Web Design Guildford

About Guildford

Guildford has a population of around 80,000 and is part of the larger Borough of Guildford which in total has a population of approximately 146,100.

The roots of Guildford can be traced back to the Saxons when the area was used as a crossing point for the River Wey. Also a natural gap in the North Downs made Guildford a simpler route for travellers passing through. Guildford became the home of an early English Royal Mint. The construction of the Basingstoke Canal and Wey Navigation between the 17th and 18th centuries connected Guildford to a wider network of waterways which helped Guildford prosper and grow. In the more recent 20th century, the University of Surrey and the Guildford Cathedral were added, helping to solidify Guildford’s position as the largest town in Surrey.

Now in the 21st Century Guildford has retained much of its historic architecture including granite setts (cobbled streets) and the Angel Hotel which was a coach stop on the route between Portsmouth and London. The town has weekly markets held on Fridays and Saturdays and a farmers’ market on the first Tuesday of each month. Guildford was voted the 9th best place to live in 2006 and is one of the most expensive places to purchase property outside of London. According to the Eve Prime Retail Survey (2004), Guildford is the safest and most attractive shopping location throughout the UK and was ranked 27th overall in the country.

Guildford has a thriving business scene with the Financial Times (2011) listing it in the top 500, including 5 major businesses. These include Ericsson, Allianz, Philips Electronics, Sanofi and Colagate-Palmolve.

Guilford is twined with Frieburg Im Breisgau and Baden-Württtemberg in Germany and is linked with Mukono in Uganda.