Guildford Cathedral Archives

Welcome to the Guildford Cathedral Archive Catalogue.  Here you will find information about the collections within Guildford Cathedral Archives.

About us

Guildford Cathedral Archives holds a great wealth of material from photographs, architectural plans, correspondence, books and memorabilia all contained within 140 boxes and 53 folders, but it is continually growing.

All together this provides a fascinating insight into the history and heritage of Guildford Cathedral.

Our archival records go right from the very beginning, even including correspondence relating to choosing the location of the Cathedral within Guildford.  This unique insight into the founding of an English Cathedral is something that not many other English Cathedrals can claim

Our Collections

In our collection you can delve into the fascinating correspondence between architect Sir Edward Maufe and the contractors, the Diocese, Bishop and Chapter.

Explore the role that Lady Prudence Maufe played in the textiles and interior look of the Cathedral from the carpets to the Copes and Mitres.

Learn about the great fundraising effort that was involved in bringing the vision of Sir Edward Maufe to life, from the very beginnings, to the work of Eleanor Iredale after the Second World War.

Discover our captivating collection of photographs documenting the very beginnings of the Cathedral through to Royal Visits, Flower Festivals, abseiling and beyond.

Study our collection of Kneeler patterns showing the original designs submitted to Sir Edward Maufe for approval.

Examine the collection of drawings of churches by Dr John Clark, who made two maps of the Diocese currently on display in the Cathedral

See the Royal cushions used by HM The Queen and HRH Duke of Edinburgh during the consecration and again during their visit for the Golden Jubilee in 2011

The People’s Cathedral Project

Through the People’s Cathedral Project we will be looking at securing the long term preservation of the collections, establishing relevant policies for future management and to make the archive more accessible with the aims of opening up the archive more.

We are undertaking a major cataloguing project which aims to get the entire archive catalogued, enabling it to be fully searchable and accessible by archive staff and researchers on site and throughout the world online.

To undertake this project specific archiving software is being purchased which will be fully functional by the archive team with an online presence which will be fully searchable and online exhibition options.

We will be undertaking a major digitisation programme aimed at opening up the archive further to the community both in the Diocese and worldwide.  The digitised content will provide a valuable research and information resource for the general public, providing a mechanism to develop deeper understanding of the heritage of Guildford Cathedral.

This programme will increase accessibility to, and promote wider use of the valuable archive collections.

Contributing to the site

You can add a comment about anything on the website by clicking on the ‘Add a comment’ link at the bottom of each page. You can also submit your own photos, stories or information to the site by using our contribution form.

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