BOROUGH OF GUILDFORD 



thickness of the wall, lit by a single loophole. West 

 of this is a round-headed opening with dressed jambs 

 and head slightly chamfered. This forms the rear 

 arch to a window of two round-headed lights set in 

 a round-headed outer order. The mullion, presum- 

 ably a column, is missing. The splay is carried to 

 the floor level, and forms a vestibule to a vice in 

 the north-west angle of the keep, the door to which 

 is in the west internal jamb of the window. This 

 door is very much defaced and the steps of the vice 

 are gone. The wall internally retains in patches a 

 facing of diagonally-tooled ashlar in square blocks. 

 In the middle of the east wall on this floor is a deep 

 window splay retaining a few ashlar quoins, but ex- 

 ternally restored in brickwork, apparently of ijth- 

 century date. This wall contains no chambers, 

 as it forms part of the line of defence. In the south 

 wall, but to the east of the centre, is a similar window 

 which retains most of its ashlar work and is unrestored. 

 The dividing column, however, is gone. In the west 

 part of the wall is a segmental-headed opening to a small 

 wall-chamber, probably the chapel, which is entered 

 through an ante-chamber, probably the ante-chapel, 

 in the thickness of the west wall. The round-headed 

 door of the ante-chamber, of two orders, retains little 

 more than its rough opening. The ante-chamber is 

 14 ft. 2 in. long and 5 ft. wide, and has on the west 

 a wall arcade of four bays with rounded engaged 

 columns with scalloped and palmette capitals and 

 moulded base approximating to the Attic type and 

 semicircular arches of one slightly chamfered order. 

 In the northernmost bay is a small round-headed 

 original window. The ante-chapel is vaulted with 

 an obtuse pointed barrel-vault of rubble which has 

 been plastered and has at its spring a chamfered 

 string. The angles of the room are ashlared, and 

 the whole arcade with its wall spaces is of carefully 

 wrought chalk masonry, while the end wall and the 

 east wall are of rubble and have been plastered. 



The chapel, which is in the thickness of the south 

 wall, is really an extension at right angles to the other 

 chamber, and had, originally, a continuation of the 

 arcade carried along its south or exterior wall ; but of 

 this little remains except one column and capital im- 

 bedded in a later partition wall at the west end of 

 the chapel, while west of this are traces of two more 

 bays. From these it would appear that the arcade 

 was originally of six bays. Two capitals of similar 

 detail to those in the ante-chapel remain. At the 

 east end of the chapel is a block of rubble, the 

 remains of a stone bench, and at the south-east is a 

 small square recess partly blocked. There are two 

 windows on the south, that to the east is of three 

 mullioned lights with square heads and is a 1 7 th- 

 century insertion and responsible for the destruction 

 of part of the arcade ; the wide opening opposite to 

 it is of the same date, and meant to transmit the light 

 to the interior of the keep. The defaced window to 

 the west appears to have been original and similar to 

 that in the ante-chapel. The chapel is vaulted in 

 the same way as the ante-chapel, the two vaults inter- 

 secting, but at the east end is a half-vault at right 

 angles to the main ceiling and very clumsily connected 

 up with it. On the arcade of the ante-chapel are a 



number of scratched designs, mainly of mediaeval date. 

 Amongst other subjects are representations of St. 

 Christopher, the Crucifixion, and a seated king and 

 queen. 



The top floor of the keep originally contained four 

 two-light windows, one in each wall, of which little 

 remains now but the splays, the windows themselves 

 having been replaced in stone. There is also on, the 

 north a segmental-headed recess which, turning at 

 right angles, leads to the vice, and east of this are 

 traces of a brick-backed fireplace, probably part of the 

 17th-century domestic repairs," 1 while at the south- 

 east is a round-headed opening to a small garderobe 

 in the thickness of the wall with a double corbelled 

 shoot. 



South and west of the keep and below the crest of 

 the mound are two fragments of walling, apparently 

 part of the earlier polygonal shell keep. The former 

 of these is very fragmentary, but the latter is still 

 some height above ground, and has at the west 

 the remains of two garderobe shoots, one above the 

 other. The other end appears to have been connected 

 up with the east side of the square keep, into which it 

 has been incorporated. Both these fragments are of 

 chalk. Buck's view, dated 1737, shows these walls as 

 remaining to a height of at least two stories, while at 

 the north-west of the mound is a suggestion of 

 further remains of which only foundations now 

 remain. 



No documentary evidence exists regarding the 

 history of the castle till the 1 2th century. It was 

 one of the many castles set in order at the time of 

 the 'young king's' rebellion in 1173-4, some 26 

 being then expended upon it. 13 In 1202 it is men- 

 tioned as a prison, but nothing is known of the 

 building until 1246, when a hall and chamber for 

 the use of the Sheriffs of Surrey were built on the 

 mound" (mold). Four years later, in 1*50, orders 

 were given to repair the wall of the castle with col- 

 umns and underpinning, to whitewash it and the keep 

 (turns'), and to repair the lead on the keep." Further 

 whitewashing and repairs were done to the keep and 

 the walls of the bailey in 1256," and next year a 

 kitchen was built and the gaol repaired," while in 

 1268 a further 20 was spent on the keep." In 

 1293 the kitchen was repaired, the gaol cleaned out 

 and 36 pairs of fetters (firgts) provided ; one of the 

 gates was rebuilt, tables were fixed in the hall and 

 repairs done to a solar and the castle bridge.* 9 

 Almost the only other reference to be noted occurs in 

 i 360, when a large stone was set under the door of 

 the chapel in the keep, and a small window in the 

 chapel was strengthened with iron bars for the safer 

 custody of prisoners. 30 



South-east of the keep and sheltered by the outer 

 wall of the castle was the royal palace, of whose 

 buildings more traces remain in records than in ruins. 

 During the latter half of the reign of Henry III 

 references to its fabric are numerous. In 1 243 

 a door was made at the end of the hall, between the 

 pantry and buttery, leading to the kitchen, and the 

 windows on the west of the royal dais were glazed ; 

 a fireplace was also put into the larder so that the 

 building could be used as the queen's garderobe 



>* The i/th-century repairs were due, 

 no doubt, to Mr. Carter when he received 

 the castle from James I and lived in it 

 (tee below). 



> Pipe R. 20 Hen. II. 



* Liberate R. (Chan.), 31 Hen. IIL 

 Ibid. 35 Hen. III. 



* Ibid. 41 Hen. III. 



557 



V Ibid. 42 Hen. III. 



* Ibid. 53 Hen. III. 



n Esch. K. R. Acctf. bdle. 492, no. 10. 



ro Ibid. bdle. 493, no. 6. 



