance of Guildford as a regional centre in the mid-9th century.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1017720|desc=Anglo-Saxon fortified centre at Eashing|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Gower |first= M. |year= 1984 |title= The late-Saxon burh at Eashing |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 74 |pages= 225–226 |doi= 10.5284/1069069 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_74/surreyac074_225-226_gower.pdf |access-date= 4 August 2022 |archive-date= 21 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220821125510/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_74/surreyac074_225-226_gower.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>|group=note}} by the end of the 10th century the town was sufficiently important to be the location of a [[Royal Mint]]. Coins were struck at Guildford from 978 until at least 1099.<ref name=Corke_1990_Princes/>{{refn|Around 80 silver pennies minted in Guildford between 978 and 1099, are known to be in existence today. [[Southwark]] was the only other Surrey town with a Royal Mint during the Saxon period and a greater quantity of coinage was produced there than at Guildford.<ref name=Corke_1990_Princes/>|group=note}}

Around 220 of the skeletons excavated at Guildown are thought to be the remains of soldiers massacred during the arrest of [[Alfred Aetheling]] in 1035 or 1036. Contemporary accounts are somewhat contradictory, but the modern consensus is that Aetheling, a [[pretender|pretender to the throne]] and the brother of [[Edward the Confessor]], was travelling through Guildford with a large bodyguard when the incident occurred.<ref name=Lowther_1931/><ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp53-56>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=53–56}}</ref>{{refn|One close contemporary source states that Aetheling was travelling to [[Winchester]] to visit his mother, [[Emma of Normandy]]. Another states that he was en route to London for a meeting with the King, [[Harold Harefoot]].<ref name=ODNB_Aetheling>{{cite ODNB |last= Lawson |first= M. K. |title= Alfred Ætheling |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/184 |date= 23 September 2004}}</ref>|group=note}} Aetheling was arrested by [[Godwin, Earl of Wessex]] and his men were killed. Many of the skeletons showed evidence of a violent death and the skulls of two were between their legs, suggesting that they had been executed by decapitation.<ref name=Lowther_1931/><ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp53-56/><ref>{{cite news |last= Harper |first= Paul |date= 22 October 2015 |title= Anglo Saxon burial site in Guildford likely to include gruesome skeletons of Prince Alfred's massacred troops |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/nostalgia/anglo-saxon-burial-site-guildford-10168337 |access-date= 5 August 2022 }}</ref> Aetheling was taken to [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]], where he was blinded, and he is thought to have died there in February 1036.<ref name=ODNB_Aetheling/>

[[File:St Mary's Church, Quarry Street, Guildford (April 2014) (1).JPG|thumb|right|[[St Mary's Church, Guildford|St Mary's Church]], Quarry Street]]
The oldest extant building in Guildford is [[St Mary's Church, Guildford|St Mary's Church]], the tower of which was built {{circa|1040}}.<ref name=NHLE_StM>{{NHLE|num=1377918|desc=Church of St Mary|grade=I|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2015|loc=Fig. 33}}</ref> Its location, on Quarry Street, may indicate that, at the time of its construction, the High Street had either not been laid out or was not the principal road.<ref name=Alexander_2006_pp8-9>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|pp=8–9}}</ref> There is no significant archaeological evidence of human activity in the modern town centre before the 11th century<ref name=EUS>{{cite web |last= Robertson |first= Jane |date= June 2003 |orig-date= March 2001 |title= Extensive Urban Survey : Guildford |publisher= Surrey County Archaeological Unit |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-726-1/dissemination/pdf/guildford/guildford_eus_report.pdf |access-date= 3 August 2022 |archive-date= 21 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220821125510/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-726-1/dissemination/pdf/guildford/guildford_eus_report.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=xxii}}</ref> and it is possible that, for the majority of the Saxon period, [[Stoke next Guildford]], to the north, was the primary area of settlement.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=6}}</ref>{{refn|The predecessor church to St John the Evangelist at [[Stoke next Guildford]] may have been a [[Minster (church)#Early and mid Anglo-Saxon periods|minster]].<ref>{{harvnb|Clark|1999|p=1}}</ref>|group=note}}

