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Venue: Meet at Tunsgate Arch
Cost: FREE
Please note: These walks are suitable for children aged 10 and over. Booking is essential. If you will not be able to come on a walk you have booked, please cancel by emailing tic@guildford.gov.uk.
Dates: 6th July, 10th August, 12th September, 18th September, 28th September
Times: All 14:30 except 18th September which is at 11:00.
This walk tells how trade impacted the town and how we became the first location in Europe to have a purpose built car factory.
COVID 19 Precautions: Group will not exceed 10 people plus the guide. Although the tour will be out of doors, we recommend maintaining an appropriate social distance.
Further information: Please note that the walk is about a half a mile long with regular stops. It will take about 90 minutes and will finish as close to Tunsgate Arch as possible in the time. You should wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions at the time of your tour. Please show your ticket or confirmation email when you meet.
Accessibility: The walk is not suitable for those with wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Venue: Meet at Tunsgate Arch
Cost: FREE EVENT.
Please note: These walks are suitable for children aged 10 and over. Booking is essential. If you will not be able to come on a walk you have booked, please cancel by emailing tic@guildford.gov.uk.
Dates: 1st September, 4th September, 8th September, 11th September, 18th September, 19th September , 22nd September, 25th September and 29th September - All 2021
Time: All 14:30 (except 19th September which takes place at 11:00)
On this tour, you will walk in the footsteps of the famous (and infamous) people who made Guildford what it is today.
COVID 19 Precautions: Group will not exceed 10 people plus the guide. Although the tour will be out of doors, we recommend maintaining an appropriate social distance.
Further information: Please note that the walk is about a half a mile long with regular stops. It will take about 90 minutes and will finish as close to Tunsgate Arch as possible in the time. You should wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions at the time of your tour. Please show your ticket or confirmation email when you meet.
Accessibility: The walk is not suitable for those with wheelchairs or pushchairs.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Date: Sunday 3rd October 2021
Time(s): 11.00 - 12.00 and 12.30 - 13.30
Venue: Hatchlands Park, East Clandon, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7RT
Meet in the courtyard outside the second hand bookshop.
Price: £8 Full Price, £7.20 Student, £7.20 Job Seeker.
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Suitable for ages 8+. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Returning to this year’s Festival, join bird expert Mike Langman as he shows you everything you need to know to identify a whole range of birds. You’ll never get a chaffinch confused with a chiffchaff again!
This is an outdoor walk and talk event so bring suitable clothes and footwear. Numbers are limited so we recommend booking early.
Virtual event via ZOOM: Monday 4 - Friday 8 October - 10:00 - 12:00 [BST, UTC+1] . Zoom room opens from 9.30 each day.
Price: £45.00 for 5 sessions Monday - Friday
Please note that discounts are not available on any virtual events.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
ZOOM: Zoom details will be on your tickets attached to your booking confirmation. Please make sure you can access Zoom to ensure you are in good time for the event. You will be sent a Zoom link which will connect with the service daily and then you will asked to enter you passcode.
If you have always wanted to write but are not sure where to start, then join us on our creative writing course being held over five weekday mornings during the Festival.
Run by Rachel Marsh, a University of Surrey graduate, each lesson will focus on a different aspect of the writing process. The classes will be held via Zoom but will be practical and interactive. Each class is a mixture of lecture, discussion, and applied writing. The course is opened to all levels, meaning that each session can be tailored to your own goals.
Maximum 30 people.
Monday: Introduction/Getting Started
Tuesday: Character Development
Wednesday: Writing Dialogue
Thursday: The Plot
Friday: Editing/Getting Published
Rachel Marsh has a PhD in creative writing from the University of Surrey, where she investigated satire as a form of socio-political discourse. Her creative work mixes the surreal and the political.
Rachel is an Associate Lecturer with the Open University and lives in Scotland where she teaches classes in creative writing, literature, and English language. She is currently the writer-in-residence for the Braemar Creative Arts Festival, and she is working on a first children’s novel.
