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List of places of worship in the Borough of Guildford facts for kids

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Guildford United Reformed Church, Portsmouth Road, Guildford (April 2014, from West-Northwest)
The borough of Guildford, centred on the town of that name, has many churches ancient and modern. An example of the latter is Guildford United Reformed Church, which dates from 1965.

The area of Guildford has over 100 places where people used to worship or still do. Most of these, 83 to be exact, are still used by different Christian denominations and even by Jewish people at the Guildford Synagogue. About 20 of these buildings have been changed into other things, like shops or homes. Guildford is one of 11 local areas in Surrey, a county just south of London. Surrey is known for its beautiful hills, old towns, and modern suburbs. Guildford is also the main town of Surrey.

The latest count in 2011 showed that most people living in Guildford are Christian. The Church of England, which is the official church of the country, has the most churches. Other Christian groups like the Catholic Church, Methodists, Baptists, and the United Reformed Church also have many followers. Some of these groups even share buildings. Quakers have met in Guildford since the 1600s, and the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church also has meeting places.

English Heritage, a group that protects important buildings, has given "listed status" to 38 current and four former places of worship in Guildford. This means these buildings are special because of their history or design. There are three levels of listed status:

  • Grade I: For buildings that are super important and special.
  • Grade II*: For buildings that are very important and more than just special.
  • Grade II: For buildings that are special.

In 2001, Guildford had many listed buildings, showing how much history is in the area.

Guildford's Worship Places: A Quick Look

Guildford UK locator map
Guildford borough is in the west of Surrey.

Guildford is the second largest area in Surrey and has the most people, with about 137,000 residents in 2011. It covers about 104 square miles. The town of Guildford itself is home to about half the population. Another big area is Ash and Tongham, with about 18,000 people. The rest of Guildford is mostly countryside with old, wealthy villages and beautiful natural areas.

The town of Guildford is very old and important. It sits where the River Wey cuts through the North Downs hills. Many old travel routes and railway lines also meet here. Guildford has been important for hundreds of years. It had a castle and a market way back in the 1200s. There were also three very old churches: St Mary's, Holy Trinity, and St Nicholas'. St Mary's still has its tower from the 1000s! Holy Trinity and St Nicholas' have been rebuilt but still have parts from the 1200s.

As Guildford grew, especially when railways arrived in the 1800s, more churches were built. Many new Anglican churches appeared, like Christ Church (1868) and St Saviour (1899). Even villages nearby, like Burpham and Merrow, got new churches or had their old ones rebuilt. In the 1900s, as Guildford kept growing, churches were built in new housing areas like Onslow Village and Bellfields. Some of these newer churches, designed by David Evelyn Nye in the 1960s, were known for being "bright, cheerful and well suited to modern needs."

St Martha's Church, St Martha-on-the-Hill (March 2014, Viewed from Albury)
Ancient rural churches include the 12th-century St Martha-on-the-Hill, seen here from the lower ground of Albury.

Around Guildford town, there are many ancient villages. Even though some have become like suburbs, many still have their very old parish churches. For example, East and West Clandon have churches from the Norman times (around 1066) and the 1200s. The churches in East and West Horsley have parts from Saxon times and the 1000s and 1100s.

Southeast of Guildford, you'll find popular old churches like St Martha's Church, which was rebuilt in 1848 after being a ruin. St James's Church at Shere is also very old, from the 1000s and 1100s. Some churches, like those in Holmbury St Mary and Peaslake, were built in the 1800s. Even an old barn in Farley Green was turned into a church! Many medieval churches, meaning from the Middle Ages, can still be found in villages like Compton, Effingham, and Ripley.

Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Lower Road, Effingham (May 2014) (3)
Ian Nairn said Effingham's Roman Catholic church "looks more medieval than the [Anglican] parish church", but it dates from 1913.

For many years, being Catholic was against the law in England, but some rich families secretly kept their faith. The Catholic community in Guildford started in 1857. Their first church, St Joseph's, was built in 1860, but a bigger one replaced it in 1984. Other Catholic churches were built in the 1960s and 70s in areas like Burpham and Merrow. The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Effingham, built in 1913, looks much older than it is! A small church in Gomshall, once Catholic, is now used by the Coptic Orthodox Church. People even called it the "Bingo Chapel" because so much money for it was raised through bingo games!

West Horsley Methodist Church, The Street, West Horsley (May 2014) (2)
West Horsley Methodist Church is one of many 19th-century Nonconformist chapels in the borough.

