Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral is one of the very few Anglican cathedrals built on a new site in England since the Reformation. Edward Maufe’s red-brick church stands on Stag Hill above the town, plain and tall outside and surprisingly pale and full of light within. It was paid for, brick by brick, by more than 200,000 ordinary people, and it is still called the People’s Cathedral.
A cathedral for a new diocese
The Diocese of Guildford was created from the Diocese of Winchester in 1927, and for a time Holy Trinity Church in the High Street served as its cathedral. Land on Stag Hill, so named because the kings of England once hunted there, was given for a new building, and in 1932 Edward Maufe’s design was chosen from 183 entries in an open competition. He set out to produce something “definitely of our own time, yet in the line of the great English cathedrals”.
The Archbishop of Canterbury laid the foundation stone on 22 July 1936. Work stopped in 1939 for the war and was slow to restart, until the Buy a Brick campaign of the 1950s brought in the money: more than 200,000 people paid 2s 6d each to sign a brick. Many of the bricks were made from clay dug from Stag Hill itself. The cathedral was consecrated on 17 May 1961 in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the building was completed in 1965.
The visitor's cheat sheet
| Where | Stag Hill, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7UP, on the hill above the town |
|---|---|
| Getting there | 10-minute uphill walk from the back of Guildford station; free 2-hour parking on site; buses 4 and 5 to the foot of the approach |
| Opening hours | Mon and Wed–Sat 8.30am–4.30pm; Tue 7.30am–4.30pm; Sun 11am–4.30pm. Nave only until 5pm (5.30pm on Sundays); the cathedral sometimes closes for services and events |
| Admission | Free; donations welcome. Tours £10 plus booking fee |
| How long | 45 minutes to an hour; longer with a tour |
| Best time | A clear day from March to October, for a tower tour |
| Dress code | No formal code; respectful dress as in any working church |
| Tours | Guided tours, specialist tours and tower tours, £10 plus a 65p booking fee, booked in advance; tower tours on selected dates, 249 steps |
Hours and admission checked against the official site in October 2026. They change; the official site is always the last word.
The angel on the tower. On top of the tower stands a gilded angel about 15 feet high, designed by William Pickford, made by four silversmiths and raised in spring 1963. It turns in the wind. The pole it stands on now also carries mobile-phone antennae.
What to see, in the order you meet it
The west front and the doors
The approach climbs the hill to the west front, with its three tall lancets. The great west door is engraved with sentinel angels by John Hutton, who also engraved the glass for the south porch; they were placed in 1961, and in January 2024 vandals smashed one of the panes.
The nave
Inside, the brick gives way to pale Somerset stone pillars and a white Italian marble floor, and the tall, narrow lancets let in a cool, even light. There is little stained glass. The effect is calm and spacious, a modern answer to the great Gothic naves. Look back from the east end towards the glass of the west doors.
The kneelers and the bricks
The cathedral’s embroidered kneelers, about 1,450 of them, were made by volunteers, each design approved by Lady Maufe and her committee. Look for the bricks signed by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1957. Canada played a part too: Viscount Bennett, a former Canadian prime minister, bought land around the cathedral in memory of the Canadian troops stationed nearby.
Tickets and tours
Guided tours and the tower
There is no charge to visit. Guided tours of the cathedral, specialist tours (on the art, the kneelers and the glass) and tower tours each cost £10 plus a 65p booking fee and are booked in advance. Tower tours run on selected dates from March to October at 2pm, climb 249 steps and take no more than 15 people. Families can borrow free explorer bags.
The hotel link goes to Booking.com. This site earns nothing from it at present — it is here because it is the quickest way to check what is actually available.
Don't miss
- The tower 249 steps, and a view across Surrey.
- The gilded angel Fifteen feet high, turning in the wind.
- Hutton's glass Engraved angels on the west door and in the south porch.
- The nave Pale stone and light inside red brick.
- The kneelers About 1,450, embroidered by volunteers.
- The signed bricks Including the Queen’s, from 1957.
Insider tips
Check the closures first. The cathedral sometimes closes all or part of the building for services, graduation ceremonies and events, and the nave alone is open in the last half hour of the day. The closures page on the cathedral’s website lists them a few weeks ahead.
The cathedral has a café, Seasons. Guildford’s cobbled High Street, the castle ruins and the River Wey are a short walk away down the hill.
Common questions
Is Guildford Cathedral free to visit?
Yes. There is no admission charge for individual visitors, and donations are welcome. Guided tours and tower tours cost £10 plus a 65p booking fee.
Can you climb the tower of Guildford Cathedral?
Yes, on tower tours on selected dates from March to October at 2pm. There are 249 steps to the top, groups are limited to 15, and some restrictions apply. Tickets are £10 plus a booking fee.
Was The Omen filmed at Guildford Cathedral?
Yes. The cathedral was a filming location for the 1976 horror film The Omen, and it has appeared in several television series since.
What was Buy a Brick?
The fundraising campaign that finished the cathedral. From the 1950s more than 200,000 people paid 2s 6d each to sign a brick; the bricks signed by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1957 can be seen inside.
Is there parking at Guildford Cathedral?
Yes, free two-hour parking for visitors on site. On foot, it is a 10-minute uphill walk from the back of Guildford station.
Where to stay and eat nearby
Guildford town centre, ten to fifteen minutes’ walk away, has plenty of restaurants, pubs and hotels.
More English churches
- Liverpool Cathedral — the other great twentieth-century Anglican cathedral
- Coventry Cathedral — consecrated a year after Guildford, with more glass by John Hutton
- Winchester Cathedral — the mother diocese
See all the cathedrals and churches worth visiting in England →