• The borough is located in the south west of Surrey, occupying 273.4sq km, of which 89% is Green Belt. Part of the borough lies within the Surrey Hill, an Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB)
• Guildford has a population of 129,550 (2001 Census) making it the most populous district in Surrey
• Guildford Borough Council was rated an Excellent and Improving council by the Audit Commission in its comprehensive performance assessment in 2004
• Spectrum Leisure Centre (this page opens in a new window), run by the Council, is the only sport and leisure complex in the UK to be rated Excellent by Quest (Quest is the UK quality scheme for the sport and leisure industry and defines industry standards and good practice)
• Guildford Castle was built shortly after 1066 and became home to Henry III. It was one of England’s most luxurious royal residences
• Lewis Carroll (Author of Alice in Wonderland) is buried at The Mount Cemetery in Guildford
• George Abbot, former Archbishop of Canterbury and historian, was born and educated in Guildford
• Alan Turing, founder of modern computing and a key figure in breaking in the Enigma Code during WWII lived in Guildford as a young man
• Michael Buerk, the BBC correspondent, lives in Guildford with his family
• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was stationed at Stoughton Barracks, Guildford while being trained to change tyres and drive military vehicles in 1945

Business, education & employment

• Guildford is one of the best placed business locations in the South East, with over ten million people living within an hour’s travel time.
• 61,420 residents are economically active, of these 35, 270 work in the borough.
• The unemployment rate is 1%. Around 75% of Guildford’s employment is in the service sector. A third of its workers are employed in local government, regional government, education and health services.
• Guildford is a centre for world-class research and hi-tech activity with industries ranging from computer games to pioneering stemcell research. The Surrey Research Park in Guildford has sponsored Guildford’s membership of the World Technopolis Association – membership is shared by only 22 ‘science cities’ in ten countries.
• The town is home to a number of top class educational establishments, including University of Surrey, Guildford College, the Guildford School of Acting, the Academy of Contemporary Music, Merrist Wood (horticultural) College and the College of Law.
• Guildford is ranked as one of the top 20 shopping centres in the UK and was awarded the Safer Shopping Award by the British Retail Consortium in December 2004 for its business crime reduction partnerships.

Business
Communication Services
Guildford Borough Council
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 4BB

Tel: 01483 444331
Email: business@guildford.gov.uk