Fascinating Memories of Town’s Lost Pub – The Guildford Arms

Published on: 1 Sep, 2016
Updated on: 4 Sep, 2016

By David Rose

Does anyone remember the Guildford Arms – a pub that was next to the Guildhall in the High Street?

Guildfordian John Foster does, and has supplied some details along with those of his friend Don Aston.

Their fascinating memories, including an interesting aviation connection, has led to some more research by me into the pub and its origins.

Vintage pictures of the interior of Guildford pubs are rare. Seen here at the bar of the Guildford Arms is landlord Joe Aston (right), his wife Flo, while the man on the left is unknown. Note the barrels and the copper tubes that were in place when it was a wine bar. Click to enlarge in a new window. Picture courtesy of Don Aston.

John writes: “Don and I first met when he moved into the Guildford Arms at the age of 14 with his father, mother and younger brother in 1943. [They had moved from Hornchurch in Essex to escape the bombing during the Second World War].

“Don’s father, Joe, was the landlord there until about 1951 when my brother-in-law, Stan Randall, took over. Joe them moved to the Rose and Crown in Upper Farringdon.

“Stan was at the Guildford Arms until 1953 when he moved to take over the Bell in Woking Road.

“Joe then moved back to the Guildford Arms as the Rose and Crown wasn’t paying its way. Unfortunately, this proved short lived.”

Guildford Arms landlord Joe Aston (wearing false beard) has given town crier (believed to be Albany Peters) a tankard of ale. Was this picture taken at the end of the Second World War? Albany was Guildford’s town crier from 1911 to 1946. Click to enlarge in a new window. Picture courtesy of Don Aston.

Don, who has supplied some fascinating pictures, writes: “The Guildford Arms closed in about 1954-55. The property was sold and the purchaser did not renew the licence.

“The pub was known at various times as Under the Clock and the Kitchen late Kettle. At one time it was a wine bar.

“The wall behind the bar was covered in small wine barrels with a sea of copper pipes descending to the copper drip trays beneath.

“At the rear of the pub was a very old property – a two-up and two-down cottage overlooking a yard at the rear. There is a possibility that the original wine bar was built in the front garden of the cottage.

“This cottage became a useful workshop for building model aircraft.

VE-Day in Guildford. This rare picture was taken from the first floor window of the Guildford Arms. The flags were hung from the Guildhall. Click to enlarge in a new window. Picture courtesy of Don Aston.

“The Guildford Model Club was founded in about 1944 and met there. Two prominent members of the club were aerodynamicists from the RAE. A small wind tunnel was built there.

“Tests were carried out on a radical experimental new wing airfoil section.

“Models were also built and flown to test the increased stability of swept-back wings.

“Both of these ideas have a strong similarity to the characteristics of modern aircraft. It is believed that both members eventually joined the aircraft industry in the USA.”

Believed to date from 1949, this is Guildford Arms landlord Joe Aston who was deputising for Guildford’s official town crier, presumably Jessie Peters, son of Albany. Surely an unusual thing to happen? Today’s town crier, David Peters, is the fourth generation of the family to hold the post. Click to enlarge in a new window. Picture courtesy of Don Aston.

John Foster also recalls: “During Stan Randall’s time at the Guildford Arms, I used the then derelict cottage at the back of the pub for my trumpet practice.

“On one occasion, during the day, a message fed through asking me to stop pratising as the court in the Guildhall next door was in session!

“Normally I would practise in the evenings after work, and when I passed through the pub to the cottage there would be Billy Warner of Warner’s Engineering [based at Ladymead opposite the fire station] who was also one of our Air Training Corps officers and a friend of my father’s from their Royal Flying Corps days.

“He would invariably insist on buying me a drink. He was usually in the company of Tim Coombs of Coombs Garage in St Catherine’s.”

The Godalming Band taking part in Guildford’s coronation celebrations in 1953 as it passes the Guildford Arms. John Foster was one of the musicians. See following picture for what happened next… Click to enlarge in a new window. Picture courtesy of John Foster.