===Governance===
In [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, Guildford appears as ''Gildeford'' and is divided into seven parts, all of which were the property of [[William the Conqueror|William I]]. Two of the areas were held by [[reeve (England)|reeves]] and four were held by [[land tenure|lesser tenants]], one of whom was [[Ranulf Flambard]]. The land directly controlled by the king included 175 homagers (heads of household), who lived in 75 ''hagae''.<ref name=Field_2022_p10>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9949/guildford/ |title= Guildford |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 15 July 2022 |archive-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220808171332/https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9949/guildford/ |url-status= live }}</ref>{{refn|The term ''haga'' (plural ''hagae'') is generally understood to mean an area of land, surrounded by fences or hedges, and containing one or more dwellings. It is sometimes translated as a "close of houses".<ref name=Field_2022_p10/><ref>{{harvnb|Manning|Bray|1804|p=9}}</ref>|group=note}} Flambard's holding included three ''hagae'' that accommodated six homagers and, in total, the town provided an annual income of £30 for the king.<ref name=Field_2022_p10/> William I is also listed as holding Stoke-by-Guildford, which had a population of 24 villagers, ten smallholders and five slaves. The manor had sufficient land for 22 plough teams, 16 acres of meadow, woodland for 40 swine and two mills.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9950/stoke/ |title= Stoke |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 15 July 2022 |archive-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220808171331/https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9950/stoke/ |url-status= live }}</ref>
[[File:Quinton Town Hall Guildford.jpg|thumb|upright|Town Hall Guildford (postcard 1915) by [[A. R. Quinton]]]]
Guildford remained a property of the Crown throughout the Middle Ages and several kings, including [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] and [[John, King of England|John]] are known to have visited regularly.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|pp=15–16}}</ref> [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] granted the town its first borough charter in January 1257, which permitted it to send two representatives to parliament. In August of the same year, he designated Guildford as the location of the Surrey County Court and [[Assizes]].<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=18}}</ref> In 1366, [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] issued a [[fee farm grant]], enabling the town to become partially self-governing in exchange for a yearly rent of £10.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_p70>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|p=70}}</ref> [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] was responsible for granting Guildford its coat of arms in 1485 and, three years later, he awarded the charter of incorporation, which placed the administration of the borough in the hands of a mayor and burgesses, appointed from the merchants' guild.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|pp=27–28}}</ref>

The modern system of local government began to emerge in the 1830s. Under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], a democratically elected council replaced the mayor and burgesses, and the borough expanded beyond the medieval town boundaries.<ref name=Corke_1990_Wider>{{harvnb|Corke|1990|loc=Chapter: Wider Still and Wider}}</ref>  A year later, the Guildford Poor Law Union was formed, with responsibility for a total area of {{cvt|12|sqmi|km2}} stretching from [[Godalming]] to [[Woking]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chapman Davies|2004|pp=17–21}}</ref> As a result of the [[Local Government Act 1888]], several responsibilities were transferred from the borough to the newly formed [[Surrey County Council]]. The borough boundaries were extended again in both 1904 and 1933.<ref name=Corke_1990_Wider/><ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp26-27>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=26–27}}</ref>{{refn|[[Merrow]] was included in the borough for the first time in 1933.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp26-27/>|group=note}} The final enlargement took place in March 1974, when the present local authority was created from the merger of the borough with the Guildford Rural District.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=106}}</ref>

===Guildford Castle===
{{main|Guildford Castle}}
[[File:Guildford Castle.jpg|thumb|right|Guildford Castle]]
Guildford Castle is to the south of the modern town centre. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in Domesday Book, it is possible that it was included in one of the areas of land held by Ranulf Flambard.<ref name=Alexander_2006_pp8-9/> The date of its original construction is uncertain, but the consensus among historians is that it was built as a [[motte-and-bailey castle]] soon after the [[Norman Conquest]].<ref name=NHLE_Castle>{{NHLE|num=1012340|desc=Guildford Castle|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref name=Alexander_2006_p14>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=14}}</ref>{{refn|The earliest surviving written reference to Guildford Castle is in the pipe rolls of 1173-74.<ref name=Alexander_2006_p14/>|group=note}} A polygonal stone [[shell keep]] was built in chalk and flint rubblestone around the top of the motte in the early 12th Century, the remains of which are still visible.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1177988|desc=Remains of shell keep at Guildford Castle|grade=I|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=19}}</ref>

