The University of Surrey

The University of Surrey was established in 1966 with the grant of its Royal Charter but its roots go back to the Battersea Polytechnic Institute founded in 1891. Whilst Battersea was known primarily for science and technology, the University of Surrey's student body, which is now over 10,000 strong, benefits from a wide range of subjects as diverse as music and dance, business, engineering, psychology and languages.

The University campus on the north side of Stag Hill stands on the eastern end of what was once the Royal Park of Guildford, enclosed by Henry II in 1154. As a hunting park, it was situated in the south-east corner of Royal Forest of Windsor. Between 1567 and 1591 Queen Elizabeth I stayed at the Manor House on the site 5 times, but by 1609 the house was derelict and the stones used partly in the construction of the nearby Loseley House. In 1630 Charles I sold the land in to private hands, and eventually it passed onto the Onslow family, a name still associated with the local area.

Though it is difficult to imagine today the 600 fallow deer roaming the car parks and traffic islands, the University Campus and its lake do give us a little window onto the ancient Royal Park of Guildford.