Other Protestant groups, called Nonconformists, were very popular in the 1800s. Many of their chapels still exist, though not all are used for worship anymore. An Independent chapel in Guildford, built in 1802, later became a Congregational church. When a new Congregational church opened in 1863, the old one became a Sunday school and is now a restaurant. The current Guildford United Reformed Church was built in 1965. Other United Reformed churches can be found in Gomshall and Worplesdon.

Baptists have fewer churches but have been in the area for a long time. The "Charcoal Barn Chapel" from the 1680s was the starting point for four Baptist churches in Guildford. Grace Church Guildford is a direct descendant of that old chapel. Guildford Baptist Church, founded in 1837, now has its third building, the Millmead Centre. There's also Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel, started in 1879, and New Life Baptist Church in Stoughton.

Methodist chapels were built in many villages in the 1800s. In 1947, there were nine Wesleyan Methodist chapels and one Primitive Methodist church in Guildford. Today, only a few are still open, like those in Effingham and West Horsley. Many others have closed and are now used for different purposes. The old Methodist church in Guildford town centre was demolished in the 1960s, and the new one built then closed in 2013. Its congregation now shares St Mary's Church with the Anglicans.

St Martin's Church, Ockham Road South, East Horsley (May 2014) (Flintwork)
Locally, flint was the commonest building material for ancient churches (chancel wall of St Martin's Church, East Horsley pictured).

The churches in Guildford are built from different materials. Good quality stone isn't common in Surrey, but local stones like sarsen and puddingstone were sometimes used. Bargate stone, quarried nearby, was used for churches in Burpham, Compton, and St Nicolas Church in Guildford. Another interesting technique called "galleting" involved placing small pieces of stone into the mortar, which you can see at Pirbright church.

However, the most common material for medieval churches in Surrey was flint. This hard stone was easy to find around the North Downs. Most flint churches in Surrey are not as fancy as those in other areas because the flints were often laid roughly. Nonconformist chapels are usually made of brick with tiled roofs. More modern churches, like those designed by David Evelyn Nye in the 1960s, used a lot of laminated wood.

Some religious buildings in Guildford are quite unique. There's a timber church in Chilworth from the 1950s. A "tin tabernacle" (a church made of corrugated iron) is still used in Peasmarsh. Two old barns have even been turned into churches, one in Farley Green and another in East Horsley. In Normandy, a former telephone exchange was converted into a church in 1985!

Who Belongs to Which Religion?

In 2011, out of 137,183 people in Guildford:

  • 60.23% said they were Christian.
  • 1.98% were Muslim.
  • 0.95% were Hindu.
  • 0.61% were Buddhist.
  • 0.23% were Jewish.
  • 0.15% were Sikh.
  • 0.34% followed another religion.
  • 27.78% said they had no religion.
  • 7.73% did not say their religion.

Compared to England as a whole, Guildford had more Christians, Buddhists, and people with no religion. It had fewer Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs.

How Churches Are Organized

Anglican Churches: The Diocese of Guildford

St Mary the Virgin's Church, Worplesdon Road, Worplesdon (May 2014) (Noticeboard)
All Anglican churches in the area are part of the Diocese of Guildford, as shown on the noticeboard at St Mary the Virgin's Church, Worplesdon.

All the Anglican churches in Guildford are part of the Diocese of Guildford. The main church for the diocese is Guildford Cathedral. The 46 Anglican churches are grouped into smaller areas called deaneries. These deaneries are part of even larger areas called Archdeaconries. For example, churches in Ash and Tongham are in Aldershot Deanery, while those in Albury and Shere are in Cranleigh Deanery. The churches in Guildford town and its suburbs are part of Guildford Deanery.

Roman Catholic Churches: Arundel and Brighton Diocese

Guildford has five Roman Catholic churches. These are in Merrow, Rydes Hill, Guildford town centre, Ash, and Effingham. There's also a Catholic monastery called St Augustine's Abbey in Chilworth. Most of these churches are part of Guildford Deanery, which is one of 13 deaneries in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The main church for this diocese is Arundel Cathedral.

