There is a running joke in our office that the nearby town of Guildford is the center of the universe, or at least of England. It seems that every time we get into a conversation about almost any subject, eventually there will be some connection to Guildford. So when Liz, a friend from our home church in Canada came to visit us, it was no surprise that she should want to go and see where she grew up, in of course Guildford.

Liz and Gary were good friends at our home church and we were delighted to have company from there. So after a little tour of Horsham, where Liz had gone to school at one time, we set off in our little Fiesta for Guildford, parking at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre down by the Wey River, still graced by the locks and watermills that made it one of the first navigable rivers in Britain.

From there we walked to the grounds of Guildford Castle, built by William the Conqueror and once used by Henry III as a royal residence. Only the castle keep remains, and the grounds became public property in 1888 to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The city does an excellent job with the lawns and gardens around the keep and it was a most pleasant walk through to the High Street.

Guildford High Street was most picturesque. The High Street itself predates the Norman Conquest and can be traced back to Saxon times. The prominent Guildhall Clock, with its gold leaf face, dates from the 1683. There was a newer mall downtown along with the older and more interesting shops and after a good look around we settled for lunch in a little cul-de-sac.

Wanting to check out the home of Lewis Caroll, we circled back through the castle grounds and made the hike up the hill to Caroll’s residence, “The Chestnuts.” Caroll, aka Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was a professor of mathematics at Oxford and initially rented the property for his sisters. In later years Caroll retired to this residence and died there in 1898.

Long a fan of Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland tales, I was eager to see his residence and poke through his memorabilia. Unfortunately, the home was closed for upkeep and repairs, so we opted for a walk along the Wey River instead. Since it had begun to rain, we thought it best to head back to the theatre for cup of tea before we drove back to Horsham. Another lovely day in one of the charming towns and villages of England.

September 2022