18th century Guildford was little bigger than the mediaeval town: it still consisted mainly of the High Street, with gates or passages leading to North Street and Castle Street – Sydenham Road, then called Upper and Lower Backside. There was settlement along Quarry Street and also outside the borough boundary in the Upper High Street and along Chertsey Street. There were roads north of North Street – what are now called Haydon Place and Leapale Lane were then both called Frog Lane. The Bars was called Cherry Lane, but there were few buildings along these lanes – the plots between them were mostly divided up into gardens, for instance, the Red Lion garden, which produced, among other things, asparagus enjoyed by Samuel Pepys when he stayed in Guildford. Much of the land behind the High Street houses was also garden. All this can be seen on a map called the Ichnography published in 1739, and compares with a map of 1613 which shows Guildford as only slightly smaller. The population of Guildford in 1739 was 2,574 and by 1801 it was only 2,634. It grew slowly until the coming of the railway. One indication of the small size of the town is the fact that in the 18th century schoolboys rang a handbell in the street on Sunday to announce where the church service would be held, since St Mary’s and Holy Trinity were united in 1699 and services held in them alternately. Holy Trinity tower fell down and destroyed the church in 1740, following injudicious alterations; rebuilding did not begin until 1751 and the new church was completed in 1762. Much of the money needed was donated by the Earl of Onslow and the Onslow crest can be seen above the clock face. The motto ‘Festina Lente’ – ‘On Slow’ is singularly appropriate.

Many of the houses in Guildford would have been 16th or 17th century timber-framed buildings with perhaps a few mediaeval ones surviving. Most houses in Southern England were rebuilt between 1550-1650. However, by the 18th century tastes had changed and people wanted larger, symmetrical brick-built houses with larger, evenly spaced windows. If they could not afford to rebuild they often added a brick façade in the modern style. Examples can be seen in Quarry Street and at Westbury House and coaching inns such as the White Lion and the Angel, while the White Hart was largely rebuilt in that style in 1803. Wealthy householders could afford to rebuild completely, and an early example is Guildford House built in 1660 by John Childe, a prominent local citizen, who later became mayor. There are two fine plaster ceilings in the house. The carved staircase and some panelling are contemporary with the house, but most of the panelling is early 18th century. At the back of the house are some mathematical tiles – tiles made to look like bricks – which were probably added in the later 18th century. Somerset House was built around 1700 for the Duke of Somerset, said to be a very arrogant man and the story is told of a farmer who peered over the Duke’s garden wall being shouted at by the furious Duke. The farmer disappeared, only to climb back up with his newly-bought piglet so they could both look over the wall. Allen House was built at a similar date, almost opposite Somerset House. It was demolished to widen the Upper High Street though a garden pavilion remains. The 1739 map shows that it had a large garden with a maze.

A mid-18th century engraving of the High Street (see illustration) shows several familiar buildings such as the Guildhall, but some differences such as the large number of hanging signs sticking out from the buildings – both inn and shop signs. Another difference is the drains sticking out from the eaves directing rain water out into the street. The High Street looks uneven although there are pavements. There were orders in Elizabeth’s reign and in 1650 for paving the street and each householder was responsible for the pavement outside his house. The picture shows a drainage channel running down the middle of the street. An 18th century improvement was piped water. In 1701 William Yarnold installed pumps at the town mills raising water through elm pipes to a reservoir at the foot of Pewley Hill, from whence it was fed to houses by gravity. In 1759 an Act was passed for lighting Guildford’s streets and setting up a watch who started off their rounds at night from the Guildhall, crying the hour and the weather. They also watched for fires which must have been a big risk, especially as Guildfordians often expressed joy or anger by fireworks and bonfires. In 1756 an effigy of the unpopular Admiral Byng was burnt when he passed through Guildford, and in 1774 effigies of two unpopular tradesmen were burnt. There were many orders forbidding fireworks but on special occasions there were official ‘illuminations’, such as in 1798 to celebrate Nelson’s victory at the Battle of the Nile.

Throughout the 18th century much of Guildford’s wealth came from the coaching trade and there were half a dozen large inns on the High Street. In 1749 the London-Portsmouth road was turnpiked from Kingston-Sheetbridge, and four gates set up at which a toll had to be paid. In 1758 the road to Farnham was turnpiked. (It still ran on its old course up The Mount – the present road with its lower gradient was made in 1800). In 1754 the town bridge was opened to coaches and chaises, which previously had to use the ford alongside the bridge much to the annoyance of travellers. In 1760 the bridge was widened and the arches enlarged so that barges could go underneath to the Godalming Navigation: the ford was dredged out.

John Russell R.A. (1745-1806) was perhaps the most famous 18th century Guildfordian, an artist whose pastel portraits gained international repute. His father, also John Russell (1711-1804), married Ann Parvish and joined her father Samuel’s business as a bookseller and stationer ‘at the sign of the Bible’ (which can be seen above the two ladies in the centre of the illustration). The Russells ran the business for over a century, expanding the printing side of it and becoming the Corporation’s printers. John the artist spent most of his life in London, but drew and published two ‘prospects’ of Guildford.

A more notorious figure was Dr James Price FRS, an amateur scientist who startled the country by claiming to have changed mercury into gold in his laboratory in the upper High Street. When challenged by leading chemical experts to reproduce the experiment in front of them, Price took prussic acid and died at their feet.

Guildford Museum, Castle Arch, Guildford, Surrey
(01483) 444750

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