Enjoy Guildford’s Heritage on the High Street This Saturday

Published on: 6 Sep, 2023
Updated on: 7 Sep, 2023

By Gavin Morgan

Guildford High Street is the place to be this Saturday (September 9) but don’t forget the many other churches and historic buildings and events across the borough – 57 in all. Full details are on the Heritage Open Days website.

In the town centre you can visit the Guildhall, Abbot’s Hospital, climb the castle tower for free and visit the RGS chained library – to name a few.

We will have historic vehicles lining the High Street and knights battling it out at the castle. At 11am the Rock Choir will be performing at Holy Trinity and in the afternoon the Surrey Police Band will be playing at the bandstand (2pm – 4pm).

Whilst there you can also have a go at bowling as the Castle Green Bowling Club celebrates its centenary this year or you can discover new stories about the castle itself. There is a free audio tour.

Look for the posters with the QR codes

Look for the posters with the QR codes and new images of the medieval castle created by games company HistoricVR. You can discover stories you have probably never heard before such as Guildford’s links to the legends of King Arthur.

Information on the event will also be available at venues and families might like to pick up a sticker book and collect stickers as they visit various properties. The guide will introduce you to the history of the town but if you want more detail then join one of the walks by the Town Guides.

The Guildford Story walk covers 1,000 years of history. Booking is required. There is an architectural walk at 2-30pm (Holy Trinity Church steps – no booking required).You can also enjoy a look at the town’s past in two excellent exhibitions at Guildford House and the museum. “Town Tales: Guildford’s Iconic Buildings” runs at Guildford House Gallery until the end of October.

The atmospheric period rooms of this fine seventeenth house are displayed with paintings from the borough art collection. Guildford Museum is offering a parallel exhibition called “Weyside Stories: The River Wey in Guildford”. This exhibition contains some fascinating photographs of the river.

The town’s three churches are open.

Holy Trinity will be the location for a display of Dennis cars and a 1936 Dennis Fire Engine from the Surrey Rural Life Centre at Tilford. The 1902 and 1909 cars are from the collection of John Dennis. The Guildford Rock Choir will also be performing on the church steps at 11am.

St Mary’s has a wonderful photographic installation by students at the University of Surrey called ‘Proud to be Surrey – Students of Faith’.

And St Nicholas Church is running tours of the tower but please book in advance.

And if all this is not enough, next weekend there is the National Trust Wey River Festival at Dapdune Wharf. There will be food and craft stalls and children’s activities culminating in a colourful evening illuminated pageant when barges parade down the river.