Guildford Snippets No. 31

Published on: 15 Sep, 2019
Updated on: 16 Sep, 2019

By Nick Bale Guildford Town Guides

I am very much looking forward to the exhibition George Abbot’s Gift to Guildford, at Guildford House from September 28 to November. 2

The Hospital of the Blessed Trinity, otherwise known as Abbot’s Hospital.

The exhibition marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of Abbot’s Hospital and is funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

It will feature some of the treasures at Abbot’s Hospital that are not usually on public display and will provide a glimpse into the lives of past residents and masters, as well as paying tribute to the Founder.

There’s a short film too. Guildford has changed dramatically over the centuries, and it will be interesting to discover how the Hospital has moved with the times.

George Abbot is therefore the subject of my question this week.

Apart from being Archbishop of Canterbury, George held one of the other great offices of state in 1619, which he described in his own words as “it is the worst occupation that ever I was at”. What else was he, apart from archbishop?

If you know the answer or have a suggestion, please leave a reply in the box below.

If you would like to hear more stories about this fascinating man, please join our George Abbot guided walk on Tuesday, September 24 at 2.30pm.

There will be many other walks in the next few weeks such as Made in Guildford, Art and Artists, Fakes and Originals, as well as some Guildford Story walks.

For those interested in the answer to Snippet No. 30, Queen Victoria was the notable lady who received the mathematics book written by Charles Dodgson (also known as Lewis Carroll).

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

Click here for the Guildford Town Guides’ website.