Guildford Audio Tour: Cloth, Keys and Waterways

Name: Guildford Audio Tour: Cloth, Keys and Waterways
Brand: AudaTours
Price: 4.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Audio guide10 stops

Guildford's High Street belongs to the merchants and the mayors. The streets and waterways between them belong to a different town — the fullers who racked Guildford Blue cloth to dry at Millmead, the castle constables who kept the King's prisoners in the keep, the chalk-quarry cutters whose spoil built the castle and named the street, the London clockmaker John Aylward who gave the Guildhall its projecting timepiece in exchange for trading rights, the lawyer John Childe who built the finest house on the High Street and served as mayor three times, the almshouse brethren in their blue caps who swept the chapel and tended the garden under Richard Abbot the first Master, the grammar-school boys chained to the library that grocer Robert Beckingham's will funded in 1509, the brewer Charles Hoskin Master whose copper vessels made Friary Meux ale for a century, and the barge builders Edwin Edwards and his four sons who hammered the hull of the Wey Navigation's last working barge at Dapdune Wharf. These are the working people whose names made it into the ledgers — and the ones who didn't.

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About this tour

schedule
Duration 30–50 minsGo at your own pace
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2.8 km walking routeFollow the guided path
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LocationGuildford, United Kingdom
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Works offlineDownload once, use anywhere
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Lifetime accessReplay anytime, forever
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Starts at St Mary's Church, Quarry Street, Guildford

Stops on this tour

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St Mary's Church Guildford with Guildford Methodist ChurchThe oldest building in Guildford — a stone church with a Saxon tower built around 950 AD, on the site of an earlier timber structure dating to c.600 AD. The tower is the only surviving Saxon fabric in the town. In the nave aisles, a mid-15th-century corbel carved with a saw, hammer and chisel — the tools of a carpenter — supports a roof beam, serving as a visual pun on the name of the Rector who commissioned the widening work: Henry Carpentyr.

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Guildford CastleThe keep of the Norman castle, built c.1125-1173 of Bargate stone, on a motte raised over the earlier earthwork castle of c.1066. From 1202 until at least 1508, the keep served as the common county gaol for Surrey and Sussex — the earliest documented payment for its upkeep as a prison is 1202, when four shillings were paid for repairs. Named constables managed the castle and its prisoners: William de Coniers in 1218, Elias de Maunsel in 1247, William de Aguillon in 1259, Edward de Say as keeper of the King's prisoners in 1307, and Oliver de Burdegala as governor in 1322.

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Holy Trinity ChurchThe largest Georgian church in Surrey, rebuilt in the early 1760s on the site of a medieval church that collapsed in 1740. It stands at the top of the High Street, where the medieval church had probably stood since c.950 when the High Street was first laid out as a market street. George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury and founder of Abbot's Hospital across the road, was born in Guildford in 1562 to clothworkers Maurice and Alice Abbot, and is buried here.

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The Friary GuildfordThe site of the Friary Brewery, which grew from Thomas Taunton's Cannon Brewery of 1865 through Charles Hoskin Master's acquisition of 1873, to the mergers that created Friary, Holroyd and Healy Ltd in 1895 and Friary Meux in 1956. Brewing ceased on 23 January 1969; the brewery buildings were demolished in 1973-74. The site is now the Friary shopping centre. Among the last brewers working the copper vessels in the 1950s and 60s was Ken Howse.

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Royal Grammar School (RGS Guildford)A free grammar school founded by the will of Robert Beckingham, a wealthy London grocer and member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers, who died in 1509 leaving provision to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'. In 1512 the governing body was formally constituted. The Grade I listed Tudor Old Building on the High Street was constructed between 1557 and 1586. The school's Chained Library — one of the few surviving chained libraries in England — was donated by John Parkhurst, Bishop of Norwich, who was a Guildford native. In the 1550s, a pupil named John Derrick attended; he later became Queen's Coroner for Surrey.

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Abbot's HospitalA Jacobean almshouse at 167 High Street, founded in 1619 by George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, on land bought from the Half Moon Tavern for £350. Construction began in April 1619; the first twelve brothers and eight sisters were admitted on 29 October 1622, Abbot's 60th birthday. The builder was Peter Warwick, who had a workshop at South Hill. George Abbot's brother Richard was installed as the first Master. Residents over 60, unmarried and natives of Guildford, received a room, coal, firewood, a blue cap and gown, and 2 shillings and 6 pence per week — in exchange for mandatory chapel twice daily, garden work and cleaning duties.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start the tour?

After purchase, download the AudaTours app and enter your redemption code. The tour will be ready to start immediately - just tap play and follow the GPS-guided route.

Do I need internet during the tour?

No! Download the tour before you start and enjoy it fully offline. Only the chat feature requires internet. We recommend downloading on WiFi to save mobile data.

Is this a guided group tour?

No - this is a self-guided audio tour. You explore independently at your own pace, with audio narration playing through your phone. No tour guide, no group, no schedule.

How long does the tour take?

Most tours take 60–90 minutes to complete, but you control the pace entirely. Pause, skip stops, or take breaks whenever you want.

What if I can't finish the tour today?

No problem! Tours have lifetime access. Pause and resume whenever you like - tomorrow, next week, or next year. Your progress is saved.

What languages are available?

All tours are available in 50+ languages. Select your preferred language when redeeming your code. Note: language cannot be changed after tour generation.

Where do I access the tour after purchase?

Download the free AudaTours app from the App Store or Google Play. Enter your redemption code (sent via email) and the tour will appear in your library, ready to download and start.

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Satisfaction guaranteed

If you don't enjoy the tour, we'll refund your purchase. Contact us at [email protected]

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