The History of Guildford-Part 1
Guildford is a
place found in England.
It is also the county
town of Surrey. At
Guildford one would be able to find the seat of borough of Guildford
as well as the administrative offices of South East England. Guildford had been
twinned with a town
called Freiburg in southern Germany. Additionally, Guildford
can be found at around 50 km southwest of London.
Similar to many other places around the world, Guildford
also has a rich historical background. Let’s have a look.
The town of Guildford had been founded by Saxon settlers after the
Roman Empire had retreated from Great
Britain. The name was chosen because of an
ancient trackway that crossed the
River Wey through a ford. The River Wey is a
tributary of the river Thames. Moreover, a
ford is a place in a river that can be crossed by either riding on a horseback
or in a vehicle. This can probably explain the second part of Guilford’s name. As for the first part, it
could have been gold rather than guild. Gold may have referred to the golden
flowers that probably grew near the ford.
Furthermore, at
Guildford one may be able to find places such as Guildford’s
model
railway club, a local pub called Astotlat and the Astotlat Model Railway Circle. These can
be considered as reminders of the exceptional history of Guildford.
A
castle named as the Guildford castle also
adds up to the beauty of the town. It is believed that this castle may have
been built during the Saxon era. The castle may have been
used for battle
purposes long ago as places such as the Pilgrims Way and the ford itself could
have been easily spotted from there. In other words, the Guildford
castle may have been used as a control tower to guard the East-West region of
the country. The Windsor Castle and the Tower
of London may have been once used in a
similar fashion to guard the Thames
River.
In addition to,
at the Battle of Hastings, a man known as William the Conqueror won Guildford as well as its close surrounding areas. William
the Conqueror was a Norman and so rebuilt the castle of Guildford in a classic Norman style. The
castle was built this way so as to scare the conquered population of Guildford at that time. As time passed by, the risks of
war diminished and consequently saw the castle become a Royal Hunting Lodge.
This idea was suitable as the castle
of Guildford was situated near the Windsor Great Park.
The castle may have been visited by King John and King Henry III on numerous
occasions. Some of the parts of the castle that were not destroyed through time
may have been restored during the Victorian times and also in the year 2004.
The remainder of the land, may now be a wonderful public garden.
During the year
1995, a discovery was made at Guildford which
revealed an ancient Jewish house of prayer called a synagogue. The synagogue
can be considered as one of the oldest in Western Europe.
More reviews about the http://www.guildfordeye.com