Surrey


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>Guildford manages to be all things to all people offering the perfect mix of rural and city life. There&#8217;s oodles of arts and culture, restaurants and chichi shopping. And yet, Surrey&#8217;s county town is surrounded by beautiful countryside. So let’s see what all the fuss is about!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="2000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1.jpg" alt="Guildford Townhouse, Coppa Club" class="wp-image-46815" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1-300x400.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/03/TobyMitchell2023-CoppaClub-Guildford1-394x525.jpg 394w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Guildford Townhouse Coppa Club</figcaption></figure>



<p>For posh nosh, slap-up meal or a decadent cocktail you’re spoiled here. Guildford has become a mecca for foodies, even boasting two branches of the Ivy no less (choose from <a href="https://theivyguildford.com/">Castle View</a>&nbsp;or <a href="https://www.theivyasiaguildford.com/">Ivy Asia</a>, next door.) The restaurant at <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/the-mandolay-hotel-guildford/">The Mandolay</a>&nbsp;hotel is also worth a splashing out on, while&nbsp;<a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/the-march-hare/">The March Hare</a>, punches above its weight in the gastropub class. Opened last year and already popular is <a href="https://theboathousecafeguildford.co.uk/">The Boathouse Café</a> overlooking the River Wey which focuses on local seasonal produce. Or for world cuisines try <a href="http://thaiterrace.co.uk/">Thai Terrace</a>&nbsp;or traditional Italian <a href="http://positano-restaurant.co.uk/">Positano</a>&nbsp;which was named Best Restaurant in Surrey at the 2023 British Restaurant Awards.</p>



<p>Don&#8217;t miss<a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurant/review-guildford-townhouse-coppa-club-surrey/"> Guildford Townhouse Coppa Club</a> which also opened last year and has a members club vibe. Spread over three floors it houses a bar, restaurant and workspace. <a href="https://cosyclub.co.uk/location/guildford/">The Cosy Club</a>&nbsp;in Tunsgate Quarter is lively and stylish place for food and drinks in a group. Or grab a swivel stool at the sweeping 120ft marble&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guildford-harbour-hotel.co.uk/dining/the-long-bar/">Long Bar</a>&nbsp;at Guildford Harbour Hotel – apparently the lengthiest bar outside of London.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SHOP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="924" height="948" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/The-Gate-Boutique-Guildford.jpg" alt="The Gate Boutique Guildford interior of store" class="wp-image-56250" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/The-Gate-Boutique-Guildford.jpg 924w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/The-Gate-Boutique-Guildford-780x800.jpg 780w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/The-Gate-Boutique-Guildford-390x400.jpg 390w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/The-Gate-Boutique-Guildford-768x788.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Gate </figcaption></figure>



<p>Well known for shopping, Guildford has been dubbed a ‘shopaholics nirvana’ by <em>The Sunday Times</em>. At <a href="https://www.tunsgatequarter.com/">Tunsgate Quarter</a> you’ll find host of luxe brands including Oka, Loaf, Bobbi Brown and Townhouse, for on-trend manicures. The long-established <a href="https://www.thefriaryguildford.com/">Friary</a> mall hosts more than 50 stores including many big brands you’d want to spend with. But it’s the indie retailers that make Guildford really special. </p>



<p>Muddy Award-winner for Best Women’s Boutique <a href="http://www.thegateboutique.co.uk/">The Gate</a> is a must-visit with a brilliant range of brands and friendly staff who give great style advice. We’re also partial to a browse in <a href="http://www.courtyarduk.co.uk/">Courtyard</a>, down the charming cobbled Angel Gate and <a href="https://mistyandclaridge.com/">Misty &amp; Claridge</a> on Chapel Street. There are also several bustling <a href="https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/17568/North-Street-market">markets</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="800" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/Untitled-design-40-1000x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55008" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/Untitled-design-40-1000x800.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/Untitled-design-40-800x640.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/Untitled-design-40-400x320.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/Untitled-design-40-768x614.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/07/Untitled-design-40.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vayu Yoga/Facebook</figcaption></figure>



