The Undercroft

About

The medieval Undercroft on Guildford High Street is one of the finest examples in the country. Dating from the end of the 13th century, this stone vaulted semi-basement is thought to have been a merchant’s shop, selling wine or expensive cloths or silk.

Undercrofts like this are a feature of towns engaged in the import and export trade, and the merchant who built this Undercroft must have expected to deal with prosperous clients who sought luxury goods. There are traces of perhaps half a dozen Undercrofts in Guildford at the time that this one was built. They were very expensive and only a rich merchant could afford the masonry work, indicating that Guildford was very wealthy throughout the middle ages.