Guildford Snippets No.29

Published on: 18 Aug, 2019
Updated on: 18 Aug, 2019

By Nick Bale Guildford Town Guides

The Haydon family was one of the wealthiest in Guildford in Georgian times.

Millmead House, once owned by William Haydon, now the offices of Guildford Borough Council.

Originally a draper, William Haydon founded Haydon’s Bank in the 1760s, in the building on High Street now occupied by Lloyds Bank.

William Haydon lived above the bank, but he also had Millmead House built for rental. This large building close to the River Wey also continues to function today but in a much expanded form as Guildford Borough Council offices.

By the time of William’s son, also William Haydon, Millmead House was used a private school. The headmistress of the school revealed a shocking secret in 1816 when the younger William became fatally ill. What was her secret?

If you would like to know more intriguing tales of Georgian Guildford, please join one of the Georgian Guildford walks either on bank holiday Monday, August 26, at 2.30pm or on Tuesday, September 10, at 2.30pm.

There will also be walks on other Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, such as Leading Lights, Hidden Guildford, Made in Guildford and several Guildford Story walks. To make bookings or for more information on our programme contact the Guildford Tourist Information Centre or go to www.guildfordwalks.org.uk.

For those interested in the answer to Snippet No. 28, Yvonne Arnaud was a concert pianist who performed with leading across orchestras across Europe and USA starting when she was only 14 years old. Congratulations to Sue Matthews and Nick Bomford who answered correctly.

If you have questions or wonder what the town was like in the past, come and join one of our free guided walks.