Rachel is the Judge for the Staunch Short Fiction Prize. She has also been published as an academic and as a journalist.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: Guildford Harbour Hotel, Alexandra Terrace, Guildford GU1 3DA
Date: Monday 4th October 2021
Time: 12.30 - 15.00
Price: £45.00 (includes 2 course lunch)
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Hosted by Katherine Higgins
Bestselling author and playwright Kate Mosse has written eight novels and short-story collections including the multimillion selling Languedoc Trilogy, and Gothic fiction including The Taxidermists’s Daughter. Her books have been translated into 39 languages and published in more than 40 countries. The City of Tears is the second book in Kate’s historical series which began with The Burning Chambers. Set in 16th century France it’s a thrilling story of love, loss, persecution and revenge.
Kate will also be talking about her non-fiction book, An Extra Pair of Hands – A Story of Caring, Ageing and Everyday Acts of Love, in which she relates her own story of finding herself a carer in middle age.
Known to millions from his appearances on programmes such as Bargain Hunt, Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip the gregarious antiques expert Philip Serrell talks about his life as an auctioneer and his dual passions of Royal Worcester china and classic cars. With hilarious tales of dodgy cars, fakes in the saleroom, angry livestock, and mangled heirlooms, Philip’s book, What Am I Bid? is an entertaining, and informative, memoir of life under the hammer.
Kate and Philip will be interviewed by vintage expert and broadcaster, Katherine Higgins.
Food options: Roast chicken breast, tarragon mashed potato, glazed carrot, creamed chicken sauce with mushroom bacon and caramelised baby onion
Or
Veggie: Porcini mushroom risotto, soft poached hens egg, pea cress salad
And
Individual lemon meringue tart with raspberry sorbet
Kindly sponsored by Charles Stanley
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street, Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Monday 4th October 2021 Time: 18.30 - 19.30
Price:
Price including a SIGNED copy of Snow Country (RRP £20) £32
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Snow Country
Sebastian Faulks is one of Britain’s most respected writers, best known for novels such as Birdsong, Charlotte Gray, and Human Traces. He returns to Austria, the country of Human Traces, for his latest novel, Snow Country, in which he looks back at the Vienna of Klimt and Freud and forward to the shadow that is starting to fall over Europe. It’s an intensely personal story, focussing on Lena, a spirited girl born with nothing and Anton, a man of passion and self-doubt. With rich characters, and strong narrative, and themes of human frailty and longing, it’s a story that will stay with you long after the last page is read.
Stephanie Merritt is an English critic and writer, and a former Deputy Literary Editor of The Observer. A bestselling novelist her books include the psychological thriller, While You Sleep, and a series of historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno, written under the pseudonym, S J Parris.
Kindly sponsored by Guildford Arts
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford GU1 4LH
Date: Monday 4th October 2021 Time: 19.00 - 20.00
Price: Full price £10.00, Students/Job Seekers £9
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
When Covid-19 swept across the world, it took everyone by surprise. Debilitating illness, unprecedented lockdowns and tragic deaths soon followed. Poet Alwyn Marriage caught the disease early on and this is where her moving collection of poems begins. In real time she tracked the course of her illness and recovery, the death of her brother and the gradual dawning of new hope. Above all, she asks what we have learnt from this pandemic, and whether the world will ever be the same again. This is poetry that grips you, may make you cry, but will also warm your heart.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Monday 4th October 2021 Time: 20.15 - 21.15
Prices: Full price: £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
‘Wickedly entertaining…’ Andrew Marr, New Statesman
60 years after the death of Sir Henry ‘Chips’ Channon historian and journalist Simon Heffer brings us the uncensored edition of his sensational diaries. Born in Chicago in 1897 Chips Channon settled in England after the Great War and married into the wealthy Guinness family, serving as an MP from 1935 to his death in 1958.
His career was unremarkable but his diaries are quite the opposite. Elegant, gossipy and bitchy, they are the unfettered observations of a man who went everywhere, and knew everybody. He dined with Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in the lead up to the abdication, knew all the leading politicians and aristocrats of the day, and observed at first hand the last days of appeasement.