The square [[keep]], known as the Great Tower, was constructed in the mid-12th century from [[Bargate stone]].<ref name=NHLE_Keep>{{NHLE|num=1377881|desc=The castle Keep|grade=I|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref name=Alexander_2006_pp24-26>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|pp=24–26}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=33}}</ref> Originally built with only two floors, it was a "solar keep" and functioned primarily as a private residence, rather than as an administrative centre. At an unknown later date, a third storey was built directly on top of the crenelations, to bring the structure to its present height.<ref name=Alexander_2006_pp24-26/> Part of the keep was in use as a prison by the end of the 12th century and new, royal apartments were constructed in the 13th century in the southwestern corner. Henry III commissioned the rebuilding of the castle following a fire in the mid-13th century, converting it into one of the most luxurious palaces in England.<ref name=NHLE_Keep/> In 1245, he bought land to extend the castle grounds and Castle Arch was constructed on his orders in 1256.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=42}}</ref>

The castle ceased to be a royal residence in the [[Tudor period]] and it was leased from the Crown by Francis Carter in the reign of [[James VI and I|James I]].<ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2006|p=51}}</ref> A Parliamentary survey in 1650 noted that the keep was still habitable,<ref>{{cite journal |last= Bax |first= Alfred Ridley |year= 1903 |title= Parliamentary survey of Guildford Castle in 1650 |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 18 |page= 9 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_18/surreyac018_009-010_bax.pdf |access-date= 3 August 2022 |archive-date= 21 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220821125511/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_18/surreyac018_009-010_bax.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> although the associated outbuildings are thought to have been ruinous by this time.<ref>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|p=65}}</ref> In 1885, the borough purchased the castle grounds and opened them to the public three years later.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|2001|p=117}}</ref>

===Guildford Friary===
{{main|Guildford Black Friary}}
The Guildford Black Friary was a community of [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], founded by [[Eleanor of Provence]], wife of Henry III, around 1275.<ref name=Woods_Poulton_1984>{{cite journal |last1= Woods |first1= Humphrey |last2= Poulton |first2= Robert |year= 1984 |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Research Volumes |volume= 9 |pages= 1–71 |title= Excavations on the site of the Dominican Friary at Guildford |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1138998&recordType=Journal |access-date= 22 July 2022 |archive-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220808173222/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1138998&recordType=Journal |url-status= live }}</ref>{{refn|The exact date of the foundation of the Black Friary is unknown, but it could not have taken place before 1236, the year of [[Eleanor of Provence|Eleanor's]] marriage to [[Henry III of England|Henry III]]. There is no mention of the friars being among those who prayed for the soul of her grandson, [[Henry (son of Edward I)|Prince Henry]], who died in 1274 and it is possible that Eleanor founded the friary in his memory. Historical documents note that Henry's heart was "lodged at the Guildford Priory" and Eleanor is acknowledged as the "first fundryse". The earliest surviving record of the community is from 1275, when [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] granted an enlargement of the friary grounds.<ref name=Woods_Poulton_1984/><ref name=Chamberlin_1982_p105>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|p=105}}</ref>|group=note}}{{refn|The first known religious community in Guildford was the order of the Friars de Ordine Martyrum, which is recorded in 1260. The order was disbanded by the [[Second Council of Lyon]] in 1274 and it is possible that Eleanor incorporated parts of this earlier community into her foundation.<ref name=Woods_Poulton_1984/><ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=21}}</ref>|group=note}} It occupied a site of around {{cvt|10|acre|ha}} beside the River Wey, to the north of the Town Ditch (now North Street). Excavations in the 1970s revealed that the original buildings were arranged around three sides of a central cloister, with a church to the south, [[chapter house]] to the east and kitchen to the north.<ref name=Woods_Poulton_1984/>{{refn| Excavations in the 1970s, identified 65 separate graves in the friary precinct of which 28 were in the [[nave]] of the church. Several contained multiple burials and it has been suggested that these graves were for victims of the [[bubonic plague|plague]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|2001|p=24}}</ref>|group=note}} The community was never large; in 1336 there were only 20 friars and by the time of its [[dissolution of the monasteries|dissolution]] in 1537, there were only seven.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_p105/> In the late Tudor period, the building was occasionally used as a royal residence until 1606, when it was demolished and the materials used for construction projects elsewhere in the town.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp107-109>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=107–109}}</ref>

