Guildford Snippets No.25

Published on: 24 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 24 Jun, 2019

By Nick Bale, Guildford Town Guides

From 11 15am today (June 24, 2019) until next Saturday, June 29, the Armed Forces Day flag will be flown on the Guildhall as a symbol of support for the men and women who make up the armed forces community.

Cap badge of the Queen’s Regiment.

It is easy to forget that there was a significant British Army presence in Guildford until about 30 years ago.

The Stoughton Barracks depot for the Queen’s Regiment opened in the 1876 and closed in 1983.

The Queen Elizabeth Barracks of the Women’s Royal Army Corp had its origins in the Second World War and remained in Guildford until 1992. Evidence of the forces’ presence in the town can still be discovered if you know where to look for it, especially references to the Queen’s Royal Regiment (in various guises).

This prompted my question:

Which Queen of England is being referred to in the regiment’s name?

For those interested in the answer to Snippet No. 24, Decathlon is now on the site that was previously the Co-operative Corner.

Decathlon is now on the site that was previously the Co-operative Corner in North Street, Guildford.

The redevelopment reopened in 1985 as Lasky’s, a discount electrical goods store. Steve Cranstone gave the correct answer adding some interesting pieces of information about this site and the Guildford Theatre next door.

If you have questions or wonder what the town was like in the past, come and join one of our free guided walks. If you want to find out how the army left its mark on Guildford, there will be a special military history walk at 10.30am on Armed Forces Day, Saturday June 29.

Otherwise, there is also a variety of walks on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, such as Medieval Guildford, Made in Guildford, and Lewis Carroll as well as several Guildford Story walks. Information on our programme is available from the Guildford Tourist Information Centre or at www.guildfordwalks.org.uk.

Responses to Guildford Snippets No.25

John Lomas Reply

June 24, 2019 at 11:20 am

It depends on which of its various names you consider to be the origin.

Wikipedia gives three possibilities.

Queen Dowager’s Regiment of Foot (after Queen Catherine, widow of Charles II), and in 1703 it became The Queen’s Royal Regiment of Foot. (Queen Anne)

In 1715, it was renamed The Princess of Wales’s Own Regiment of Foot after Caroline of Ansbach, then Princess of Wales, and was re-designated The Queen’s Own Regiment of Foot in 1727 when the princess became queen.