Guildford was possibly founded by Saxons around 410AD. From 978 Guildford was the home to the Royal Mint.
On 5th October 1974 bombs were planted in two public houses in Guildford, killing four soldiers and l civilian. The pubs were chosen because it was known that soldiers, from the nearby barracks, drank in them. The bombers were caught and became known and the Guildford 4. They were given long prison sentences but in l989 their convictions were overturned and they were released.
The present day Guildford is a busy town, the High Street has a considerable amount of small shops and larger stores such as House of Fraser and Marks and Spencer. Whereas Woolworths and Bhs are in Friary Street and Next retails in White Lion Walk.
There is a little museum in the town and Guildford also has a University and a Cathedral that is sited opposite the main University Campus. This is the only Cathedral to be built on a new site in the South of England since the reformation and was finally consecrated in 1961.
Guildford has an Art Gallery situated in the High Street this is very popular with visitors and attracts over 12,000 people a year. It is a 17th century Grade I listed town house and is run by Guildford Borough. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday and admission is free.
There are plenty of restaurants in Guildford, many public houses, the Star has live music and The Stoke has dance nights. There are also a few nightclubs, Harpers, Flares and The Time, making it a busy place by night as well as by day.
It is a market town with markets held on Friday and Saturday and a farmers market is held once a month.
Guildford is also a commercial town and is home to several famous companies such as Dennis, the bus and fire appliance manufacturers and the military vehicle builder, Automotive Technik.
The major road is the A3 and links Guildford to London and Portsmouth and the M25 motorway is close by. There are several Park and Ride services around the town.
The Railway Station has trains running to Waterloo and Portsmouth and other lines run to Reading, Epsom, London Bridge and Gatwick Airport.
Plenty of flats and houses are available to rent and cost around £520pcm for a studio, a 1 bed flat from £550pcm, a 2 bed flat from £725pcm, a 2 bed house would be from £825pcm with a 3 bed house starting from £895pcm.
Guildford’s prizewinning Spectrum Leisure Centre has several pools, ten pin bowling, a laser tag called Ice Station Zero, and ice rink, athletic track and halls for indoor sports including gymnastics and trampolining.
There are several Sports Clubs in Guildford including those for hockey, football, volleyball, basketball and cricket.
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