Saturday 19 October 2013

A Postcard from Guildford

On Wednesday, I did an evening Skeptics in the Pub show in Guildford. I didn't get a chance for a prolonged look around because, at only 42 miles from where I live, I drove there and back and didn't need an overnight stay. All I really got to explore is the High Street which is set with granite 'setts' (not cobbles) and boasts a number of really old buildings all ruined, sadly, by their ground floor conversion into anodyne shop fronts.

 

But it does boast the Gothic madness that is the Guildhall and solid non-nonsense pile that is the old Abbot's Hospital. The Guildhall dates from 1589 and was once visited by Good Queen Bess. It got its current frontage - with balcony and John Aylward clock - in 1683. Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury George Abbot's almshouse, the Abbot's Hospital (or Hospital of the Holy Trinity), dates from 1619 and is a splendid building:

 
 
Like Lincoln earlier in the week, it's nice to visit a town that has such pretty streets and well-preserved historical architecture and features. Walking back down the High Street with the sun slowly setting, I grabbed a few more photos. Lovely.



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