Other Christian Groups

  • Baptists: Guildford Baptist Church and New Life Baptist Church are part of a larger group called the South Eastern Baptist Association. Other Baptist churches, like Ebenezer Chapel in Ripley and Bethel Chapel in Guildford, are "Strict Baptist" and follow the Gospel Standard movement. Grace Church Guildford is linked to GraceNet UK, a group of Reformed Evangelical Christian churches.
  • Methodists: Most Methodist churches in Guildford are part of the Wey Valley Methodist Circuit. This includes churches in Merrow, Stoughton, and West Horsley, as well as the shared Anglican/Methodist church of St Mary's in Guildford town centre. Effingham Methodist Church is part of a different circuit.
  • United Reformed Church: The United Reformed churches in Guildford are divided between two larger groups called synods. Gomshall United Reformed Church is in the Southern Synod, while Guildford, Normandy, and Worplesdon churches are in the Wessex Synod. St Peter's Shared Church in Bellfields, which is used by both Anglicans and the United Reformed Church, is also part of the Wessex Synod.
  • Evangelical Churches: Chilworth Free Church, Horsley Evangelical Church, and Send Evangelical Church are part of two Evangelical networks: the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and Affinity.

Current Places of Worship

  • St Peter and St Paul's Church, Church Lane, Albury (March 2014, from Southeast) (3)

    St Peter and St Paul's Church, Albury

  • Brethren Meeting Room, New Pond Road, Artington, near Guildford (April 2015) (5)

    Brethren's Meeting Hall, Artington

  • St Peter's Church, Ash Church Road, Ash (May 2014) (2)

    St Peter's Church, Ash

  • Church of the Holy Angels, Ash Church Road, Ash (May 2014) (1)

    Church of the Holy Angels, Ash

  • St Mary's Church, Wood Street, Ash Vale (May 2014) (3)

    St Mary's Church, Ash Vale

  • Ash Vale Christian Assembly, Frimley Road, Ash Vale (May 2014) (3)

    Ash Vale Christian Assembly

  • St Peter's Church, Hazel Avenue, Bellfields, Guildford (April 2014) (2)

    St Peter's Shared Church, Bellfields

  • New Hope Centre (Elim Pentecostal), Larch Avenue, Bellfields, Guildford (April 2014, from Southeast)

    New Hope Centre, Bellfields

  • St Luke's Church, Burpham Lane, Burpham (May 2014) (4)

    St Luke's Church, Burpham

  • Church of the Holy Spirit, New Inn Lane, Burpham (May 2014) (1)

    Church of the Holy Spirit, Burpham

  • Christ Church, Waterden Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southwest)

    Christ Church, Charlotteville

  • Addison Hall (Brethren Meeting Room), Addison Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southwest)

    Addison Hall, Charlotteville

  • St Thomas's Church, New Road, Chilworth (March 2014, from Southeast)

    St Thomas's Church, Chilworth

  • Chilworth Free Church, Brookswood, Chilworth (March 2014, from Northeast)

    Chilworth Free Church

  • St Nicholas' Church, The Street, Compton (May 2014) (1)

    St Nicholas' Church, Compton

  • St Thomas of Canterbury's Church, The Street, East Clandon (May 2014) (1)

    St Thomas of Canterbury's Church, East Clandon

  • St Martin's Church, Ockham Road South, East Horsley (May 2014) (3)

    St Martin's Church, East Horsley

  • Horsley Evangelical Church, Ockham Road North, East Horsley (May 2014) (3)

    Horsley Evangelical Church

  • St Lawrence's Church, Church Street, Effingham (May 2014) (2)

    St Lawrence's Church, Effingham

  • Effingham Methodist Church, Chapel Hill, Effingham (May 2014) (3)

    Effingham Methodist Church

  • Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Lower Road, Effingham (May 2014) (6)

    Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Effingham

  • St Michael's, Farley Green - geograph.org.uk - 655972

    St Michael's Church, Farley Green

  • St Augustine's Coptic Orthodox Church, Station Road, Gomshall (March 2014, from Southwest) (2)

    St Augustine's Coptic Orthodox Church, Gomshall

  • Gomshall Chapel (URC), Station Road, Gomshall (March 2014, from West) (1)

    Gomshall Chapel

  • Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill, Guildford (Seen from Onslow Village) (May 2014) (1)

    Guildford Cathedral

  • Holy Trinity Church, High Street, Guildford (May 2014) (4)

    Holy Trinity Church, Guildford

  • St John the Evangelist's Church, Stoke Road, Guildford (April 2014, from North-Northwest) (2)

    St John the Evangelist's Church, Guildford

  • St Nicholas' Church, Bury Street, Guildford (June 2015) (1)

    St Nicolas' Church, Guildford

  • St Saviour's Church, Woodbridge Road, Guildford (April 2014, from West) (1)

    St Saviour's Church, Guildford

  • St Mary's Church, Quarry Street, Guildford (April 2014) (1)

    St Mary's Church, Guildford

  • Chertsey Street Baptist Church, Chertsey Street, Guildford (June 2015) (1)

    Grace Church Guildford (Chertsey Street)