‘The greatest British diarist of the 20th century. A feast of weapons-grade above-stairs gossip. Now, finally, we are getting the full text, in all its bitchy, scintillating detail, thanks to the journalist and historian Simon Heffer, whose editing of this vast trove of material represents an astonishing achievement. Channon is a delightful guide, by turns frivolous and profound’. Ben Macintyre ― The Times
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildford High Street, GU1 3AA
Date: Tuesday 5th October 2021
Time: 12.30 - 13.30
Prices: Full price £10.00; Students: £9.00; Jobseekers: £9.00
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Six Extraordinary Women Writing from the Front Line
Journalist and writer Judith Mackrell returns to Guildford to tell the story of how six bold and resolute women, including Martha Gellhorn, Lee Miller and Britain’s Clare Hollingworth, became front-line war correspondents during WWII. Their motives varied from wanting to save the world to wanting to see the world, and even wanting to save themselves, but they remained determined to uncover the truth. Barred from official briefings they set up their own informal contacts with soldiers and presented articles with human interest giving a different colour, and heartbeat, to their stories. Their writings changed the face of war reporting for ever.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildford High Street, GU1 3AA
Date: Tuesday 5th October 2021
Time: 14.15 - 15.15
Prices: Full price £10.00; Students: £9.00; Jobseekers: £9.00
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Gardening, Growing, and Cooking Through the Year at The Real Downton Abbey
Join Lady Carnarvon for a behind-the-scenes look at daily life at Highclere Castle, also known as the ‘real Downton Abbey’, as it changes through the seasons. With recipes from Highclere’s kitchens and Lady Carnarvon’s own family recipes, gardening tips, and fascinating stories and secrets from the castle's archives, her latest book shines fresh light on the beloved historical house, and how it celebrates and prepares for each new season.
Lady Carnarvon is the wife of Geordie, 8th Earl of Carnarvon, whose family seat is Highclere. The castle was the setting for the much-loved TV series, Downton Abbey, as well as the first film released in autumn 2019. A second film will be released at the end of the year.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL Lessons I’ve Learnt Training Dogs
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Tuesday 5th October 2021
Time: 18.30 - 19.30
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Have you ever wished you could get the dogs in your life to behave better? Graeme Hall ‘The Dogfather’, star of Channel 5’s Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, imparts his wisdom on how to build the best relationship with your dog, sharing heart-warming, and sometimes hilarious, stories of some of the special dogs he’s loved and trained throughout his career.
Having worked with more than 5,000 dogs he has seen every behavioural issue going and whether it’s house-destruction, fear and anxiety or aggression, he’s fixed it. Backed up by scientific research, Graeme has established his golden rules for dog training that he follows every time he works with dogs and their people. His simple, practical and effective rules will help you to understand your dog and help drive better behaviours and bring much-needed harmony to your home. Happy dog, happy owner!
Guildford Book Festival in Association with Amnesty International
Venue: St Nicolas' Community Centre, Bury Street, Guildford GU2 4AW
Date: Tuesday 5th October 2021
Time: 19.30 - 20.30
Prices: Full price £10.00; Students: £9.00; Jobseekers: £9.00
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
‘This is an extraordinary and important book’ Philippe Sands, author of East West Street
What are the origins of the hostile environment for immigrants in Britain today? Drawing on new archival material from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Dr Ian Sanjay Patel looks at the changes in post-war immigration laws that saw British citizenship redefined along racial lines, fatally compromising the Commonwealth, and exposing the limits of Britain’s influence in world politics. Combining voices of so-called immigrants trying to make a home in Britain, and the politicians, diplomats and commentators who were rethinking the nation, Dr Ian Sanjay Patel excavates the reasons why Britain failed to create a post-imperial national identity.
