About Guildford, home to Surrey PC Support's MD from 1974 - 1992

Surrey PC Support's Managing Director and founder James Sanders grew up in Guildford so naturally our firm has a significant concentration of computer repair and IT support customers in this area. Here are some interesting facts that James has come to know about his home town over the years.

Guildford is an affluent market town located in the London commuter belt, 27 miles south west of London. It is the county town of Surrey. Guildford's primary road links include the A3, which runs through Guildford towards London in a north-easterly direction and towards Portsmouth in a south-westerly direction. It is also close to the M25 and lies on the A31 that runs south towards Southampton. It has principle rail links with London and Portsmouth.

Guildford’s position between London and Portsmouth in a gap in the North Downs has much to do with it’s early development. Weary Saxon travellers journeying between London and Portsmouth would use Guildford as a convenient stopping point between the two locations. The name ‘Guildford’ comes from the fact that Guildford was a fording point across the River Wey, hence the ‘ford’ part of the word. The ‘Guild’ part is descriptive of the golden-orange sands found at St. Catherines Hill.

Guildford developed over the centuries as a convenient trading point and market town but it has never been the site of any significant heavy industry. Guildford also benefited from the network of canals and river navigation developed in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Guildford is the home of the University of Surrey. The University’s roots can be traced back to the establishment of the Battersea Polytechnic Institute in 1891. It was fully established as a University by royal charter in 1966 and now educates around 15,000 students. It also employs approximately 2300 staff.

The fact that Guildford has a Cathedral begs the question whether it is a town or city. lThe building of the Anglican Guildford Cathedral started in 1936 but construction was interrupted by World War II. It wasn’t completed until 1961. It is built from red bricks and stands on the top of Stag Hill.

Today Guildford is a centre for retail in Surrey with shopping centres, malls and a lively High Street. There is also a wide range of bars and restaurants, theatres and a cinema. The largest employers in the area include Guildford Borough Council, the Royal Surrey Hospital, the University of Surrey, some large retail, insurance and telecommunications firms. The only notable manufacturing in Guildford is that of Alexander Dennis, producer of specialist vehicles such as fire engines.