Guildford House

Guildford House stands on the High Street in the centre of Guildford, a timber-framed building first raised in 1660. Its front shows painted wood while the rear wears mathematical tiles and tile-hanging, a common 17th-century style in the south-east. Inside, original features remain: a carved staircase, panelled rooms, decorative plaster ceilings and wrought iron window fittings. The house was built for John Childs, a lawyer who later served three times as Mayor of Guildford. After passing through other owners it became a shop, a bookshop and finally a restaurant before being saved for public use. The house is Grade I listed, partly because so much of its 17th-century character survives intact. It now holds part of the borough’s art collection, including the world’s largest public display of pastel portraits by John Russell, a Guildford-born artist who became a Royal Academician. Changing exhibitions are mounted throughout the year, showing works from the local collection and beyond. In 2009 the running of Guildford House was joined with that of Guildford Museum, Guildford Guildhall and Guildford Castle under a single heritage team. Visitors enter rooms where the original staircase rises between panelled walls. Light falls through wrought iron casements onto plaster ceilings still decorated with 17th-century motifs. The pastel portraits by John Russell hang in sequence, showing sitters from the 18th century with delicate colour on paper. Temporary shows bring in drawings, prints and paintings from other periods. Outside, the High Street bustle continues past shopfronts while the house’s rear elevation shows the quiet tile-hung wall that once faced an alley.