Dr Ian Sanjay Patel is currently LSE Fellow in Human Rights at the London School of Economics.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: Broadwater Pavilion (Guildford Rugby Club), Guildford Road, Godalming, GU7 3DH
Date: Tuesday 5th October 2021
Time: 20.00 - 21.00
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Flats and Durders Offload – Rugby Laid Bare
Join former Bath prop forward, David Flatman, and broadcaster, Mark Durden-Smith, for an entertaining evening of rugby talk. Once described as rugby’s answer to Ant & Dec the hugely popular broadcasting double act are known for their acute observations and witty one-liners. Tonight they discuss every aspect of the sport from how to survive the front row, to what makes a good leader, from referees (good and bad), to mind games with the opposition, and with teammates. They speak frankly about what can happen on tour, and reveal who are rugby’s hardest players. Their first book, Flats and Durders Offload – Rugby Laid Bare, is out in October.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Tuesday 5th October 2021
Time: 20.15 - 21.15
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Engagement or Conflict
According to many experts, China is the largest economy on the planet – yet its relations with the rest of the world have deteriorated in recent years, and are now at an all-time low. Is this a passing phase caused by the shockwaves of the Covid pandemic and the personalities of leaders in China and in the USA, or are the current divergences going to become wider and more entrenched, as China grows economically and develops technological leadership? Can the West learn from its past mistakes and engage successfully with China on common interests, or are we on the verge of a new Cold War?
What are the possible repercussions of the recent election of Joe Biden as President of the United States?
In his powerful new book the former MP for Twickenham Vince Cable examines the long history of relationships between China and the West, and provides answers to many of these questions. Gripping, insightful and accessible this investigation into the intricacies of today’s economic and geopolitical situation is a must for anyone who cares about politics, and our economic future.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildford High Street, GU1 3AA
Date: Wednesday 6th October 2021
Time: 12.30 - 13.30
Prices: Full price £10.00; Students: £9.00; Jobseekers: £9.00
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor
Sunday Times bestselling author Andrew Lownie, examines the years following the abdication of Edward VIII when the former king was kept in exile, feuding with his family over status for his wife, Wallis Simpson, and denied any real job.
Drawing on extensive research into hitherto unused archives and Freedom of Information requests, it makes the case that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were not the naïve dupes of the Germans but actively intrigued against Britain in both war and peace. It also shines light on the relationship between the Duke and Wallis, revealing it to be far from the love story it is often assumed to be.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Wednesday 6th October 2021 Time: 18.30 - 19.30
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
The popular broadcaster returns to Guildford to discuss his first novel, The Diver and the Lover, inspired by true events.
It is 1951 and sisters Ginny and Meredith have travelled from England to Catalonia in search of distraction and respite. While there they discover the artist Salvador Dali is staying nearby and they long to meet the famous surrealist. When a young American who Meredith has befriended is chosen as Dali’s latest model, the lives of the characters become entangled as family secrets, ego and the dangerous politics of Franco's Spain threaten to undo the fragile bonds that have been forged. A powerful story of love, sacrifice and the lengths we will go to for whom - or what - we love.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford GU1 4LH
Date: Wednesday 6th October 2021 Time: 19.00 - 20.00
Price: Full price £10.00, Students/Job Seekers £9
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
History, Arts and Culture
London is a city justly proud of its cultural diversity, yet for too long the focus has been on mainstream history. Black London allows us to see this familiar city anew, revealing events and places that tell the story of its black inhabitants. From the Royal ‘blacke trumpeter’ of Tudor times, John Blanke, and 18th century writer and composer, Ignatius Sancho, to the arrival of the Windrush generations, and the Black Live Matters mural in Woolwich, join authors Avril and Jody to discover the work of some remarkable individuals who have helped make London a truly global modern city.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The ZERO Hub, 14-16 Friary Street, GU1 4EH
Date: Wednesday 6th October 2021
Time: 19.00 - 20.00
Price: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Life after Capitalism
“A masterpiece of measured rage and love” Jonathan Porritt, author of Hope in Hell
Capitalism is broken. The relentless pursuit of more has delivered climate catastrophe, social inequality and financial instability – and left us ill-prepared for life in a global pandemic. Professor Tim Jackson of the University of Surrey dares us to imagine a world beyond capitalism – a place where relationship and meaning take precedence over profits and power. Post Growth is both a manifesto for system change and an invitation to rekindle a deeper conversation about the nature of the human condition.
