Guildford Snippets – Do You Know? No3

Published on: 20 May, 2018
Updated on: 13 May, 2018

By Nick Bale, Guildford Town Guides

Guildford’s town centre was crowded with pubs and inns in centuries past. This week’s quirky question is about one of them. These questions are just a fun way to test your knowledge and ingenuity.

Many thanks to those of you who responded to last week’s question. Click here to see last week’s post with the replies at the foot of it.

The answer is the sheepdog that is underneath the plants in one of the adjacent raised beds in the Eastgate Gardens courtyard. The statue is called One Man and his Dog after the 1990s television programme, even though there is no “man” present.

Here is the dog the sheep is looking at! Picture by Nicholas Bale.

Edwin Russell RA the sculptor of this group was also the creator of the Alice in Wonderland statue on the bank of the River Wey near the White House pub.

What was the name of this short-lived pub?

What was the fitting name of the pub in the Friary shopping centre that opened in December 1981 and closed in March 1989?

If you know the answer or can add any information, please leave a reply in the box below. I’ll give the answers in a week’s time with the next question.

You can find out more about this and other pubs in the town centre on a guided walk, Pubs and Inns, starting at Tunsgate Arch at 2.30pm on Tuesday, May 22.

Visit www.guildfordwalks.org.uk for further information.

Responses to Guildford Snippets – Do You Know? No3

Mike Dillon Reply

May 21, 2018 at 2:44 pm

The name of the pub at the bottom of North Street was called The Blackfriars.

I think this was named after the monks who were in the Friary many moons ago.

Not one of the better pubs.
Steve Grove Reply

May 22, 2018 at 10:02 am

The pub was named The Blackfriars. It was to be replaced at 16/17 North Street (a site at the time owned by MEPC), but we are still waiting!!
John Lomas Reply

May 22, 2018 at 2:31 pm

The pub was called the Blackfriars which refers to the Dominican Friary that was on the site.

Interestingly, according to Wiki (usual caveats may apply) there was an earlier Friary on the site which was discovered during excavations prior to the shopping centre being built.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guildford_Black_Friary
Dave Robson Reply

May 22, 2018 at 5:02 pm

The Blackfriars.