Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/743

 BOROUGH OF GUILDFORD

��chamfered angles and moulded heads. The more elaborate have octagonal flues, are richly moulded, and have angle spurs. On the street elevation are a couple of very fine rain-water heads of lead. Both have the arms of the see of Canterbury impaling those of Abbot and the initials G.C., and are ornamented with pierced cresting, while one bears the date 1627. This date and the same heraldry appears upon some of the rain-water heads in the court, where are also several plainer moulded heads.

The TOWN HALL stands on the north side of High Street and was erected by subscription in 1683, taking the place of an earlier building, which, as appears from the town books, was in existence in 1587-8, when it was enlarged and the garden behind it inclosed. When the new town hall was built, an old market-house in the street opposite to it was pulled down. The street front is of two stories, the ground floor being partly open to the road and being divided into three bays by wood posts with gates between. From each post spring two supporting brackets carved with grotesque human figures and foliage. The first floor projects over the pavement and has a balcony with ornamental iron railings. The front of this floor consists of three large windows and two side lights, all with square-leaded glass and ornamental iron fittings to the casements and separated by wooden Ionic pilasters. Above the windows are small moulded pediments over which is a moulded cornice with carved modillions and egg-and- tongue ornament. This cornice also continues round the gable, which is cut short to form a base for an octagonal open-work turret with a balustrade. A large projecting clock dial attached to a long arm is a feature of the front of the building. It was made by John Aylward, who settled in Guildford at this time. The dial has a segmental pediment, and it is enriched with gilded carving. At the base is the date of the erection of the building. Additional support is given by five elaborate tie-rods. The striking bell is in the turret over the gable; the minute hand was added in 1828. The only room on the ground floor of any impor- tance is the Court Room, which has its original open-timber roof. The walls have 18th-century panelling up to about 1 4 ft. The north window contains three panels of 17th-century glass, including royal coats and the ancient and modern arms of Guildford. In this room are hung full-length por- traits of Charles II, James II, William III, and Mary II. The Council Chamber on the first floor is a large rectangular room, panelled from floor to ceiling. In one corner is a fireplace which was brought from Stoughton House in the neighbouring parish of Stoke. The iron grate has a cast ornament of vine and other foliage, around which is a stone mantel with figures of a man and a woman in scroll-work blocking, their feet appearing below the scroll-work. The frieze is carved to represent the four human temperaments, respectively labelled, Sanguineus, Cholericus, P/ilegmaticui, and Melancholicus. The wood jambs beyond the stonework have tapering Ionic pilasters, and the overmantel has Corinthian pilasters and is divided into two panels. In the first is the quartered shield of Howard, Duke of Norfolk :

(1) Howard, with the augmentation for Flodden ;

(2) Thomas of Brotherton ; (3) Warenne ; (4) Fitz Alan. The second panel contains the Abbot arms. Near the top of the overmantel is a painting

��of the arms of James II dated 1686, and the old and new arms of Guildford. In the room are hung portraits of James I (full length) and the Rt. Hon. Arthur Onslow. There is also a painting of ' Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Onslow re- ceiving the Dutch flag after the Victory 1 797 ' by J. Russell, R.A., which was presented in 1 798. The corporation plate is interesting. The mayor's staft is dated 1563. The standard measures (gallon, bushel, quart, and pint) are of bronze, dated 1602. By Statute 1 1 Henry VII, cap. 4, Guildford is named as one of the county towns where standard measures are to be kept. The small silver mace dates probably from the same reign, though additions have been made to it. The great mace was presented by Henry Howard, afterwards Duke of Norfolk, in 1663, the mayor's gold chain by Arthur Onslow, high steward, in 1673.

The GRAMMAR SCHOOL is situated on the south side of the High Street. It is quadrangular in plan, having an inclosed court 36ft. by 29 ft. 3 in., and dates from a little after the middle of the 1 6th century. The earliest portion is the south wing, two stories in height, which is largely built of brick, and as originally planned consisted of two long rooms each filling the whole of one floor and about 65 ft. long by 22 ft. wide. The three other wings were all added in the latter half of the 1 7th century, first the west wing containing the master's house, then the east wing with the usher's house, and finally the north wing with the completion of the present street front. The latter, however, before taking its present form, had consisted of a wooden bridge upon posts forming a means of communication between the master's and the usher's houses, and was built about the same time or a little after the latter. Finally, towards the end of the century, in order to form a library, this gallery was inclosed, a stone front was built connecting the ends of the east and west wings, which are also of stone, and an attic story was added. The ground floor pf the south wing has been altered in modern times by the insertion of a parti- tion at the west end to provide a drawing-room for the master's house. The remaining and greater portion of the ground floor is occupied by a class- room which largely retains its school fittings of the 1 8th century with the headmaster's and usher's desks. The class-room on the upper floor has an open roof with queen-post trusses, the tie-beams of which are moulded with a quarter roll. During the 1 8th century an attic story was inserted in the roof, the floor being carried on the tie-beams and dormers being inserted in the roof. This was used as a dor- mitory. This room has two chalk mantelpieces with moulded straight-sided four-centred arched openings with moulded stops at the jambs. Over this is a frieze of flutes alternating with circular plaques and a moulded cornice of semi-renaissance detail. The windows are all mullioned, with rounded heads, and of stone, while the walls are of brick. On the first floor is a small door with a four-centred head opening into the class-room from the usher's wing, with which it is contemporary. The main entrance to the class-room is from the court, where there is a small porch with a four-centred entrance and door. Rough arches have been cut in the flanking walls, and the whole porch is a good deal modernized. The head master's house retains little of interest except some plain

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