Guildford Museum is located within historic buildings next to Guildford Castle Grounds. It's free to visit. The museum is home to a permanent collection of objects belonging to Guildford and the surrounding areas. These are 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 are Castle Arch House, 48 Quarry Street, the gallery extension and the Muniment Room. These buildings date back from the mid-16th century to the 1920s.
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.
The 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.
Image One: Watercolour of Museum front by Henry James Sage (1868 - 1953).
Image Two: Opening of new museum building 1911.
Watch this short video to find out more about the buildings that form Guildford Museum. The video was created with the help of our skilled volunteers.
Visiting Guildford Museum
Opening times
Guildford Museum is open Wednesday to Saturdays, 12 noon to 4.30pm (last entry 4pm).
Address
Guildford Museum Castle Arch Quarry Street GU1 3SX
There are various car parks and on-street parking places in Guildford town centre. Find out more about Guildford's car parks.
Blue Badge holders can park at the metered parking almost opposite the museum in Quarry Street. There is a dropped kerb at the junction with Castle Street. Find out more about Blue Badge parking in Guildford.
On Foot
Guildford Museum is about 200 metres from the bottom of Guildford High Street.
The High Street is pedestrianised between the following times:
Monday to Friday: 11am to 4pm
Saturday: 9am to 6pm
Sunday: 12noon to 5pm
Public transport
Bus
Guildford Museum is about 500 metres from the Friary Bus Station. There is a step-free route across two roads and through White Lion Walk shopping centre.
Train
Guildford Museum is about 750 metres from Guildford Railway Station, on the South Western Railway line from London Waterloo to Portsmouth. There is a step-free route from the station across the River Wey into the town centre but with several roads to cross. This can be partially undercover by walking through The Friary and White Lion Walk shopping centres.
Our access guide will help you plan your visit to Guildford Museum. It gives details on how we can make your visit easier and more enjoyable especially if you are disabled or have particular access needs. We also want to let you know in advance about the things that we haven't yet been able to change to improve access.
Explore our local history from the age of prehistoric man to modern life and times. Discover more about famous people connected with Guildford and Surrey. Including garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and author Lewis Carroll. Enjoy our unique collection of needlework and toys. As well as free displays and exhibitions, we have a programme of events and activities for all ages.
We are open Wednesday to Saturdays 12noon to 4.30pm and the last entry is at 4pm.
There are times when we're working hard to changeover our exhibitions, and this might mean that some spaces or displays may be closed. If you're visiting to see a specific display, you can call us on 01483 444751 to check that it's open.
Gertrude Jekyll in Surrey
Artist. Gardener. Collector
Dates: Saturday 25 April to Saturday 24 October 2026
Visit our exhibition to discover more about the remarkable life of Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932). Most famous for her garden designs and writing, Jekyll was also an artist, craftswoman, photographer, and collector. She lived most of her life in Surrey and adored its countryside and rural ways of life, creating a collection of objects from rural cottage life.
Image courtesy of Grace Evans
Prehistory in Your Hands
Date: Friday 31 July Time:12pm to 2pm
Have you ever held a mammoth's tooth in your hand? Now's your chance in this handling session where you can also explore lots of other prehistoric objects. Part of the Festival of Archaeology. Suitable for ages 5+; adults to accompany all children. Drop-in Free, donations welcome.
Fabulous Flowers and Brilliant Bugs
Date: Thursday 13 August Time:12pm to 2pm
Make yourself some lovely blooms to take home, inspired by famous local gardener Gertrude Jekyll. Create some wonderful insects too.
Suitable for ages 3+; adults to accompany all children. Drop-in. Free, donations welcome.
Musical Craft and Storytime
Date: Friday 21 August Time:10.30am to 11.15am
We're 'reading to the beat' in this fun session. Listen to music-inspired stories and make your own musical instrument to take home.
Suitable for ages 2+; adults to accompany all children. First-come, first-served. Free, donations welcome.
Family Fun! Wheels of Time
Date: Ongoing
Join Roamin' Rex as he travels through time (and around Surrey)! Collect a badge from each participating museum, including ours.
Date: second Friday of the month from 12pm until 4pm (last entry 3.30pm)
Our Discovery Lounge is the place for history enthusiasts to explore our local history resources. We have books, maps, records, and digital files to use for research and history enquiries. A digital compendium, Guildford Inhabitants, is available to search and provides a snapshot of town centre inhabitants from the 1800s to present day. The compendium has been compiled by a local historian using census returns, trade directories, electoral registers, and newspapers. Our knowledgeable volunteers, coordinated by the Friends of Guildford Museum, are on hand to help with your queries.
The Longworth Discovery Lounge is a partnership between the Friends of Guildford Museum and Guildford Museum.
Named in memory of Andrew Longworth, former employee of Guildford Museum.
Soldiers of Surrey: A display from the Surrey Infantry Collection
Dates: available during opening hours Free entry
June 6, 2024, was the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Surrey Infantry Collection display D-Day +80 commemorated this anniversary of the Normandy landings. Explore the role of Surrey men in the Allied D-Day landings through personal artifacts and technical objects.
Image courtesy of the Surrey Infantry Collection.
On the Trail of Guildford's History
Be a history detective! Search Guildford Museum, Quarry Street and Guildford Castle Grounds to find clues which tell us about the past.
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 walls
colouring and activity sheets with pencils and crayons
relax on a beanbag and read a washing or cooking themed book
view our display of old cooking equipment
Children should be supervised in the room.
The Scullery Playroom at Guildford Museum is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and HM Government through the Welcome Back Fund.
Online exhibitions
Discover Guildford's history from home with our online exhibitions.
Georgian Women Portraits by John Russell
Guildford Borough Council's Heritage Service holds over 35 original works by John Russell, including 19 female portraits. This online display features all the female portraits.
