The Gatehouse website record for Guildford Town Defences

In the civil parish of Guildford. In the historic county of Surrey (Modern Authority of Surrey, 1974 county of Surrey).

The old defensible town ditch of Guildford ran, as the names indicate, from the Dominican Friary near the river along North Street (the North ditch) and round to South treet. (the South ditch). This connected with the Castle Ditch (now Castle Street.). It has been traced at the corner of Chertsey Street. and right across Trinity churchyard between these two lines. When the church was enlarged in 1888, and graves were removed in consequence, the ditch was traced, with much Mediaeval pottery in it. It is possible the oldest town was walled and of yet smaller dimensions. A very thick ancient clunch wall, with a well on its South side, showing that to be the inside, ran about 30yds South of the High Street, nearly parallel to it. It would have included St Mary's Church, and a small town around the Castle mount. If this was so, the High Street itself was originally a suburban extension, later included by the ditch. No traces of the town wall or ditch are now visible, and no excavations have revealed traces of the course of the town defences.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU9949

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 250289
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1647 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

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