Guildford in the rain and Charles Dodgson, AGAIN

Saturday, 23 July 2011 13:55

As I mentioned yesterday, we explored the city of Guildford in the rain.

We sampled what The Britannia had to offer

I little expected to find out more about Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll), it seems that he liked the places we like ......

The nearest we got to the Cathedral was this - a view over the roof tops from the River Wey Navigations

Guildford Cathedral

It is quite a walk, uphill, so after conquering the High Street I needed a cuppa, a piece of pecan and cranberry sponge and a rest in a little café.

Guildford High Street

Guildford likes its statues. There is the Surrey Scholar at the bottom of the High Street , George Abbot stands at the top , C17th Archbishop of Canterbury and Founder of the Hospital of the Blessed Trinity (Abbot's Hospital) which houses elderly citizens of Guildford.

Abbot's Hospital

There is a clue to the Alice connection by the river, so later we sought out more connections.

Alice and the White Rabbit above Town Bridge

Other notable buildings in the High Street include The Angel, the only remaining Coaching Inn , the 1550 Guildhall with its ornate 1683 clock presented by London clockmaker John Aylward and Tunsgate Arch, constructed as a corn market on the site of Tuns Inn . The most famous historic building (perhaps), the Medieval Undercroft was not open - it is on specific days.

Guildford's Guildhall

We walked through the arch and came to what for me was the highlight of our tour, Guildford Castle Gardens - what a show. Only the C12th Castle Keep remains over looking the immaculate gardens. There are some remains of the early Norman walls too which blend into the ornamental gardens. Guildford Castle was a royal castle and Henry III made many improvements to it in the C13th.

Castle and Gardens

There are more pictures in our Guildford album, though I'm sure they would have been even better if the sun was shining.

Finally, we get to Alice and Lewis Carroll. When his father died, Charles Dodgson had to provide for his six sisters, so he bought a house in Guildford: The Chestnuts. He was a frequent visitor and preached in the nearby St Mary's Church. On a Christmas visit, he caught 'flu and died at The Chestnuts. The funeral was held at St Mary's and he is buried in the Mount Cemetery.

The Chestnuts

Guildford has created an Alice Garden behind The Chestnuts and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" is there.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

I am sure that we could have had a couple of days in Guildford to see more, but we have that "schedule" (dreaded word!) to keep - a date with the Basingstoke Canal and a new member of crew to pick up.