Tim Jackson will be in conversation with Molly Scott Cato, an economist, writer and campaigner for green politics. Between 2014 and 2020 Molly represented South West England in the European Parliament where she worked on sustainable finance, regenerative agriculture, and trade policy. She joined the Green Party in 1988 and is their spokesperson on economics, finance and Brexit.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Wednesday 6th October 2021
Time: 20.15 - 21.15
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
The Fleet that Battled to Malta 1942
A thrilling new account of a little-known naval battle that was a pivotal moment in WWII. In 1942, the Luftwaffe had a stranglehold on the island of Malta. British attempts to bring in supplies and reinforcements were failing, and the people of the island were starving. Operation Pedestal saw an armada of 50 British ships try to fight its way through. Despite heavy losses on all sides the British scrapped a victory and succeeded in reaching Malta. In his signature brilliant style, Max Hastings gives a thrilling narrative of this crucial naval battle.
Kindly sponsored by Cressive DX
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildford High Street, GU1 3AA
Date: Thursday 7th October 2021
Time: 12.30 - 13.30
Prices: Full price £10; Students: £9.00; Jobseekers: £9.00
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
A World Tour of Botanical Adventures, Chance Discoveries and Strange Specimens
Award-winning writer and garden historian, Ambra Edwards will relate extraordinary stories of how plants have travelled the world. From Australia’s Botany Bay to theTibetan plateau, from the deserts of South Africa to the jungles of Brazil, she will introduce us to the dedicated scientists and reckless adventurers, men and women, who scoured the world to locate plants that have shaped empires, secured (and destroyed) economies, revolutionized medicine, and advanced our understanding of science. The talk will be illustrated with botanical artworks from the Kew Gardens archives.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Thursday 7th October 2021
Time: 18.30 - 19.30
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Setting the scene
Three leading crime writers discuss the importance of the setting in creating the atmosphere and building suspense incrime writing. William Shaw, Olivia Kiernan and James Henry will discuss the theme in connection to their latest books set, respectively, on the brooding waters of the Kent coastline, in Dublin city, and in the garrison town of Colchester.
William Shaw’s book, The Trawlerman, is the fourth book in his Alexandra Cupidi series. The Murder Box by Olivia Kiernan is also the fourth book in a series, while James Henry’s latest, Whitethroat, is the third book to feature DI Nicholas Lowry.
Kindly sponsored by Quercus Books
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street Guildford, GU1 4SZ
Date: Thursday 7th October 2021
Time: 20.15 - 21.15
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
A funny, timely novel about a family onthe brink from one of our best-loved entertainers. Set in Leatherhead, where Mel Giedroyc grew up, it tells the story of Sally Parker who is struggling to find the hero within. All she really wants to do is lie down. Her husband has lost his business, their home and their savings, their bank cards are declined, and the children have gone feral. What does an ordinary woman do in such circumstances? Sally is about to surprise everybody. Most of all herself.
Mel will be interviewed by Lesley McCabe from BBC Surrey & Sussex
Date: Friday 8 October 2021
Performance Time: 4.00pm (Doors open at 3.40pm)
Duration: Approximately 1 hr with NO interval.
Venue: The Music Room, Hatchlands Park, Epsom Road, East Clandon GU4 7RT
Price: £15.00 (No concessions)
Please email tic@guildford.gov.uk or call 01483 444333 if you have accessibility requirements.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket. (capped at £5 per transaction)
A unique evening of poetry reading and piano music to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, rescheduled from 2020. Award-winning poet Ruth Padel reads from her collection ‘Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life’, with a taste of the great composer’s piano music performed by historic keyboard expert Carole Cerasi on an instrument once owned by Haydn and which Beethoven himself would have known. The setting for this very special event is the beautiful Music Room at Hatchlands Park which houses the historic harpsichords and pianos of The Cobbe Collection.
Date: Friday 8 October 2021
Performance Time: 7.00pm (Doors open at 6.40pm)
Duration: Approximately 1 hr with NO interval.
