Maximus

The flood water on the River Wey subsided fairly quickly, so this morning we set off from Pyrford, and cruised for a few hours to Guildford (in Surrey).

We met and shared a number of locks with a boat that had more in common with ours than their owners realised.  Early on in our boating ‘career’ we bought a twelfth share in a narrowboat called Alexandrine. She was a lovely boat, however had a ‘sister’ boat called Maximus, and because we liked the name Maximus the boat would have been our first choice when buying a share , but none were available at the time.

Move on fifteen odd years, and when we had the opportunity of renaming our present boat, the name Maximus came to the fore again and Brutus Maximus was born ! Well, it was the original Maximus we coincidentally shared the locks with today……

Brutus moored opposite Maximus just outside of Guildford this afternoon

A quick shopping trip into Guildford revealed how well to do it is – lots of posh shops, and interesting history right in the High Street.  For example, Abbots Hospital..

Abbot’s Hospital main entrance porch

Abbot’s Hospital was founded in 1619 by George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury at the time,  as a gift because he was born in Guildford, and his parents were still living there. Apparently it was not his intention to provide a “hospital” in the modern sense of the word but a place of shelter for the elderly poor of the town – 12 single men and 8 single women – under the care of a resident Master. Nearly 400 years after the first residents moved in, Abbot’s Hospital continues to offer town centre accommodation for some of the elderly poor in the town.

I can remember coming to Guildford with my Grandfather more than fifty years ago, and one thing that stuck in my memory was the clock in the High Street :

Dated 1638, it is hard to miss in the High Street !

In 1683, the Guildhall was refurbished, which included the addition of a council chamber, a balcony over the street and a bell turret.

The story is told of a London clock-maker, John Aylward, who presented the projecting clock to the Corporation of Guildford in return for freedom to trade in the borough.

Another interesting building in the High Street is The Angel Hotel, with a history dating back over 500 years, and a guestlist that apparently includes names such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austin and Lord Horatio Nelson. It’s timber-framed, and occupies two of the original High Street plots laid out in the Saxon period.