Guildford Castle

These may be the prettiest gardens in Surrey. I visited and strolled on a lively April day. Don't miss this if you are in the area.

Pretty nice, short tourism experience overall, with a decent amount of history and historical information scattered around the castle grounds. The views from both the garden and the rooftop cage can be quite nice in the right weather, with the rooftop allowing you to look out over the entirety of old-town Guildford.
That being said, there isn't any system to let people on the narrow spiral staircase know when others are coming up or down, which can leans to a lot of awkward crowding on the staircase, especially at peak tourism hours in the early afternoon.

Just a short walk from Guildford's busy High Street, lies this small but delightful Castle and peaceful gardens, which provide a wonderful refuge from the modern noise and bustle of Saturday shoppers.


Guildford, the County Town of Surrey, is thought to have been founded by early Saxon settlers around 400AD. By the 10th century it had a mint, and may well have had an early castle. By 1086, it was listed as a town in the King's possession in the Domesday Book.


The Castle itself was started shortly after the Norman Conquest, on the familiar Norman pattern of a large motte (mound) and bailey (enclosure). The wooden defences were replaced by stone ones during the 12th century. Initially the motte acquired a shell keep (basically a simple wall, against which buildings were built inside), and then the small tower keep which we see today.


As the only royal castle in Surrey it became the centre for administration and justice, and it would have been used as a residence by visiting Kings albeit in slightly cramped surroundings. Because of this, the royal apartments were moved to a palace in the bailey below, and the keep became a jail.


Under Henry III these apartments were extended into one of the most luxurious royal residences in England. But the castle fell into decline after Henry III's death in 1272, and the palace buildings became ruinous. The castle was purchased by the Local Authority in the 19th century, who turned it into a small park.


The Keep has recently been restored to first floor level, and reopened, with a small interpretation centre on the ground and first floors. The first floor would have housed the Great Hall, a Chapel, and a latrine. A small cell off the Hall may have provided a small (and rather cramped) bedroom, or he could have slept in the main room. A small spiral staircase goes up to the roof, which provides fine views over the town. To be honest, there's not a great deal to see inside: the most interesting feature is ante-chapel, once the entrance to a small chapel, which has some Norman blind arcading, complete with mediaeval graffiti, possibly dating from the 14th century.


The gardens lie in what would have been part of the bailey, and the path up to the motte provides excellent views across modern Guildford to the Cathedral on Stag Hill.

When the weather good why not buy a coffee and go and sit in the castle grounds very relaxing and peaceful

Whether or not you like Guildford Castle partly depends on if you approve of monuments being partially renovated as this one has. Most of what remains is the keep that houses the Visitor Centre. The storey above now has a lovely oak floor, a caged shrine & a staircase to the top level with views across Guildford.
Below the keep is a rather beautiful garden that has several colourful flower beds, a small pond & some remaining walls. Worth a visit, especially in late spring to summer when the gardens are in bloom. The gardens are free & there's a small charge to look around the keep above the visitor part.

Great place to go either in the Sunny spring months or the Hot Summer months. In fact you can visit here anytime of year. Great grounds, some historic moments of Guildfords history can be found here, including the Castle itself. Also the likes of a bowling green. I've heard they tend to do a few Ghost trail walks around here too.

Its a splendid early norman keep with assiciated ruins about . Its a strange location for a castle though too dominated by surrounding high ground .

founded by william the conqueror and built around 1066 this is a beautiful building to visit, the surviving walls are 12th and 13th century and even now in october the extensive gardens are magnificent and well maintained. these gardens have been open to the public since 1888!

Guildford Castle and Gardens is a quiet place perfect for strolls or even a romantic afternoon out. It lies just behind the noisy high street so if you are in the mood for some peace and quiet this is an ideal location. The gardens have been maintained very well and the flowers give it a very colourful look.