As the band passed the Guildford Arms, then then landlord, Stan Randall, ran out with a glass of beer and gave it to John Foster. You can see him here drinking it! Click to enlarge in a new window. Picture courtesy of John Foster.

But what of the history of the Guildford Arms and the earlier wine bar called Kitchen late Kettle? There are plenty of clues in what John and Don have noted.

The late Mark Sturley in his book The Pubs and Breweries of Guildford (Charles Traylen, 1990) unfortunately does not give much information about the Guildford Arms. This may have been due to the fact that a good deal of historical records on Guildford pubs he obtained was via archives held by various breweries. I do not think the Guildford Arms was ever tied to a brewery.

He notes that it was sometimes referred to as the Town Arms, but mentions it is shown on the large-scale town plan of 1871.

He refers to a James Kettle as being licensed by Guildford magistrates in 1837, and the premises was leased to him by a Charles Cheel in 1874.

Stonware jars used by J. Kettle. Click to enlarge in a new window. David Rose collection.

Sturley notes that Kettle was a grocer and wine merchant. In his book he also mentions a George Kettle, “brewer and maltster”, who, as recorded in an 1847 directory, “had moved from St Catherine’s to Chertsey Street where he had erected a new brewhouse”. Perhaps they were related?

As an aside, Charles Cheel was a tobacconist whose shop was a few doors down from the Guildford Arms. He also ran the Farnham Ale Stores, in Farnham Road, Guildford, where Wey House is now, recently purchased by Guildford Borough Council.

Charles Cheel’s tobacconist’s shop in Guildford High Street. The man pictured is a Walter Read. Click to enlarge in a new window. David Rose collection.

The same premises today, now a shoe shop. Click to enlarge in a new window.

Charles Cheel married a Kitty Kettle, so the link gets more interesting.

One of Charles Cheel’s stoneware jars. Click to enlarge in a new window. Jeremy Croucher collection.

However, I am not sure of the Guildford Arms being named as such as far back as 1871. Perhaps it was and then changed for a period?

This is where the Kitchen name comes in. There was another trader called Kitchen in Guildford, who, by the 1900s, was selling alcoholic drinks. It appears that the Guildford Arms (then numbered 35 High Street) was previously known as Kitchen late Kettle, selling intoxicating liquor, possibly also as a wine bar.

The premises when it was selling alcoholic drinks and at some time a wine bar known as Kitchen late Kettle. The picture dates to the mid 1930s, just a few years before it became the Guildford Arms. Note the bottles in the window and the plaster cast model of a white horse – advertising White Horse whisky. The three ‘faces’ are ceramic jugs once found on bar tops for adding water to whisky. They usually advertise a distillery. Now very collectable, I’d love to know what was printed on these!  Click to enlarge in a new window. David Rose collection.

The earliest town directory I have in my collection is one published by Lashams and dates to 1938. It lists ‘Kitchen late Kettle’ at 35 High Street, ‘wine and spirits merchants’.

Note: back then the street numbering in the High Street was different to today.

Directories I have for a number of following years reveal the history of the Guildford Arms much the same as noted by John and Don.

The Kelly’s Directory of Guildford & Godalming, 1939, 1940 and 1941 editions, lists 35 High Street as: the Guildford Arms with the occupant as a Mrs Lille Portsmouth.

Interestingly, the Kelly’s 1944-45 edition lists the occupant as a Joseph Aston. However, the details as given may have been compiled shortly before Don Aston’s father, Joe, took over in 1943.

The next edition of Kelly’s in my collection is for 1950. It lists the occupant simply as ‘Guildford Arms Ltd, prop.’

However, it certainly appears that the pub closed in about 1954, as the Kelly’s of 1955 lists the occupants of both 35 and 36 High Street as ‘GTM Method, solicitor’.

In all, a small piece of Guildford’s pub history now recalled and recorded.

Today the premises is occupied by the fashion store Joules on the ground floor with Tate and and Blue Arrow recruitment firms above. The clothes store also extends into the unit next door that was one gents outfitters Percy Oldfield. Don Aston recalls that the cellar of the Guildford Arms ran under what would have been Oldfield’s shop. Click to enlarge in a new window.

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