Mayor Joins the Fun as Guildford Celebrates Heritage Open Days

Published on: 25 Sep, 2026
Updated on: 25 Sep, 2026

“More room on top!” Guildford Mayor Jane Tyson joins in the fun.

By Gavin Morgan

Guildford’s Mayor, Jane Tyson, entered fully into the spirit of Heritage Open Days at the weekend, touring the town, meeting volunteers and helping to shine a light on the people who make the annual celebration such a great success.

The Town Crier with the Mayor adding plenty of colour to the proceedings.

The day began in suitably traditional fashion, with town crier David Peters opening proceedings. In the High Street, the historic vehicle display proved an obvious draw.

Dennis vehicles were a particular attraction, including two pre-First World War cars and a motor bike from the collection of John Dennis as well as a fire tender from the Rural Life Museum belonging to Alexander Dennis.

John Dennis explains how a vintage Dennis motorbike could be just the thing for mayoral transport!

It was a reminder that the Dennis brothers’ story began in Guildford, with the business starting in the High Street in 1895 manufacturing bicycles before moving to North Street and later Rodboro Buildings.

A London bus, perhaps from the 1950s.

The London Bus Museum also brought a wartime bus into town, later joining the vintage buses in North Street for tours linked to the former Dennis factory site. Around 400 people enjoyed the rides, filling up the buses and there were more rides on Sunday to Watts Gallery and back.

There was music too. Heritage Open Days coincided with the Guildford Jazz Festival. At Abbot’s Hospital, Guildford Jazz presented New Orleans jazz from The Alvar Tree Frogs, a six-piece band dedicated to the music that made the streets of New Orleans a place to dance and party in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The setting could hardly have been better: one of Guildford’s finest historic buildings filled with great music. Meanwhile, the Royal Surrey Choir performed at Tunsgate, entertaining shoppers who stopped to listen to songs from the shows.

For the Mayor, the occasion was also a chance to thank the volunteers who make the event possible. Heritage Open Days depends on people willing to unlock doors, answer questions, tell stories and welcome visitors into places they may have walked past for years without ever seeing inside.

Victorian strollers add to the heritage atmosphere.

But the weekend was not only about the town centre. Across Guildford and the surrounding villages, more than 40 sites and events opened their doors, from churches, museums, galleries and archives to historic houses, cemeteries, schools, workshops and community buildings. Together they showed the breadth of the borough’s heritage and the commitment of organisers across the area, each helping visitors discover a different part of Guildford’s story.