In 1630, John Annandale purchased the friary grounds and built a house there. The property passed through a series of private owners until 1794, when it was bought by the War Office. It was used as a barracks until the end of the Napoleonic Wars and then demolished in 1818. The grounds are indicated on an 1841 map of Guildford as the "Barrack Field" and shortly afterwards the area was divided into plots and sold for housebuilding.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp107-109/> In 1858, the Chennel family set up a steam-powered flour mill on the site of the friary church and cloisters, which was subsequently purchased and converted to a brewery by Thomas Taunton in the 1870s.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|2001|pp=26–27}}</ref><ref name=Rose_Parke_2007_p106>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=106}}</ref> In 1956, the brewery merged with the [[Horse Shoe Brewery|Meux Brewery]] of [[Nine Elms]] to form Friary Meux.<ref name=Rose_Parke_2007_p106/> The combined company was taken over by [[Allied Breweries]] in 1963<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Allied Breweries want Friary |date= 28 November 1963 |page= 12|issue= 55870  }}</ref> Brewing ceased in December 1968 and the site was sold to the developer, [[MEPC plc]]. The brewery was demolished in 1974<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=110}}</ref> and, after archaeological investigations had been concluded, construction of the Friary Centre began in 1978.<ref name=Woods_Poulton_1984/><ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= MEPC's new town centre project |date= 28 June 1978 |page= 22 |issue= 60339 }}</ref>{{refn|The Friary Centre was opened by [[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy|Princess Alexandra]] in November 1980.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|2001|p=28}}</ref>|group=note}}

===Transport and communications===
The east{{endash}}west route along the [[North Downs]] has been in use since ancient times. In the late 19th century it was dubbed the [[Pilgrims Way]], but there is no convincing evidence of its use by pilgrims. The route consists of multiple parallel tracks and [[sunken lane|hollow ways]] running along the top of and beneath the North Downs escarpment and is typical of other [[ridgeway (road)|ridgeway]] routes in the UK and Europe.<ref>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=5–6}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hindle|2001|pp=46–47}}</ref> Similarly, the path alongside the River Wey, running broadly north{{endash}}south, is also likely to have been used since antiquity. By the Tudor period, this route had become an important military supply line, linking London and [[Chatham Dockyard|Chatham]] to [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth]].<ref>{{harvnb|Corke|1990|loc=Chapter: Hogs in the High Street}}</ref> A [[turnpike trust|turnpike road]] through Guildford, between London and Portsmouth, was created in 1749<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|2000|p=14}}</ref> and nine years later the roads across the Hog's Back and towards Leatherhead were also turnpiked. The present Farnham Road was built {{circa|1800}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|2001|pp=39–40}}</ref> The most recent major change to the local road network was the opening of the [[A3 road|A3]] Guildford Bypass in 1934.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=  New by-pass in Surrey |date= 1 September 1934 |page= 9 |issue= 468138 }}</ref>

[[File:Wey Navigation, Guildford.jpg|thumb|right|Onslow Bridge, [[Wey and Godalming Navigations|River Wey Navigation]]]]
The River Wey has been used for navigation since ancient times and during the Medieval period, there is thought to have been a wharf at Millmead.<ref name=EUS/><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Bird |first1= D. G. |last2= Crocker |first2= Glenys |last3= Maloney |first3= Cath |last4= Sinah |first4= Dinah |year= 1996 |title= Archaeology in Surrey 1992-3 |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 83 |pages= 187–228 |doi= 10.5284/1069217 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_83/surreyac083_187-228_bird.pdf |access-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-date= 21 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220821125506/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_83/surreyac083_187-228_bird.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The [[Wey and Godalming Navigations|River Wey Navigation]] was authorised by [[Act of Parliament (UK)|Act of Parliament]] in 1651. Twelve [[lock (water navigation)|locks]] (including two flood locks), and {{convert|9|mi|km|abbr=on}} of new [[canal|cuts]] were constructed between the [[River Thames]] and Guildford, and the waterway opened in 1653.<ref>{{harvnb|Hadfield|1969|pp=118–119}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Vine|1973|pp=10–11}}</ref> The navigation had a positive impact on the economy of west Surrey. By the end of the 17th century, [[lumber|timber]] was being transported via the river from the county boundary with [[West Sussex]]<ref name=Vine_1973_p14>{{harvnb|Vine|1973|p=14}}</ref> and in 1724, [[Daniel Defoe]] wrote that corn from Farnham was being sent by barge to London.<ref name=Vine_1987_WeyNav>{{harvnb|Vine|1987|loc=Chapter: Wey Navigation}}</ref> The Act also allowed passengers to be transported via the Wey and the maximum one-way fare was capped at 1s, which was raised in 1671 to 1s 4d.<ref name=Vine_1973_p14/>

