Guildford
§ This page gives an overview of the Guildford local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Guildford, in Surrey, is a historic market town set in the Wey Valley, surrounded by the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The High Street is known for its cobbled slope, Guildford Castle, and cathedral overlooking the town. The River Wey runs through, with canalside walks and meadows. Villages such as Shere and Ripley add historic charm with timber-framed houses and churches. The surrounding hills and commons offer scenic views, woodlands, and trails, making Guildford a mix of urban heritage and rural beauty.
The administrative boundary of Guildford can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Guildford.
Key Facts about Guildford
What region is Guildford in? Guildford is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Guildford in? Guildford is located in the county of Surrey.
Is Guildford a city? No, Guildford is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Guildford? The local authority for this district is: Guildford Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Surrey is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Surrey County Council.
▶ Official website of Guildford Borough Council 🔗 guildford.gov.uk
Which police force covers Guildford? Policing in Guildford is provided by Surrey Police 🔗 surrey.police.uk, which serves 11 local authority districts: Elmbridge ⁞ Epsom and Ewell ⁞ Guildford ⁞ Mole Valley ⁞ Reigate and Banstead ⁞ Runnymede ⁞ Spelthorne ⁞ Surrey Heath ⁞ Tandridge ⁞ Waverley ⁞ Woking.
Constituencies in Guildford
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Guildford
Guildford is divided into 21 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ash South
- Ash Vale
- Ash Wharf
- Bellfields & Slyfield
- Burpham
- Castle
- Clandon & Horsley
- Effingham
- Merrow
- Normandy & Pirbright
- Onslow
- Pilgrims
- Send & Lovelace
- Shalford
- St Nicolas
- Stoke
- Stoughton North
- Stoughton South
- Tillingbourne
- Westborough
- Worplesdon
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Guildford
Guildford is part-parished: 24 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Albury
- Artington
- Ash
- Compton
- East Clandon
- East Horsley
- Effingham
- Normandy
- Ockham
- Pirbright
- Puttenham
- Ripley
- Seale and Sands
- Send
- Shackleford
- Shalford
- Shere
- St. Martha
- Tongham
- Wanborough
- West Clandon
- West Horsley
- Wisley
- Worplesdon
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Guildford
Guildford covers 48 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Albury
- Albury Heath
- Aldershot *
- Artington
- Ash and Ash Vale *
- Ash Green (Guildford)
- Bramley and Wonersh *
- Brookwood *
- Byfleet *
- Chilworth (Guildford) *
- East Horsley
- Effingham
- Elm Corner
- Fairlands
- Farley Green
- Farnborough *
- Farncombe *
- Godalming *
- Gomshall
- Great Bookham and Fetcham *
- Guildford
- Holmbury St Mary *
- Jacobs Well *
- Milford and Witley *
- Mytchett *
- Normandy
- Norney
- Peaslake *
- Peasmarsh (Guildford)
- Pirbright *
- Puttenham
- Ripley (Guildford)
- Runfold *
- Sandy Cross *
- Send *
- Shackleford *
- Shalford (Guildford)
- Sheet's Heath *
- Shere
- Sutton Abinger *
- The Sands *
- West Clandon
- West Horsley
- Wisley *
- Woking *
- Wood Street Village
- Worplesdon *
- Wyke
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Guildford.)
Guildford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Guildford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Guildford has 21 electoral wards.
Guildford has a population of 151,359 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Guildford can be found on the ONS statistics for Guildford.