BOROUGH OF GUILDFORD 



chamfered angles and moulded heads. The more 

 elaborate have octagonal flues, are richly moulded, and 

 have angle spurs. On the street elevation are a 

 couple of very fine rain-water heads of lead. Both 

 have the arms of the see of Canterbury impaling those 

 of Abbot and the initials G.C., and are ornamented 

 with pierced cresting, while one bears the date 1627. 

 This date and the same heraldry appears upon some 

 of the rain-water heads in the court, where are also 

 several plainer moulded heads. 



The TOWN HALL stands on the north side of 

 High Street and was erected by subscription in 1683, 

 taking the place of an earlier building, which, as appears 

 from the town books, was in existence in 1587-8, 

 when it was enlarged and the garden behind it 

 inclosed. When the new town hall was built, an old 

 market-house in the street opposite to it was pulled 

 down. The street front is of two stories, the ground 

 floor being partly open to the road and being divided 

 into three bays by wood posts with gates between. 

 From each post spring two supporting brackets carved 

 with grotesque human figures and foliage. The first 

 floor projects over the pavement and has a balcony 

 with ornamental iron railings. The front of this floor 

 consists of three large windows and two side lights, all 

 with square-leaded glass and ornamental iron fittings 

 to the casements and separated by wooden Ionic 

 pilasters. Above the windows are small moulded 

 pediments over which is a moulded cornice with 

 carved modillions and egg-and- tongue ornament. This 

 cornice also continues round the gable, which is cut 

 short to form a base for an octagonal open-work 

 turret with a balustrade. A large projecting clock 

 dial attached to a long arm is a feature of the front 

 of the building. It was made by John Aylward, who 

 settled in Guildford at this time. The dial has a 

 segmental pediment, and it is enriched with gilded 

 carving. At the base is the date of the erection of the 

 building. Additional support is given by five elaborate 

 tie-rods. The striking bell is in the turret over 

 the gable; the minute hand was added in 1828. 

 The only room on the ground floor of any impor- 

 tance is the Court Room, which has its original 

 open-timber roof. The walls have 18th-century 

 panelling up to about 1 4 ft. The north window 

 contains three panels of 17th-century glass, including 

 royal coats and the ancient and modern arms of 

 Guildford. In this room are hung full-length por- 

 traits of Charles II, James II, William III, and 

 Mary II. The Council Chamber on the first floor is 

 a large rectangular room, panelled from floor to 

 ceiling. In one corner is a fireplace which was 

 brought from Stoughton House in the neighbouring 

 parish of Stoke. The iron grate has a cast ornament 

 of vine and other foliage, around which is a stone 

 mantel with figures of a man and a woman in 

 scroll-work blocking, their feet appearing below 

 the scroll-work. The frieze is carved to represent 

 the four human temperaments, respectively labelled, 

 Sanguineus, Cholericus, P/ilegmaticui, and Melancholicus. 

 The wood jambs beyond the stonework have tapering 

 Ionic pilasters, and the overmantel has Corinthian 

 pilasters and is divided into two panels. In the first 

 is the quartered shield of Howard, Duke of Norfolk : 



(1) Howard, with the augmentation for Flodden ; 



(2) Thomas of Brotherton ; (3) Warenne ; (4) 

 Fitz Alan. The second panel contains the Abbot 

 arms. Near the top of the overmantel is a painting 



of the arms of James II dated 1686, and the 

 old and new arms of Guildford. In the room 

 are hung portraits of James I (full length) and 

 the Rt. Hon. Arthur Onslow. There is also a 

 painting of ' Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Onslow re- 

 ceiving the Dutch flag after the Victory 1 797 ' by 

 J. Russell, R.A., which was presented in 1 798. The 

 corporation plate is interesting. The mayor's staft 

 is dated 1563. The standard measures (gallon, 

 bushel, quart, and pint) are of bronze, dated 1602. 

 By Statute 1 1 Henry VII, cap. 4, Guildford is named 

 as one of the county towns where standard measures 

 are to be kept. The small silver mace dates probably 

 from the same reign, though additions have been 

 made to it. The great mace was presented by 

 Henry Howard, afterwards Duke of Norfolk, in 1663, 

 the mayor's gold chain by Arthur Onslow, high 

 steward, in 1673. 



The GRAMMAR SCHOOL is situated on the 

 south side of the High Street. It is quadrangular in 

 plan, having an inclosed court 36ft. by 29 ft. 3 in., 

 and dates from a little after the middle of the 1 6th 

 century. The earliest portion is the south wing, 

 two stories in height, which is largely built of brick, 

 and as originally planned consisted of two long 

 rooms each filling the whole of one floor and about 

 65 ft. long by 22 ft. wide. The three other wings 

 were all added in the latter half of the 1 7th century, 

 first the west wing containing the master's house, 

 then the east wing with the usher's house, and finally 

 the north wing with the completion of the present 

 street front. The latter, however, before taking its 

 present form, had consisted of a wooden bridge upon 

 posts forming a means of communication between the 

 master's and the usher's houses, and was built about 

 the same time or a little after the latter. Finally, 

 towards the end of the century, in order to form a 

 library, this gallery was inclosed, a stone front was 

 built connecting the ends of the east and west wings, 

 which are also of stone, and an attic story was added. 

 The ground floor pf the south wing has been 

 altered in modern times by the insertion of a parti- 

 tion at the west end to provide a drawing-room for 

 the master's house. The remaining and greater 

 portion of the ground floor is occupied by a class- 

 room which largely retains its school fittings of the 

 1 8th century with the headmaster's and usher's desks. 

 The class-room on the upper floor has an open 

 roof with queen-post trusses, the tie-beams of which 

 are moulded with a quarter roll. During the 1 8th 

 century an attic story was inserted in the roof, the 

 floor being carried on the tie-beams and dormers 

 being inserted in the roof. This was used as a dor- 

 mitory. This room has two chalk mantelpieces with 

 moulded straight-sided four-centred arched openings 

 with moulded stops at the jambs. Over this is a 

 frieze of flutes alternating with circular plaques and a 

 moulded cornice of semi-renaissance detail. The 

 windows are all mullioned, with rounded heads, 

 and of stone, while the walls are of brick. On the 

 first floor is a small door with a four-centred head 

 opening into the class-room from the usher's wing, 

 with which it is contemporary. The main entrance 

 to the class-room is from the court, where there is a 

 small porch with a four-centred entrance and door. 

 Rough arches have been cut in the flanking walls, and 

 the whole porch is a good deal modernized. The head 

 master's house retains little of interest except some plain 



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