  • Guildford Baptist Church, Millmead Centre, Bury Fields, Guildford (April 2014, from Southwest)

    Guildford Baptist Church

  • Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Sydenham Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southeast)

    Kingdom Hall, Guildford

  • Guildford Synagogue, York Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southwest)

    Guildford Synagogue

  • Quaker Meeting House, Ward Street, Guildford (April 2014, from West)

    Friends Meeting House, Guildford

  • St Joseph's RC Church, Eastgate Gardens, Guildford (April 2014) (Front)

    St Joseph's Church, Guildford

  • Salvation Army Citadel, Woodbridge Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southeast) (3)

    Salvation Army Citadel, Guildford

  • Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel, The Bars, Guildford (April 2014, from Northwest) (1)

    Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel, Guildford

  • Guildford United Reformed Church, Portsmouth Road, Guildford (April 2014, from West)

    Guildford United Reformed Church

  • Guildford Park Church (Evangelical), Guildford Park Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southeast)

    Grace Church Guildford (Guildford Park)

  • St Mary the Virgin's Church, Horsham Road, Holmbury St Mary (March 2014, from North) (2)

    St Mary the Virgin's Church, Holmbury St Mary

  • St Francis, Littleton - geograph.org.uk - 1522414

    St Francis' Church, Littleton

  • St John the Evangelist's Church, Epsom Road, Merrow (April 2014, from South) (2)

    St John the Evangelist's Church, Merrow

  • Merrow Methodist Church, Sheeplands Avenue, Merrow (April 2014, from Southwest) (4)

    Merrow Methodist Church

  • St Pius X RC Church, Horseshoe Lane East, Merrow (April 2014, from South) (2)

    Church of St Pius X, Merrow

  • St Mark's Church, Guildford Road, Wyke, Normandy (May 2014) (6)

    St Mark's Church, Normandy

  • Emmanuel Church, Glaziers Lane, Normandy (May 2014) (2)

    Emmanuel Church, Normandy

  • All Saints Church, Ockham, Surrey (Geograph Image 2689838 0ff703d1)

    All Saints Church, Ockham

  • All Saints Church, Vicarage Gate, Onslow Village, Guildford (May 2014) (5)

    All Saints Church, Onslow Village

  • St Clare, Park Barn - geograph.org.uk - 1522700

    St Clare's Church, Park Barn

  • St Mark's Church, Walking Bottom, Peaslake (March 2014, from Southeast)

    St Mark's Church, Peaslake

  • St Michael's Church, Oakdene Road, Peasmarsh (May 2014) (1)

    St Michael's Church, Peasmarsh

  • St Michael and All Angels Church, Church Lane, Pirbright (May 2014) (9)

    St Michael and All Angels Church, Pirbright

  • St John the Baptist's Church, The Street, Puttenham (May 2014) (4)

    St John the Baptist's Church, Puttenham

  • St Mary Magdalen's Church, High Street, Ripley (May 2014) (5)

    St Mary Magdalen's Church, Ripley

  • Ebenezer Strict Baptist Chapel, Newark Lane, Ripley (May 2014) (3)

    Ebenezer Chapel, Ripley

  • St Mary's RC Church (Rydes Hill), Aldershot Road, Guildford (April 2014, from North)

    St Mary's Church, Rydes Hill

  • St Martha on the Hill, Chilworth - geograph.org.uk - 432885

    St Martha-on-the-Hill Church

  • St Lawrence's Church, Manor Fields, Seale (May 2014) (4)

    St Lawrence's Church, Seale

  • St Mary the Virgin, Send - geograph.org.uk - 432876

    St Mary the Virgin's Church, Send

  • St Mary's Church Room, Send Road, Send (May 2014) (3)

    St Mary's Church Room, Send

  • Send Evangelical Church, Broadmead Road, Send (May 2014) (1)

    Send Evangelical Church

  • St Mary the Virgin's Church, Shackleford Road, Shackleford (May 2014) (6)

    St Mary the Virgin's Church, Shackleford

  • St Mary the Virgin's Church, The Street, Shalford (May 2014) (3)

    St Mary the Virgin's Church, Shalford

  • St James's Church, The Square, Shere (March 2014, from Southwest)

    St James's Church, Shere

  • Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary, Burrows Lea, Shere (March 2014) (2)

    Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary

  • Emmanuel Church, Shepherds Lane, Stoughton, Guildford (April 2014, from Northwest)

    Emmanuel Church, Stoughton

  • QE Park Centre (home of New Life Baptist Church), Queen Elizabeth Park, Guildford (April 2014, from North)