Venue: The Music Room, Hatchlands Park, Epsom Road, East Clandon GU4 7RT
Price: £15.00 (No concessions)
Please email tic@guildford.gov.uk or call 01483 444333 if you have accessibility requirements.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket. (capped at £5 per transaction)
A unique evening of poetry reading and piano music to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, rescheduled from 2020. Award-winning poet Ruth Padel reads from her collection ‘Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life’, with a taste of the great composer’s piano music performed by historic keyboard expert Carole Cerasi on an instrument once owned by Haydn and which Beethoven himself would have known. The setting for this very special event is the beautiful Music Room at Hatchlands Park which houses the historic harpsichords and pianos of The Cobbe Collection.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: Guildford Harbour Hotel, Alexandra Terrace, Guildford GU1 3DA
Date: Saturday 9th October 2021
Time: 10.00 - 16.00
Price: £48.00 (includes a light lunch and refreshments)
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Six fiction speakers in one day, hosted by Fanny Blake at the Harbour Hotel.
Peace Adzo Medie – His Only Wife
When Afi Tekple is persuaded to marry a wealthy man she barely knows she accepts, seeing him as a way into an exciting new life in Ghana’s capital. But it’s not quite the life-changing opportunity she imagined. For a start he sends a stand-in to his own wedding. And he loves another. Afi must use all of her courage to confront her situation and create an independent life for herself. Bursting with warmth and humour, this contemporary tale of a young woman making her way in a modern world is a stunning debut novel.
Hafsa Zayyan – We Are All Birds of Uganda
Sameer is a high-flying lawyer in London but senses an emptiness in his life. When he returns to his family home after a tragedy he is put under pressure to stay. But Sameer sees a different future for himself. On a last-minute trip to Uganda, the land of his grandfather, he uncovers a past he knew nothing about, and finds a life for himself he could never have imagined. Moving between two continents over a troubled century, this is a moving and poignant novel of generational love, loss, and what it means to find home. The book won the first #Merky Books New Writer’s Prize supported by Stormzy.
Deborah Moggach O.B.E – The Black Dress
From the bestselling author of 20 novels including Tulip Fever, The Carer and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, comes this delightful, funny and tender story about the unexpected twists and pleasures of life. When Pru‘s husband walks out on her she’s left to contemplate her future. She’s missing not so much him but the life they had together. In a daze she goes off to a friend’s funeral and finds herself at the wrong funeral. But, everyone has been so welcoming, and she thinks, why not go to another? So, she does. After all what harm can it do?
Stacey Halls – Mrs England
Ruby May is a newly graduated nurse when she arrives at the remote Yorkshire home of a wealthy couple, Charles and Lilian England, to look after their children. She hopes it will be the fresh start she needs but it soon becomes clear that something is not right about the beautiful, mysterious, Mrs England. Set in the Edwardian era, and simmering with slow-burning menace, Stacey’s third novel is a compelling read, and follows on from the success of The Familiars and The Foundling, both Sunday Times bestsellers
Elizabeth Macneal – Circus of Wonders
1866. Sold by her father to a circus as the ‘leopard girl’ due to the birthmarks on her skin Nell is torn from all that she knows. But as her fame grows, and she finds friendships among the other performers, she begins to think that maybe it was the best thing that could have happened to her.
Moving from the pleasure gardens of Vauxhall to the battle-scarred plains of the Crimea it’s an astonishing story of power and ownership, fame, and one woman’s determination to tell her own story. Another captivating story from the bestselling author of The Doll Factory.
Tony Parsons – Your Neighbour’s Wife
‘Parsons at his very best.' Daily Mail
What do you do when your perfect life spins out of control? Tana Carver seems to have it all. A loving mother and wife, a successful business woman, she’s the sort of person you’d want to live next door to, who might even be your best friend. But, on one night of madness, on a work trip from home, she puts all this at risk, and her life becomes a nightmare. There’s only one way out. And it involves murder. A gripping psychological thriller from the award-winning journalist and bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than 40 languages. His most-loved novel, Man and Boy, won the Book of the Year in 2000.
