The Guildford Arms

In the period 1880-1910, a unique breed of luxurious pubs were built. This coincided with major changes to the city including the demolition of old buildings like the Turf Hotel and the Bridge Hotel which stood where Waverley Station stands today.

Curiously, and perhaps as a reaction to it, pubs like the Guildford Arms were built during the height of the Temperance Movement, their opulent character was in marked contrast to the dark and dingy bars of Edinburgh where the ceilings were often not beyond the reach of a man’s arm. Without the pressure of the anti drink lobby it seems probable that publicans would not have spent the vast sums of money needed to build pubs like the Guildford Arms, which remains today one of the few elaborately designed and ornamented bars to have survived from what has come to be known as the ‘Golden Age’ of Scottish pub design.

‘The principal reminder of the Guildford’s late Victorian opulence is the magnificent Jacobean style ceiling which dominates the public bar’

The Guildford Arms was designed by Robert Macfarlane Cameron and established in 1896. Its construction involved the demolition and subsequent reconstruction of the tenement which previously housed The Guildford Arms Hotel. The pub has an imposing frontage consisting of large wide arched windows, alternating fluted pilasters, and frosted glass screens bearing the legend Guildford Arms. Access to the public bar is through revolving doors set within an entrance framed by an elaborate freestone pediment supported by granite columns. The principal reminder of the Guildford’s late Victorian opulence is the magnificent Jacobean style ceiling which dominates the public bar. The Guildford has been owned and operated by the Stewart family since 1896. It is the city’s most successful Free House, regulars come from various walks of life; from civil servants and bankers, to students, locals and tourists.

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