The Godalming Navigation was authorised in 1760 and was completed four years later.<ref name=Vine_1973_pp17-18>{{harvnb|Vine|1973|pp=17–18}}</ref> Four locks were built as part of the works and the Town Bridge was altered to allow barges to pass beneath it.<ref>{{harvnb|Vine|1987|loc=Fig. 50}}</ref> The period of the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]] (1775{{endash}}1783) was particularly profitable for the two waterways, and a total of 17,000 tonnes of cargo was transported in 1776.<ref name=Vine_1973_pp17-18/>{{refn|The [[Wey and Arun Canal]] between [[Shalford, Surrey|Shalford]] and [[Wisborough Green|Pallingham]] was opened in September 1816 and closed in July 1871. Traffic volumes were never high and the canal had little impact on the economic prosperity of Guildford.<ref>{{harvnb|Vine|1987|loc=Chapter: Wey and Arun Canal}}</ref>|group=note}} Traffic on the Wey and Godalming Navigations declined following the opening of the railway lines in the late 1840s.<ref name=Vine_1987_WeyNav/> The [[National Trust]] acquired the two waterways in the 1960s and have owned them ever since.<ref>{{cite web |title= River Wey Navigations – the back story |publisher= National Trust |url= https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/river-wey-and-godalming-navigations-and-dapdune-wharf/features/river-wey-navigations---the-back-story |access-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220808140656/https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/river-wey-and-godalming-navigations-and-dapdune-wharf/features/river-wey-navigations---the-back-story |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:Guildford Station geograph-2663116-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|right|[[Guildford railway station]] (1958)]]
The first railway to be constructed in Surrey was the [[South West Main Line|London to Southampton line]], which opened in stages from May 1838.<ref>{{cite newspaper The Times |title= Opening of the London And Southampton Railway |date= 14 May 1838 |issue= 4337}}</ref><ref name=Mitchell_Smith_1988_Intro>{{harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1988|loc=Introduction}}</ref> [[Woking railway station]],{{refn|Woking station, initially known as Woking Common, was the terminus of the line from {{rws|Nine Elms}} until the section to {{rws|Winchfield}} opened in September 1838.<ref name=Mitchell_Smith_1988_Intro/>|group=note}} was built on the south side of the tracks for the convenience of those travelling by stagecoach from Guildford and quickly became the [[wikt:railhead|railhead]] for the western half of the county.<ref>{{harvnb|Wakeford|1987|pp=43–44}}</ref> [[Guildford railway station]] opened in 1845 as the terminus of a branch from Woking. Four years later, the line was extended to {{rws|Godalming}} and the [[North Downs Line|Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway]] opened at the same time.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1985|loc=Introduction}}</ref> The final railway line, the [[New Guildford Line|line from Surbiton via Effingham Junction]] was opened in February 1888, with a new station to the northeast of the town centre, which was later named {{rws|London Road (Guildford)}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1990|loc=Historical Background, Fig. 101}}</ref>{{refn|The [[Cranleigh line|railway line from Guildford to Horsham via Cranleigh]] opened to passengers in October 1865 and closed in June 1965.<ref>{{harvnb|Oppitz|1988|pp=78, 81}}</ref>|group=note}}

===Commerce and industry===
It is unclear when the first market took place at Guildford, but by 1276 one was being held in the High Street every Saturday.<ref name=Corke_1990_Wool>{{harvnb|Corke|1990|loc=Chapter: Wool and Water}}</ref> In the 1530s, there were three markets each week, for corn (the most profitable), for cattle, and for general produce and household items. In 1561, a market house was built "beneath the Gild Hall", but by 1626 it was no longer suitable to store the "graine accustimablie sold there" and the corn market was moved to the Tun Inn on the south side of the High Street.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=28}}</ref> A purpose-built [[Tunsgate|Corn Exchange]] was erected there in 1818.<ref>{{NHLE|desc= Tunsgate |num= 1377878 |access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref> In 1865, the market was relocated to North Street<ref name=Rose_2000_pp11-12>{{harvnb|Rose|2000|pp=11–12}}</ref> and in 1895, it moved to Woodbridge Road.<ref name=Collyer_Rose_1999_p16>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|p=16}}</ref>

Guildford's early prosperity was founded on the [[wool]] trade. The North Downs provided good [[grazing]] land for sheep, there were local deposits of [[Fuller's earth]] in Surrey and the Wey provided a source of both water and power for [[fulling|fulling mills]]. The town specialised in the manufacture of [[kersey (cloth)|kersey]], a coarse cloth, [[dye]]d and sold as "Guildford Blue".<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp79-82>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=79–82}}</ref> The Italian merchant, [[Francesco di Marco Datini]], is known to have purchased cloth from Guildford in the late 14th century and by the end of the 16th century, there were at least six dye works in the town.<ref name=Corke_1990_Wool/> The trade began to decline at the end of the Tudor period, possibly as a result of fraudulent activity on the part of the wool merchants, who were accused of stretching the cloth. Attempts to revive the struggling industry in the early 17th century were unsuccessful<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp79-82/> and the last remaining fulling mill was converted to grind corn in 1714.<ref name="Field_2022_p57">{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=57}}</ref>