    New Life Baptist Church, Stoughton

  • Stoughton Methodist Church, Manor Road, Stoughton, Guildford (April 2014, from Southeast) (1)

    Stoughton Methodist Church

  • Manor Road Evangelical Church, Manor Road, Stoughton, Guildford (April 2014, from East)

    Manor Road Evangelical Church

  • Church of the Good Shepherd, The Sands, Seale - geograph.org.uk - 145779

    Church of the Good Shepherd, The Sands

  • Tongham Church

    St Paul's Church, Tongham

  • Tongham Christian Fellowship, Poyle Road, Tongham (May 2014) (3)

    Tongham Christian Fellowship

  • Wanborough, Church

    St Bartholomew's Church, Wanborough

  • St Peter and St Paul's Church, The Street, West Clandon (May 2014) (1)

    St Peter and St Paul's Church, West Clandon

  • St Mary's Church, Epsom Road, West Horsley (May 2014) (7)

    St Mary's Church, West Horsley

  • West Horsley Methodist Church, The Street, West Horsley (May 2014) (3)

    West Horsley Methodist Church

  • St Francis' Church, Beckingham Road, Westborough, Guildford (April 2014, from West-Southwest)

    St Francis' Church, Westborough

  • Westborough URC Church, Southway, Westborough, Guildford (April 2014, from East) (2)

    Westborough Church

  • Wisley Church, Wisley Lane, Wisley (June 2015) (5)

    Wisley Church

  • St Alban's Church, Wood Street Village, Guildford (April 2014, from South-Southeast) (2)

    St Alban's Church, Wood Street Village

  • St Mary the Virgin's Church, Worplesdon Road, Worplesdon (May 2014) (1)

    St Mary the Virgin's Church, Worplesdon

  • Worplesdon United Reformed Church, Perry Hill, Worplesdon (May 2014) (2)

    Worplesdon United Reformed Church

Former Places of Worship

  • Old St Peter and St Paul's Church, Albury Park, Albury (March 2014, from South)

    Old St Peter and St Paul's Church, Albury

  • Former Catholic Apostolic Church, Albury Park, Albury (March 2014) (9)

    Catholic Apostolic Church, Albury

  • St Catherine's Hill, Guildford 2

    St Catherine's Chapel, Artington

  • Former Methodist Church, Wharf Road, Ash Vale (May 2014) (3)

    Ash Vale Methodist Church

  • Former Mission Hall, Stoke Road, Bellfields, Guildford (April 2014, from West)

    Mission Hall, Bellfields

  • Former Methodist Chapel, London Road, Burpham (May 2014) (1)

    Burpham Primitive Methodist Chapel

  • Chilworth Village Hall (former Mission Church), New Road, Chilworth (March 2014)

    Chilworth Mission Church

  • Former Congregational Chapel, Spiceall, Compton (May 2014) (1)

    Compton Congregational Church

  • Former Independent (Congregational) Chapel, Chapel Street, Guildford (April 2014)

    Independent (Congregational) Chapel, Guildford

  • Former Providence Chapel, Castle Street, Guildford (June 2015) (2)

    Providence Chapel, Guildford

  • Former Unitarian Chapel, Ward Street, Guildford (June 2015) (1)

    Ward Street Chapel, Guildford

  • Former Felday Chapel, Horsham Road, Holmbury St Mary (March 2014, from South) (1)

    Felday Chapel, Holmbury St Mary

  • Former Congregational Chapel, Willey Green, Normandy (May 2014) (2)

    Normandy United Reformed Church

  • Former Congregational Chapel, Chapel Lane, Pirbright (May 2014) (2)

    Providence Mission Chapel, Pirbright

  • Former Methodist Chapel, High Street, Ripley (May 2014) (1)

    Ripley Methodist Chapel

  • Former Congregational Mission Hall, Aldershot Road, Guildford (April 2014, from North)

    Congregational Mission Hall, Rydes Hill

  • Former St William of York's Church, Mays Corner, Send (May 2014) (3)

    St William of York's Church, Send

  • Former Methodist Chapel (1895), Kings Road, Shalford (May 2014) (2)

    Shalford Methodist Church

  • Former Wesleyan Chapel (1843), Kings Road, Shalford (May 2014) (1)

    Shalford Wesleyan Chapel

  • St Mary's Church Centre (Wheelhouse), East Lane, West Horsley (May 2014) (3)

    St Mary's Church Centre, West Horsley

  • Guildford Methodist Church, Woodbridge Road, Guildford (April 2014, from Southeast) (1)

    Guildford Methodist Church

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List of places of worship in the Borough of Guildford Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.