Fanny Blake
Fanny was a publisher for many years before becoming a freelance journalist and writer. She has written various non-fiction titles, acted as ghost writer for a number of celebrities, and is a former books editor of Woman & Home magazine. She has been a judge of a number of literary prizes, including the Costa First Novel award and the British Book Awards. She is also the commissioning editor for Quick Reads and a book reviewer. She has written seven novels, including Our Summer Together, An Italian Summer and her latest book, The Long Way Home.
Sandwich choices:
Tuna and cucumber
Chicken mayo with gem lettuce
Egg and Chive
Ham and tomato
Vegan Alternative
They will be served with crisps, fruit and a brownie.
Date: Saturday 9 October 2021
Performance: 7.30pm (doors open 45 minutes before the performance)
Venue: Holy Trinity Church, High Street, Guildford GU1 3RR
Prices:
Full Price: £25.00
Age 65+: £22.00
Under 18 - Free
Please email tic@guildford.gov.uk or call 01483 444333 if you have accessibility requirements.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket. (capped at £5 per transaction)
Limited tickets currently on sale due to Covid restrictions on venue capacities - more seats may be released in due course so if your event is currently showing as sold out, please check with the Tourist Information Centre for an update on ticket availability.
Southern Pro Musica are delighted to be returning to Guildford’s Holy Trinity Church with a joyous evening’s entertainment, featuring some of Mozart’s most delightful music, played by professional Southern Pro Musica musicians. Under the baton of Jonathan Willcocks SPM will play Mozart’s ever-popular Oboe Concerto, two sparkling soprano concert arias, Paris Symphony no. 31 and much more. The music will be brought to life with extracts from Mozart’s colourful correspondence with his family, performed by award-winning Guildford Shakespeare Company actors in contemporary 18th century costume.
Venue accessibility: The Church Auditorium provides step-free access. Although there are steps to the front door, the side entrance is step free. There is designated parking for two blue-badge cars. There are wheelchair-accessible toilets available. Access for wheelchair users is via a Ramp Access Door (below gallery stairs at west end) – for assisted use only.
Wheelchair spaces must be booked in advance. Nearest car park is Castle Car Park, GU1 3RW. Limited on-street parking after 6pm on Guildford High Street.
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: A walk and talk along the River Wey - meet by the entrance to the Castle Grounds just outside the March Hare pub, 2-4 South Hill, Guildford, GU1 3SY
Date: Sunday 10th October 2021
Time: 11.00 - 12.00
Prices: Full price £10.00; Students: £9.00; Jobseekers: £9.00
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
A walk and talk along the River Wey
Please note this walk will include some steep hills in places.
'A tale told with courageous honesty. There's much to learn here about how reconnecting with nature and trusting others can rekindle the joy of being alive' BBC Countryfile
‘An inspirational read’ Matt Haig
Join broadcaster and mental health advocate Jake Tyler on an inspirational walk along the riverside in Guildford. Now in his 30s Jake has struggled with mental health problems all his life. After a bad period of depression, he decided to take back control of his life, and with only a pair of walking boots and a backpack, he left his old life behind and began a 3000-mile walk around Britain. Jake will talk about his extraordinary journey, the places he visited, the people he met, the big, honest conversations he had, and how he finally started to see a more positive future.
Jake’s show on BBC Surrey and Sussex, Open Up with Jake Tyler, launched in 2019. His TedX talk, I’m fine has received 3.1 million views.
Kindly sponsored by Cressive DX
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildford High Street, GU1 3AA
Date: Thursday 14th October 2021 Time: 18.30 - 19.30
Prices: Full price £15; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Renowned, bestselling historian Alison Weir recounts the story of Henry VIII's last wife - Katharine Parr, the queen who survived him, in the sixth of her series of acclaimed novels about the six wives.
