Guildford Museum
What's on at Guildford Museum
Explore our local history from the age of prehistoric man to modern life and times. Discover more about famous people connected with Guildford and Surrey. Including garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and author Lewis Carroll. Enjoy our unique collection of needlework and toys. As well as free displays and exhibitions, we have a programme of events and activities for all ages.
We are open Wednesday to Saturdays 12noon to 4.30pm (last entry 4pm).
Secret Guildford: Locations and secret agents of the Special Operations Executive in World War Two
Dates: 11 November 2023 to 13 April 2024
Times: available during opening hours
Free entry
You may have heard of famous agents like Violette Szabó and Odette Hallowes. In this exhibition, You'll discover the stories of more of the brave secret agents. Find out about the agents trained at Wanborough Manor, and Winterfold, outside Cranleigh. People like:
- Captain Willie Grover-Williams, a Grand Prix champion who had raced at Brooklands
- Yvonne Cormeau, one of the most successful wireless operators. She sent over three hundred messages from occupied France, and
- Brian Stonehouse, an artist who survived five concentration camps.
This exhibition is a partnership between the Secret WW2 Learning Network and Guildford Museum. It is supported by the Friends of Guildford Museum.
Image credit: Crown copyright/Newnham collection
Secret Agent Hub
Date: Saturday 10 February until Saturday 6 July
Have you got what it takes to be a secret agent?
The Secret Agent Hub is full of family friendly activities to practise your spy skills, just like those used by SOE agents featured in our Secret Guildford exhibition.
Join Agent Dash Hound to
- read and send secret messages using Morse Code and Slidex
- design an everyday object that hides a secret message, map or gadget
- disguise yourself so the enemy won't recognise you
- design a camouflage outfit for a spy parachuting into enemy land
Family Fun! Easter trail!
Date: Saturday 23 March until Saturday 13 April
Hop on over to the Museum and help the Easter bunny find their eggs.
Solve the clues and follow the trail around the Museum, visiting lots of interesting objects to find the hidden Easter eggs. Can you find them all for the Easter bunny?
Family Fun! Secret agent training
Date: Wednesday 14 February and Wednesday 3 April - this event is now fully booked
Times: 12noon - 1pm and 2pm - 3pm
Free, suggested donation of £2 per child
Suitable for ages 6+
Booking required. To book or for more information contact us on 01483 444751 or heritageservices@guildford.gov.uk
Have you got what it takes to be a secret agent? Be inspired by secret agents from the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War.
Learn how to write with invisible ink and send secret messages, make your own false ID card and test your observation skills.
This activity takes place in a room without step-free access.
Please note, for each Family Fun activity children must be accompanied by an adult.
Family Fun! I'm a Spy Craft and Story Time
Date: Tuesday 2 April
Times: 10.30am - 11.15am
Location: Guildford Library (opens new window)
Date: Friday 12 April
Times: 10.30am - 11.15am
Location: Guildford Museum
Free. Donations are welcome. No need to book, places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
A special story time for pre-schoolers and their parents/carers. Listen to the stories about secret agents '006 and a Bit' and 'Spyder'. Make a disguise to hide yourself. A joint event run by Guildford Library and Guildford Museum.
'A Call to Spy' - film showing and Q&A
Date: Saturday 6 April
Time: 2.30pm to 5.30pm
Location: Guildhall, High Street, Guildford
Tickets £10 including refreshments
A special showing of the acclaimed 2019 feature-length film A Call to Spy. A fictionalised spy drama inspired by the lives of three women. The three served in Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. While the plot deviates from historical reality, it tells the story of how women agents were recruited by SOE.
This event will include an interval and refreshments will be provided.
To book email heritageservices@guildford.gov.uk or call 01483 444751.
From a Garrison to a Garden
Dates: 27 April to 14 September 2024
Free
Discover stories of Guildford Castle. From Norman fortress, to surviving medieval tower surrounded by glorious gardens.
Find out what it was used for, including a garrison, royal palace and prison. The exhibition tells the story of the Castle Gardens too, with a crafted garden at the centre of the display.
Drop in to design and create your own flower bed or craft individual flowers and add to our installation. You could also join in our facilitated activities inspired by flowers and gardens.
Dates: Wednesday 29 May
Times: 12noon - 2pm
Free
Suitable for ages 5+
Help our garden grow by making oversized paper flowers. Take them home with you or leave them with us to brighten up the museum as part of our From a Garrison to a Garden display.
Soldiers of Surrey: A display from the Surrey Infantry Collection
Free entry
June 6, 2024, is the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Led by the Allied Forces, the landings liberated Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
This Surrey Infantry Collection display D-Day +80 commemorates this anniversary of the Normandy landings. Discover the stories of the men of Surrey who helped ensure the success of the Allied landings, told through personal and technical objects.
Image courtesy of the Surrey Infantry Collection
On the Trail of Guildford's History
Be a history detective! Search Guildford Museum, Quarry Street and Guildford Castle Grounds to find clues which tell us about the past.
Download the trail. (PDF) [1MB] or pick up a copy from Guildford Museum.