Guildford Castle

The castle was probably founded by William the Conqueror, who would have built the motte and laid out a bank and ditch around the bailey. The stone tower or keep was probably built in the early 12th century, perhaps by King Stephen in the 1130s. More stone buildings were built in the later 12th and the 13th centuries, but most of these have disappeared. The castle was a luxurious palace in the middle ages.

In the 16th century the tower was altered, and new brick window surrounds were put in, and fireplaces. After 1611 it was abandoned and a new house was built by the castle arch along Quarry Street.

There has been a bowling green here since Shakespeare’s time, but the gardens were laid out as pleasure grounds in 1888, including the bandstand.

Mary Alexander, Guildford Museum, 27th April 2006