Guildford High Street: The Guildhall Clock

For 25 years, Robin has had a gallery located in Guildford to display his wonderful pieces of artwork. Guilford High Street, which features a cobbled street and various famous buildings, is also the home to the Guildhall Clock. The Guildhall was originally a courtroom and was built in the year 1550. In 1683, the building was remodelled with a new façade. This substantial remodelling included the addition of three doors on the ground floor, three mullion windows flanked by Ionic order pilasters augmented by a balcony with iron railings on the first floor and an ornamental cupola on the roof. However, many would claim that the most important addition to the Guildhall in the remodelling process of 1683 was the spectacular bracket clock, which was presented by John Aylward, a London clockmaker, in return for being allowed to trade in the borough.

The case is made of English oak, has a cast iron internal frame and copper dials. In order to keep the clock in perfect condition, conservation works are completed on the structure, such as stripping off all the accumulated layers of paint, re-finishing and re-gilding with 23½ carat English gold leaf. In terms of the Guildhall itself, the ground floor is of Tudor origin. Additionally, the building houses the Civic plate and many other rare items.

Robin is famous for live demonstrations on Guildford High Street and his work is recognised well by the local community. A variety of individuals and street performers feature as the character studies within Robin’s paintings of Guildford. Robin has produced many versions of his Guildford High Street paintings over the years, with the Guildhall Clock being the centre piece for each of these pieces. Visit ‘Guildford Paintings’ to view the current collection of these pieces of artwork, created by Robin Mullen.