Living in Guildford area guide to homes, schools and transport

Thirty miles south-west of London, Guildford has one of England’s loveliest high streets. It offers a mix of medieval, Georgian and modern buildings running down a steep hill to the River Wey, and long views to the Surrey Hills. The Guildhall building with its landmark clock dates from the 14th century and there is even a romantic ruined Norman castle tucked away behind the shops.

Guildford prospered in the 17th and 18th centuries when it was at the centre of a network of navigable rivers and canals that connected large swathes of the South-East to the Thames at Weybridge. Then, with the arrival of the railway in 1845, Guildford became the prosperous commuter town it is today.

But Guildford is also a very modern town and the county town of Surrey. Its impressive cathedral was only built at the beginning of the Sixties and the nearby University of Surrey arrived not long afterwards. Spectrum, in Stoke Park, is one of the largest sports complexes in the country, and later in 2011 the council opens G Live, a new concert venue at the top of the high street.

Unlike many other top commuter towns, Guildford isn’t flashy. There are no roads where the fashion for knocking down large houses and replacing them with huge ones has taken root. Instead, the town’s wealthier buyers are happy with substantial, mainly early 20th-century houses sitting on large plots off the deep lanes that connect Guildford with the outlying villages to the south, or houses in wooded roads with views over Pewley Down.

Some eminent Edwardian architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens included, built their best houses in the Surrey Hills. According to Savills, outside London, Surrey is the next most-expensive area, with a housing market worth £130 billion.

Travel
Guildford is close to the A3 which, since the opening of the Hindhead tunnel, has improved access to the coast. The commuter train service from Guildford takes around 35 minutes to Waterloo and an annual season ticket costs £3,224.00.
 

Council
Guildford borough (Tory controlled); Band D council tax for the 2012/2013 year is £1,497.20.

Shops and restaurants
With its cobbled high street, overhanging clock, ancient Guildhall and grammar school, Guildford has one of the prettiest high streets in the south of England. There are two department stores — House of Fraser and Debenhams — and more than 60 shops and places to eat at The Friary Centre, with lots of upmarket chains.
 

For quirkier, independent shops, wander down the little side roads off the high street to find the likes of women’s boutique Courtyard, in Angel Gate, and interiors shop Bardoe & Appel, in Tunsgate.

There are lots of chain restaurants including Côte, Pizza Express, Zizzi, Jamie’s Italian and recent opening, Bill’s. There are country pubs serving good food in the villages around Guildford. The Parrot at Forest Green has its own farm shop. Drake’s restaurant at nearby Ripley has a Michelin star.

Open space
The Surrey Hills comprise a major centre for mountainbiking and the area has a number of leading bike shops. Capitalising on the popularity of last year’s Olympic road races, Mayor of London Boris Johnson has launched the RideLondon-Surrey 100 event taking in the county’s roads and hills, with 20,000 cyclists expected to take part on August 4.
 

Leisure and the arts
Guildford Spectrum in Stoke Park close to the A3 has ice skating, swimming, tenpin bowling, a gym and a spa. There is a nearby lido for summer swimming.
 

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre enjoys a riverside location, while the Electric Theatre, near the station, puts on film festivals, plays, music events and comedy. G Live is a £26 million newly opened venue at the top of the high street. The Guildford International Music Festival is held in March each year.

Primary school

The following infant schools (up to age seven) are judged “outstanding” by the government education watchdog Ofsted: Pewley Down in Semaphore Road; Onslow in Powell Close; Stoughton in Stoughton Road, Shalford in Station Road, Shalford and Merrow CofE in Kingfisher Drive.

The following primary schools (up to age 11) are also judged “outstanding”: Holy Trinity CofE in Addison Road, St Thomas of Canterbury RC in Horseshoe Lane West, St Joseph’s RC in Aldershot Road and Guildford Grove in Southway.

Comprehensive

George Abbott in north east Guildford is the most popular and successful state comprehensive school; other top performers are Guildford County on the south west side and St Peter’s RC on the east side.

Private

Many London families make the move to Guildford for the private schools, especially the highly academic Royal Grammar School (boys ages 11 to 18) whose ancient buildings are a feature at the top of the high street.

Girls have an even wider choice with Tormead (ages four to 18) and St Catherine’s in Bramley (day and boarding ages 11 to 18). There are prep schools too: Lanesborough is also the cathedral choir school (boys ages three to 13); Longacre (co-ed ages two to 11), Rydes Hill (boys ages three to seven and girls ages three to 11) and St Catherine’s Prep at Bramley (girls ages four to 11).