In the best traditions of the OUGS we met outside a pub. Di gave us a run through Guildford’s recent history - well, for a geologist a town founded in Saxon times is new. Unwisely, I spoke and was given the write-up job. (Resolution: next time to keep a low profile until someone else has been Clementized.)

I was familiar with the theory that Gul (gold) ford (crossing point over the River Wey) referred to our golden coloured sandstone (Lower Greensand). Our leader had a second theory, that the golden colour of the marsh marigold which thrives by the river led to the name.

Guildford is now a major town with a bishop and university. It has an interesting history based on the wool trade, farming and its position on the London Portsmouth road, canal and rail routes.

Initially, local stone had to be used which presented a challenge in a sedimentary environment. We viewed Henry II’s castle, composed of a mosaic of chalk, flint, Roman tiles and Bargate. Flint was to appear again in the oldest church: St Mary’s. Largely un-knapped flint, laid to course. The Saxon Tower was decorated with lesnis – clumps of Roman tiles, and the jambs of the west door were made of chalk. As with most chalk in Guildford, it had badly weathered and been repaired with Portland stone. Holy Trinity Church is to me just a fine brick Georgian church. Round the back, in the area usually occupied by drug addicts, part of the medieval church had been incorporated. The diaper work, a chequerboard of flints in lime mortar and sarsen stones, must have been considered very fine in its time. Inside the church, the font and some panels were made of alabaster; the base of the chancel rails was Ashburton marble.

At this point the rain started. Di Smith was un-yielding and strode on with a rousing battle cry. We manfully kept going. It started to hail. Sensing some flagging, Di led us to a good café.

After lunch we moved to the High Street and the railway period. We learnt to recognise granites, limestones of many hues, igneous rocks from Norway, marbles from Italy and re-constituted stone. We became familiar with the black stone (Norite, an ultra basic) used along the base of the wall as a dog defence device. We learnt some house stones: Larvikite with its butterfly wings – a sparkle caused by the inter-growth of two kinds of feldspar - was used by Mr Burton for his "Fifty Shilling Tailors" shops. We learnt that the pillars in the Tunsgate were of Portland stone which has good freestone qualities (it can be quarried in big blocks). The granite step of a shop was declared a fake because it contained felsic and mafic crystals together while another was rejected because it was too uniform with no inclusions. M & S yielded 4 stones, one with crinoids, brachiopods and corals, another with stylolites.

It was a good day but we were tired by the time we returned to the pub. No we didn’t go in – Christa led us all to her flat and we had yummy cakes, hot drinks and looked at some most unusual rocks which made a perfect end to the day.

So thank you, Di Smith and those who also worked hard, Brian Harvey, Di Clements and Christa.