After the death of their father in 1882, brothers Charles Arthur and Leonard Gates took over the running of his shop, which held the local distribution franchise for [[Gilbey's]] wines and spirits, and also sold beer. However, in 1885, the brothers were persuaded to join the [[temperance movement in England|temperance movement]], and they poured their entire stock into the gutters of the High Street. Left with no livelihood, they converted their now empty shop into a dairy. Using a [[milk separator]], they bought milk from local farmers, and after extracting the cream and whey, sold the skim back to the farmers for pig feed. In 1888 three more of the Gates brothers and their sons joined the business, which led to the formal registration of the company under the name of the [[West Surrey Central Dairy Company]], which after the development of its [[dried milk]] baby formula in 1906 became [[Cow & Gate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wincantonplc.com/wincanton/history.jsp?tn=1&sn=1|title=History & Business|publisher=Wincanton Plc|access-date=26 April 2008|archive-date=9 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609101312/http://www.wincantonplc.com/wincanton/history.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1900, the [[Dennis Brothers]] company constructed what was probably the first purpose-built car factory in the country, on Bridge Street. This is now known as the [[Rodboro Buildings]], after a later occupant. The company soon outgrew the site, and between 1905 and 1913 production was gradually moved to a new factory near Woodbridge Hill.<ref name=Corke_1986>{{cite journal |last= Corke |first= Shirley |year= 1986 |title= Dennis of Guildford: An introduction to the firm and its records |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%203-3.pdf |journal= Surrey History |volume= III |issue= 3 |pages= 107–114 |access-date= 24 October 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Origins">{{cite web |title= The origins of the Rodboro' Building |date= 1 December 2010 |url=https://www.guildfordsociety.org.uk/rodboro.html |website=Guildford Society |access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>

===Guildford in the World Wars===
At the start of the Second World War, 2500 children were [[evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] from southwest London to the Guildford area<ref>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|p=15}}</ref> and in June the following year, evacuees arrived from Brighton.<ref name=Rose_Parke_2007_pp16-17>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|pp=16–17}}</ref>{{refn|The Wandsworth Technical Institute was also evacuated from southwest London to Guildford and shared the campus of Guildford Technical Institute in Stoke Park for the duration of the war.<ref name=Rose_Parke_2007_pp16-17/>|group=note}} The borough council built 18 communal [[air raid shelter]]s, including the shelter at Foxenden Quarry, capable of accommodating 1000 people.<ref name=FoxQuar>{{cite web | url=http://www.weyriver.co.uk/theriver/places_7_guildford_B.html#FoxendenQuarry | title=The Foxenden Quarry Air Raid Shelter | work=In and around Guildford | access-date=17 May 2008 | archive-date=11 May 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511180925/http://www.weyriver.co.uk/theriver/places_7_guildford_B.html#FoxendenQuarry | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Foxenden Quarry, Guildford |url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/db/1448649573.html |website=Subterranea Britanica |access-date=29 August 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819015423/http://www.subbrit.org.uk/db/1448649573.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In late 1940, six [[British Restaurant]]s were opened in the town<ref name=Rose_Parke_2007_p22>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=22}}</ref> and, in May the following year, the first [[pre-school|nursery school]] for children aged between two and five was opened, enabling their mothers to participate in war work.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=56}}</ref> Over the course of the war, seven people were killed in the town as a result of enemy bombing, three of whom died when a [[V-1 flying bomb]] landed in Aldersey Road in August 1944.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=20}}</ref>{{refn|The V-1 flying bomb that landed in Aldersey Road in August 1944 was the second to hit Guildford. The first landed in Stoke Park in June 1944 and although there were no casualties, nearby houses were damaged by the bomb blast.<ref>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|p=151}}</ref>|group=note}}

