Guildford Snippets No. 21

Published on: 28 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 28 Apr, 2019

By Nick Bale Guildford Town Guides

Now that spring is here, I have returned with some more snippets about Guildford.

Each fortnight, I will be asking a quirky question as a fun way to test your local knowledge or ingenuity.

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 fortnight’s time with the next question.

I thought I would start with a question on the Guildford municipal elections, as voting day will be later this week. Today, Guildford town and the rural districts are divided into 22 wards represented by 48 councillors.

Guildford’s first democratically elected borough council was elected in 1836 as part of the national reform of local government in the 1835 Municipal Reform Act.

Twelve councillors were elected to represent the taxpayers of the town, nine Tories and three Liberals.

The council was far smaller at that time as the rural districts were not included. One of the aims of the 1835 municipal reform was to reduce the power of entrenched local elites.

Did this work in Guildford?

How many of the 12 councillors elected in 1836 had been Approved Men of Guildford Corporation which had previously governed the town?

Was it:

A: 11

B: 6

C: 3

The Town Guides’ free guided walks will begin again on Wednesday, May 1, with four walks a week.

If you wonder what the town was like in the past or if you are intrigued by the lives of its famous people, come and join our walks.

Over the next few weeks, you have a choice of several themed walks: Pubs and Inns, Fakes and Originals, Hidden Guildford as well as the Guildford Story walk for those with a general interest in the town.

Information on our programme is available from the Guildford Tourist Information Centre or at www.guildfordwalks.org.uk.