<p>The mighty <a href="https://www.guildfordspectrum.co.uk/">Spectrum </a>Leisure Centre on Parkway is one of the UK’s biggest with a huge pool, athletics track, bowling, ice skating and all the usual gym classes. You’ve also got Nuffield Health club just outside town at Queen Elizabeth Park, or for something more boutique the Spa &amp; Club at the <a href="https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/surrey/harbour-hotel-guildford/harspa-club-guildford">Harbour </a>hotel has an exclusive feel. Prefer to keep fit outdoors? There are plenty of options including charity hikes in Loseley Park and Canoe &amp; Paddle boarding in Dapdune Wharf.</p>



<p>For your aesthetic needs <a href="https://relaxationrooms.com/">The Relaxation Room</a> on North Street offers massages and high tech facials, there are also several excellent yoga and Pilates studios including <a href="https://www.vayu-yoga.co.uk/">Vayu</a> that’s a ten minute walk from the station and offers reiki and Osteopathy onsite. GP services are provided at two <a href="https://www.fairlandsmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/our-surgeries/">medical centres</a> and the Royal Surrey County Hospital is on Egerton Road.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>Music, beer, food, arts and much more, Guildford have community events all year round. Some summer highlights include the&nbsp;<u><a href="https://www.visitsurrey.com/event/guildford-cheese-and-chilli-festival/231867101/">Cheese &amp; Chilli</a></u> <u><a href="https://www.visitsurrey.com/event/guildford-cheese-and-chilli-festival/231867101/">Festival&nbsp;</a></u>which comes to Shalford Park in July, the Wood Street Village Show and the Harry Edwards Fair &amp; Dog Show. Don’t miss the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/guildfordarttrail/">Guildford Art trail </a>where local artists open up their studios to the public.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<p>Despite having both a university and a cathedral, Guildford is, in fact,&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;a city. Its <a href="https://www.guildford-cathedral.org/">Cathedral</a> on Stag Hill is one of England’s youngest, built in 1936. It&#8217;s worth a trip for the views, regular events, art exhibitions and workshops alongside daily services. Also worth a look is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guildford.gov.uk/visitguildford/23869">Guildhall</a>, a 16th-century building easily recognisable by the magnificent bracket clock; and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guildford.gov.uk/visitguildford/23871">Medieval Undercroft</a> both on the High Street.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CULTURE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016.jpg" alt="A view of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and it's courtyard café in Guildford, Surrey" class="wp-image-49688" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/09/Yvonne_Arnaud_Theatre_View_2016-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford. </figcaption></figure>



<p>A hotbed for the arts with theatres and and festivals galore, Guildford serves up an annual&nbsp;<a href="http://www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk/">Book Festival</a>&nbsp;each October, month-long&nbsp;<a href="http://guildfordfringefestival.com/">Fringe </a>and the&nbsp;<a href="https://iimf.co.uk/">Investec International Music Festival&nbsp;</a>for classical music lovers. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/">Yvonne Arnaud</a>&nbsp;is one of the country’s leading regional theatres hosting touring shows including ballet, opera, theatre and comedy. <a href="https://www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/">The Guildford Shakespeare Company</a>, is an award-winning company, that puts on several shows throughout the year. </p>



<p><a href="https://glive.co.uk/Online/">GLive</a>&nbsp;opened in 2011, replacing the Civic Hall, and plays host to international names.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theboileroom.net/promoter/guildford-boileroom">The Boileroom</a>&nbsp;is a live music hub, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://electric.theatre/events/">Electric</a> is a community arts centre. <a href="https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/25622/About-Guildford-House">Guildford House&nbsp;Gallery</a>&nbsp;shows a&nbsp;varied programme of exhibitions in the 17th century townhouse on the High Street. And a few miles out of town in the village of Compton is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/">Watts Gallery</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-prices">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES</h2>