[[File:The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H1023.jpg|thumb|right|Members of the [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]] learning to fire the [[Bren light machine gun|Bren Gun]] at Guildford in 1939]]
At the start of the war, [[Stoughton Barracks]] became a training centre for army recruits and [[George VI]] visited twice in late 1939.<ref>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|p=24}}</ref> The defence of the town was the responsibility of the 4th Battalion of Surrey Home Guard<ref>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|p=33}}</ref> and defensive installations included [[dragon's teeth (fortification)|dragon's teeth]] close to London Road station, numerous pillboxes and an [[anti-tank trench|anti-tank ditch]] that was dug across Stoke Park.<ref>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|pp=42–44}}</ref>{{refn|The [[Outer London Defence Ring|GHQ Stop Line B]] ran to the south of Guildford along the line of the [[Greensand Ridge]].<ref name=Rose_Parke_2007_p22/>|group=note}} Local factories were rededicated to the war effort: The Dennis works produced [[Churchill tank]]s, water pumps, bombs and aircraft parts,<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=24}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Collyer|Rose|1999|p=120}}</ref> RFD in Stoke Road produced life rafts and [[buoyancy aid|flotation aids]] for the [[Royal Navy]]<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=128}}</ref> and Warner Engineering produced [[continuous track|tank tracks]] and brass bomb noses.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=130}}</ref>

===Cathedral and University===
{{main|Guildford Cathedral|University of Surrey}}
[[File:Guildford Cathedral from Guildown - geograph.org.uk - 2064990.jpg|thumb|right|Guildford Cathedral]]
The [[Diocese of Guildford]] was created in 1927 out of the northern part of the [[Diocese of Winchester]].<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp115-116>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=115–116}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33269 |date=26 April 1927 |page=2672 }}</ref> [[Holy Trinity Church, Guildford|Holy Trinity Church]], the largest church in the town, became the cathedral. However, by May of the following year, it was obvious that it was too small to hold the status permanently and the Diocesan Conference resolved to build a new cathedral in the town. In November 1927, [[Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow|The Earl of Onslow]] offered {{cvt|6|acre|ha}} of land at the summit of Stag Hill as the site.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp115-116/>{{refn|Before the construction of the cathedral, Stag Hill was part of Guildford Park Farm and was used for growing [[cereal|cereal crops]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=122}}</ref> Although [[Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow|The Earl of Onslow]] had given the six acres at the summit to the Diocese of Guildford, the rest of the hill was auctioned. The remaining land was bought by [[R. B. Bennett|Viscount Bennett of Calgary]], a former [[Prime Minister of Canada]], who lived at [[Mickleham, Surrey|Mickleham]]. Bennett donated his purchase to the people of Guildford.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|Parke|2007|p=127}}</ref>|group=note}}

The design of the cathedral, by [[Edward Maufe]], was chosen following an open competition. The building is constructed of bricks made from the clay excavated for the foundations and [[crypt]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=119–120}}</ref> The foundation stone was laid in 1936,<ref name=Times_Cath_1947>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Guildford Cathedral |date= 8 December 1947 |page= 7 |issue= 50938}}</ref><ref name=NHLE_Cath>{{NHLE|num=1377883|desc=Guildford Cathedral|grade=II*|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> but by the outbreak of the Second World War, only the [[choir (architecture)|choir]] had been completed.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_p121>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|p=121}}</ref>{{refn|Special permission was granted at the start of the war to finish the roof of the choir and to provide a temporary covering for the [[transept]]s.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_p121/>|group=note}} The crypt was finished following the end of the war and was dedicated in 1947.<ref name=Times_Cath_1947/> Building work on the rest of the structure was also resumed and the consecration service took place on 17 May 1961.<ref name=Times_Cath_1961>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Consecration of Guildford Cathedral |date= 18 May 1961 |page= 7 |issue= 55087 }}</ref> Construction work finally ceased in 1965.<ref name=NHLE_Cath/>{{refn|The Grade II*-listed building is the only cathedral in the south of England to be built on a new site since the Middle Ages and is only the third Anglican cathedral to be built in England since the 17th century.<ref name=NHLE_Cath/><ref name=Times_Cath_1961/>|group=note}}

The campaign to found a university in Guildford began as an initiative of the local [[Rotary International|Rotary Club]] in 1962, to explore an approach to the University Grants Commission. At around the same time, the governors of the Battersea College of Advanced Technology were looking for a new campus, as their institution had outgrown its own south London site.<ref name=Chamberlin_1981_131-133>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=131–133}}</ref> A year later, the [[Robbins Report]] recommended that all [[college of advanced technology (United Kingdom)|colleges of advanced technology]] should be given the status of universities.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Sweeping Proposals for Higher Education in Robbins Report |date= 24 October 1963 |page= 8 |issue= 55840 }}</ref> In May 1963, [[Edward Boyle, Baron Boyle of Handsworth|Edward Boyle]], the [[Secretary of State for Education]], announced that the Battersea College would relocate to Guildford as the University of Surrey.<ref name=Chamberlin_1981_131-133/> The northern part of Stag Hill was chosen as the campus and the construction of the first buildings began in January 1966. The Royal Charter was granted in September of the same year and the first students were officially admitted in the autumn of 1968.<ref>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=137–138}}</ref>

