Guildford Snippets – Do You Know? No.8

Published on: 24 Jun, 2018
Updated on: 24 Jun, 2018

by Nick Bale, Guildford Town Guides

Distances from Guildford were always measured from the Maypole – an enormous mast-like structure with cross beams.

A painting of a maypole in 18th century, possibly Weybridge. (c) Elmbridge Museum; supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation.

Where was the Maypole sited?

a. By the Town Bridge?

b. At the corner of High Street and Quarry Street?

c. At the junction of London Road and Epsom Road?

If you know the answer, please leave a reply in the box below. The answer will be given in a week’s time with the next Guildford question.

You can find out more about the Guildford Story on a guided walk starting at Tunsgate Arch at 2.30 pm on Wednesday, June 27 and Saturday, June 30.

Many thanks to John Lomas who responded to last week’s question. The answer was that the other memorial plaque is for the victims of the Guildford pub bombings in October 1974.

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

Responses to Guildford Snippets – Do You Know? No.8

John Lomas Reply

June 25, 2018 at 8:11 am

I would choose from those options the Epsom Road / London Road junction.

I suspect that that was also the point where two turnpikes met.

An 1871 oldmap 1:500 shows a house called Poyle House at the corner and the wording “site of something” (unreadable at online definition). Though a later map shows the “Site of St Thomas’s Hospital”.
https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/500165/149698/13/100346

Incidently those early maps call Upper High Street, Spital Street, which I suppose is because it links with either St Thomas’s Hospital or Abbot’s Hospital sites.
Dave Middleton Reply

June 26, 2018 at 10:36 am

I’m going to take a guess that it was High Street junction with Quarry Street.