Guildford Removals

Early Days

The first written record of Guildford dates from 880 AD, when it was mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great, who ruled the Kingdom of Wessex from 848. Guildford was a burgh, a fortified town used as part of a network of strongholds designed to help keep the pesky Viking invaders at bay. By the 10th century, the town was important enough to house a royal mint which continued to operate through the reigns of Ethelred the Unready, Cnut, Edward the Confessor and William I.

12^th Century

William the Conqueror had a castle built in order to keep a tight grip over the English rabble rousers of Surrey. Constructed of wood, it was rebuilt in the 12th century in stone. However, by the late 14th century the castle was no longer occupied and left abandoned, gradually became a ruin, used surreptitiously by locals for cock fighting, farming and illicit rendezvous.

Middle Ages

Guildford remained a pleasant but unremarkable town through the Middle Ages with little change except for a brief Cornish uprising. Having faced high taxes and the King’s interruption of the mining trade, Cornishmen marched on London, occupying Guildford on their way. The army met the Cornishmen outside of London, destroyed their force and captured its leaders. After the minors had left, the wool trade arrived which helped create jobs and boost trade and wealth until the town fell on hard times again, leading to unemployment and the arrival of a poorhouse.

16^th Century

By the 16^th century, the middle classes had started to enjoy hobbies in their new-found free time, cricket became hugely popular and the first written reference to the sport can be found in a court case in Guildford involving the town’s Royal Grammar School.

19^th Century

In 1822 two brothers, Charles Arthur and Leonard Gates, inherited their father’s shop which was well-known for stocking beer, wine and spirits. Within a few years the brothers had joined the temperance movement and poured all the booze into the gutters on the High Street (NOOO!!!) and turned their shop into a dairy, the West Sussex Central Dairy Company. They bought a milk separator and started making dried milk, this was their formula for success and in 1906 they changed the company’s name to Cow and Gate.

By 1845 the good times had begun to roll again. On iron tracks. The railways brought goods, and trade to the town. It also created the possibility of a mobile workforce, early train commuters were soon heading to and from London, hiding behind newspapers and grumbling about the weather/lack of seats/it being a Monday… Little has changed for rail commuters today.

20^th Century

Despite its famous cathedral (the dramatic structure dominates the skyline and appeared in cult classic 1976 horror flick The Omen), Guildford isn’t a city and has been applying for city status since 2002.

Modern Day

Today it’s a hive of creativity and fine taste. There are great shops and independent traders, funky coffee houses, good bars and restaurants. The weekly farmers market attracts fine flavours from across the region, while the theatres and arts scene are both excellent.

Guildford Removals Company
Whether you are moving to or from Guildford, or beyond, we pride ourselves on making the experience as hassle-free and streamlined as possible. With over 160 years of experience as a leading UK removal company, our personable, expert removals team will take the stress out of moving home or office.

The benefit of ‘staying local’ when booking Guildford removals…

• Employing a local removals company in Guildford means we spend less travelling time to your residence.
• Unrivalled geographical knowledge of Guildford & the surrounding areas.
• We know the traffic flow, best times of day to move and where to park.
• We offer overnight storage (or for as long as you require) at our nearby Hampshire-based storage facilities.
• Our size allows us to be more competitive than many other local removal companies across Hampshire, Surrey & Berkshire
• Free removal estimates and removals advice before, during and after your move!
• We employ local people doing local work

Secure Household Storage in Guildford
Are you a homeowner requiring long or short term household storage for furniture and personal effects for which you no longer have room? Do you need secure flexible household storage at short notice, with the minimum of fuss?

With our multiple, large, secure purpose-built Hampshire storage facilities located in Aldershot, Farnborough and Petersfield, we can cater for all your storage needs. We can also arrange to collect and storage your belongings on your behalf. Please visit our Storage Service for further details.

Why use Over’s for your storage needs?

• Our household & commercial storage prices are cheaper than most other storage facilities in Hampshire and Surrey
• Flexible storage – we can even deliver, collect and store your belongings for you
• Friendly staff available on site: our experienced warehouse staff will be on hand to assist customers with packaging, loading and unloading.
• Our facilities incorporate the latest sophisticated fire and security systems

Of course, it’s not just the calibre of our personnel that matters. We are also proud of our modern fleet of specialised removal vehicles, lifting equipment, packaging and dedicated storage facilities to help us best cater to all your storage requirements.