Guildford Museum

About

Guildford Museum is located within historic buildings next to Guildford Castle Grounds.

The museum is free to visit and is home to a permanent collection of objects from Guildford and the surrounding Borough, dating from prehistoric times to the present day. 

The museum also runs a variety of changing exhibitions. 

History of Guildford Museum

Guildford Museum is formed of four main buildings, with various smaller additions. These buildings, Castle Arch House, 48 Quarry Street, the gallery extension and the Muniment Room, date from the mid-16th century to the 1920s. historic image

Castle Arch House is partly built using the walls from the gatehouse to the castle. The sheriff of Guildford Castle built the gatehouse in 1256. You can still see the remains of the arch that was part of the gateway. 

Guildford Museum Opening 1911The museum buildings have had various uses over the years. Castle Arch House was a high-class family home but was later split into five cottages. For many years, a girls' school used 48 Quarry Street and where the Muniment Room was once a garage. 

EXHIBITIONS

Soldiers of Surrey
A display from the Surrey Infantry Collection
Guildford is the home of England's oldest infantry regiment: The Queen's Royal Regiment. It was raised in 1661 by King Charles II to garrison Tangier in Morocco. The display introduces The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. It brings us the stories which connect the Regiment to Guildford and the people who live here. 

The current display features Sergeant Bob Hatcher, a Guildford born soldier who served in the Malayan Emergency during his National Service.

The Scullery Playroom
A relaxed environment where pre-school children can have fun and develop key skills. Children can learn communication, language, numeracy, gross motor and fine motor skills.
In the Scullery playroom children can:

• role play with the toy kitchen complete with colourful fabric food
• make a pizza and lay a table for dinner
• try washing the Victorian way
• join in with the traditional nursery rhymes printed on the wallscolouring and activity sheets with pencils and crayons
• relax on a beanbag and read a washing or cooking themed book
• view the display of old cooking equipment

Children should be supervised in the room.