A warm, clever woman of great fortitude who rose boldly to every turn her life took, she was torn between love and duty. Two husbands dead, a boy and a sick man. And now Katharine is free to make her own choice. The ageing King's eye falls upon her. She cannot refuse him... or betray that she wanted another. She becomes the sixth wife - a queen and a friend. Henry loves and trusts her. But Katharine is hiding another secret in her heart, a deeply held faith that could see her burn…
GUILDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL
Venue: The Guildhall, Guildford High Street, GU1 3AA
Date: Thursday 14th October 2021
Time: 20.15 - 21.15
Prices: Full price £15.00; Students: £13.50; Jobseekers: £13.50
Buy 5 tickets for this event and receive a 10% discount. Buy 10 tickets for this event and receive a 15% discount.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
‘An absolute masterpiece’ Dan Snow
– A History of the Beginnings of England
Renowned historian Marc Morris tells the extraordinary story of how the foundations of England were laid. Covering six centuries he explores what happened when Britain left the Roman Empire and foreign invaders came from across the sea into a violent and unstable world, and established themselves as its new masters. He describes how they fought relentlessly for supremacy but then abandoned their Gods for Christianity, establishing churches and intricate works of art, reviving towns and trade, and creating shires, boroughs and bishoprics. A new society, a new culture, and a single unified nation emerged. Featuring characters such as King Offa, Alfred the Great and Edward the Confessor, and drawing on a vast range of original evidence, Morris brings to life this little understood period of our nation’s history.
Venue: The Guildhall, High Street, Guildford, GU1 3AA
Cost: £10.00 (no concessions)
Date: Friday 22nd October 2021
Time:14:30
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket
An illustrated talk by Clare Mulley
Clare Mulley is an award-winning author and broadcaster. She will tell us about Eglantyne Jebb, an unconventional
woman, who was driven by humanitarianism to found the “Save the Children” fund a century ago.
Venue: Holy Trinity Church, GU1 3RR
Date: 22 October 2021
Time: 19.00 Doors Open at 18.30
Recommended Age: 9+, children must be accompanied by an adult.
Prices: Full Price £18, Students/Job Seekers £10, Child Aged 6-18 £8, Disabled £5
Hennessey Brown Music presents Thomas Bowes Solo Violin Recital “Sei Solo” Collection for Help Musicians “Hardship Fund.”
Thomas Bowes is one of the UK’s finest violinists. His concerto appearances in the UK, Germany and the USA have included highly praised performances of concertos by Elgar, Britten, Szymanowski and Walton.
Between 1988 and 1993 Tom was the founding leader of the Maggini String Quartet.Tom is privileged to own and play an Armati violin from 1659.
This concert is formed of three of the six works that go to make up Bach’s 1720 magnum opus for Solo violin, his cryptically entitled ’Sei Solo’.
Tom will not only play these works but will show and explain their context - the catastrophe of losing a much loved wife and a most private dialogue between himself and his God as he searches for meaning
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket.
Venue: The Guildhall, High Street, Guildford, GU1 3AA
Cost: £10.00 (no concessions)
Date: Friday 19th November 2021
Time:14:30
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket
An illustrated talk by Professor Robin Wilson
Robin Wilson’s special interest is the history of mathematics and, since retiring, he has been giving lectures to the general public at Gresham College London.
This talk is an exploration of how numbers and logic inspired Carroll’s fantastical writings.
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 4th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 5th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12. (No concessions) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one adult ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 11th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 12th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 18th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 19th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 20th December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)
Venue: Millmead Island, behind the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford GU1 9SB
Date: 21st December 2021
Time: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30
Tickets:
All tickets £12.(No concessions ) Family ticket ( 2 adults + 2 children) £40.00
Note: Children under 1 year old are free, however at least one full priced ticket must be purchased
Come and join us on our broadbeam boat for a trip down the River Wey with Santa. Ticket price includes refreshments and a present for each child.
The boat will depart from Millmead Island for a 45 minute cruise upstream. Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time.
Wheelchair lift available but wheelchairs MUST BE PRE-BOOKED (please contact the Tourist Information Centre - 01483 444334). Toilet on board.
All profits raised will support our work of enabling local people to overcome the disadvantage of low skills, poor educational achievement, limited opportunities and tough financial circumstances.
Wheelchair users please contact Guildford Tourist Information Centre on 01483 444334 to book.
Online booking subject to a 5% booking fee per ticket (capped at £5 per transaction)