Dodgson Woz Here

[poliphilo]

I like Guildford.

I'm surprised to find I like it so much.

The town centre is positioned on a hill with views out over other hills- much like Oldham, where I lived for so many years- the differences being that Guildford has better architecture and the Surrey hills are friendlier than the Pennines.

I knew about the cathedral- which is modern and looks like a biscuit factory from the outside but is rather imposing on the inside- but was surprised to find there's also a castle. And quite a substantial one at that: a big, foursquare Norman keep.

I was also surprised to find that it's a Lewis Carroll pilgrimage site. The Reverend Mr Dodgson used to visit Guildford to stay with his sisters, preached in its churches, died there- and wound up being buried in its cemetery. The castle precincts contain a little nook they call the Alice Garden which has a statue of Alice going through the Looking Glass.

The statue is splendidly weird. It's the work of Jeanne Argent- who was commissioned to make it while still a student at the Guilford Adult Education Unit.

Comments

[cmcmck]

Had a friend who worked at the uni and who lived in Guildford so got to know the town a bit back in the day. As you say, it's rather nicer than you might expect.

[poliphilo]

There's a lot of history, the architecture is striking- as is its situation among the hills. It's gone immediately into my list of favourite towns.

[shewhomust]

We used to drive through Guildford from time to time, en route from A to B, and noticed the cathedral (it would be hard not to, and your description is spot-on!) But it would never have occurred to me to stop there: so thanks for the pointer, which has been filed for future reference.

[poliphilo]

I too never thought of Guildford as a destination- except perhaps for the cathedral (which I visited without glancing at the town a couple of years ago) but it turns out to be both beautiful and interesting.