Guildford Cathedral

panorama pictures

20th April 2001

Guildford cathedral was started in 1936, when the foundation stone was laid by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, William Lang. It sits atop Stag Hill, to the NW of Guildford town centre, and owes its existence to the creation of a new diocese, separate from Winchester, in 1927. Building work was suspended during the second world war, and resumed in 1952. It is reported that the bricks were made from the red clay on the site, and sold for 2/6d (half-a-crown) to defray the costs of construction. In the wall of the cathedral are bricks signed by several members of the Royal Family, including the Queen (Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip.

While the outside of the building is entirely constructed from brick, (apart from some recent (2004) statuary on the West Front) nothing quite prepares the visitor for the clean lines of the stone interior, which can be appreciated in the panoramic pictures below.

The uncluttered interior is a great aid to quiet spiritual contemplation. The organ, in an empty building, is impressively loud, only being tamed by the presence of a full congregation. Recently, an appeal equipped the nave with a new set of wooden chairs, individually named in memory of local people.

The cathedral community supports an excellent choir, and lectures are held in the local refectory building. A particularly impressive set of lectures recently was given on the subject of "science and religion".

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(pictures and website by David Jefferies 2001)

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