<p>Properties in Guildford had an overall average price of £609,222 over the last year. The majority of sales in Guildford were semis, selling for an average price of £534,397. For detached you&#8217;re looking at over £1m. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="898" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/10/Property-Guildford-Knight-Frank.jpg" alt="House for sale in Guildford with Knight Frank estate agents." class="wp-image-56849" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/10/Property-Guildford-Knight-Frank.jpg 1200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/10/Property-Guildford-Knight-Frank-800x599.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/10/Property-Guildford-Knight-Frank-1000x748.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/10/Property-Guildford-Knight-Frank-400x299.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/10/Property-Guildford-Knight-Frank-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">You get the best of both worlds with this gorgeous six-bedroom house in Guildford. Sitting on an acre of land, and with spectacular panoramic countryside views, it&#8217;s also less than two miles from the centre of Guildford. It&#8217;s priced at £3.95m with <a href="https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/white-lane-guildford-surrey-gu4/gld012493931" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Knight Frank</a>.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>NURSERIES</strong></h2>



<p><a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/rydes-hill-prep-school-and-nursery-guildford/">Rydes Hill Prep and Nursery</a>, a lovely independent school in the Guildford suburbs takes children from age 3 yrs. Other good choices are <a href="https://www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk/nursery/fitzsimmons">Busy Bees Fitzsimmons</a> in Portsmouth Road, <a href="https://www.littlestars-pre-school.co.uk/">Little Stars Pre-School</a> at the Emmanuel Church and Guildford Childcare in Pilgrims Way &#8211; all of which are Ofsted-rated Outstanding.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCHOOLS</h2>



<p>Guildford is a hotbed for schools – particularly top-rated independents. <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/rydes-hill-prep-school-and-nursery-guildford/">Rydes Hill Prep and Nursery</a> is a small close-knit school teaching strong traditional values, <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/longacre-school-surrey/">Longacre School, </a>in nearby Shamley Green, is a small co-ed prep with a great all-round offering. There’s also the independent <a href="https://www.guildfordhigh.co.uk/">Guildford High</a> for girls, and <a href="https://www.rgsg.co.uk/">RGS Guildford</a> for boys – both have junior and senior schools. <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/tormead-senior-school-guildford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tormead</a>, an all-through school for girls, also in Guildford, while <a href="https://www.stcatherines.info/">St Catherine&#8217;s School</a>, just outside Guildford in Bramley, is an all-through day and boarding school for girls. <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/priors-field-school-godalming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prior&#8217;s Field</a>, a senior day and boarding school for girls, just outside Godalming, is also a popular choice.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.merrow.surrey.sch.uk/">Merrow C of E School</a> and <a href="https://www.htpd.surrey.sch.uk/">Pewley Down Infant School</a> are highly sought-after state primary schools, both rated &#8216;Outstanding&#8217; by Ofsted. Senior state schools – also with Outstanding Ofsted reports –  include the <a href="https://www.guildfordcounty.co.uk/">Guildford County School</a>, near the centre of town and <a href="https://www.st-petersschool.co.uk/">St Peter&#8217;s Catholic</a> on the outskirts of Guildford in Merrow.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.pond-meadow.surrey.sch.uk/">Pond Meadow</a> is an all-through school for children with special needs (Ofsted, Outstanding). The <a href="https://www.surrey.ac.uk/">University of Surrey</a> is ranked in the top 20 in the UK by the Complete University Guide. And let&#8217;s not forget the <a href="https://gsauk.org/">Guildford School of Acting</a>, which includes Celia Imrie, Brenda Blethyn and Tom Chambers as former students.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>Lewis Carroll, wrote <em>Through The Looking Glas</em>s whilst living here and bought a house for his six unmarried sisters. He lived the last year of his life in Guildford and is now buried in Mount Cemetery. <a href="https://www.guildfordwalks.org.uk/the-fantastic-mr-carroll/">Book</a> a free tour to celebrate his life. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>Guildford station is fairly central and there are regular trains to Waterloo (33 mins), as well as Clapham Junction with a connection to Victoria.</p>



<p><em>View the full&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live">Top 300 Best Places to Live</a></em>.</p>


Guildford

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