===Guildford pub bombings===
{{main|Guildford pub bombings}}
[[File:Guildford Bombing Memorial.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Guildford Bombing Memorial]]
On the evening of 5 October 1974, the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] detonated two [[gelignite]] bombs at two [[public house|pubs]] in the town. The venues are thought to have been chosen as they were popular with off-duty military personnel from [[Aldershot Garrison]]. The first bomb exploded at the Horse and Groom in North Street at 8:50 pm, killing two members of the [[Scots Guards]], two members of the [[Women's Royal Army Corps]] and one [[civilian]]. The second exploded around 35 minutes later at the Seven Stars in Swan Lane, injuring six members of staff and one customer.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Publican's action may have saved lives after blast killed five |date= 7 October 1974 |page= 1 |issue= 59211 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date= 20 June 2022 |title= Guildford Pub Bombings |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/all-about/guildford-pub-bombings |access-date= 15 July 2022 }}</ref>

In early December 1974, [[Surrey Police]] arrested three men and a woman, later collectively known as the [[Guildford Four]]. A few days later, seven further individuals were arrested who became known as the [[Maguire Seven]]. The Guildford Four were [[conviction|convicted]] for carrying out the bombings in October 1975 and received [[life imprisonment|life sentences]]. All four maintained their innocence and, after a campaign of almost fifteen years, their convictions were quashed in October 1989.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Guildford Four ruling to be legal landmark |date= 19 October 1989 |page= 1 |issue= 63529 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |last= Souster |first= Mark |title= Guildford four 'face struggle to readjust' |date= 21 October 1989 |page= 2 |issue= 63531 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Logan |first= Alastair |date= 6 March 2020 |title= Guildford Four: how the innocent were framed and the truth buried |work= [[The Justice Gap]] |url= https://www.thejusticegap.com/guildford-four-how-the-innocent-were-framed-and-the-truth-buried/ |access-date= 15 July 2022 |archive-date= 25 June 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220625121947/https://www.thejusticegap.com/guildford-four-how-the-innocent-were-framed-and-the-truth-buried/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Modern Guildford===
In the 21st century Guildford still has a High Street paved with [[granite]] [[Sett (paving)|setts]],<ref name=aguildfordreview>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guildford.org.uk/shopping/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419002452/http://www.guildford.org.uk/shopping|url-status=dead|title=Shopping &#124; Guildford.org.uk|archivedate=19 April 2015}}</ref> and is one of the most expensive places to buy property in the UK outside London.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/counties/html/county91.stm |title=BBC quarterly Land Registry tables until June 2012 show Guildford (borough) as the 5th most expensive district in Surrey, just ahead of the top outside London top tier local authority, Windsor and Maidenhead – there are several bottom tier ''districts'' which are more expensive |access-date=27 October 2012 |archive-date=4 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304021202/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/counties/html/county91.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The town has a general street market held on Fridays and Saturdays. A [[farmers' market]] is usually held on the first Tuesday of each month. There is a Tourist Information Office,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.guildford.gov.uk/GuildfordWeb/Tourism/TIC/ | title=Guildford Borough Council Website-Tourist Information Centre | access-date=13 February 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070111134049/http://www.guildford.gov.uk/GuildfordWeb/Tourism/TIC/| archive-date = 11 January 2007}}</ref> guided walks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitsurrey.com/things-to-do/guided-walks-of-guildford-p404771|title=Guided Walks of Guildford – Walking Tour in Guildford, Guildford – Visit Surrey|website=www.visitsurrey.com|access-date=30 October 2012|archive-date=30 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030233934/http://www.visitsurrey.com/things-to-do/guided-walks-of-guildford-p404771|url-status=live}}</ref> and various hotels including the historic Angel Hotel which long served as a coaching stop on the main London to [[Portsmouth]] [[stagecoach]] route.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.angelpostinghouse.com/History%20of%20The%20Angel%20Guildford.html | title=A History of The Angel Posting House | access-date=13 February 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928170756/http://www.angelpostinghouse.com/History%20of%20The%20Angel%20Guildford.html | archive-date=28 September 2007 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>