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The town has existed since Saxon times, and probably earlier. It is mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great, and the name itself has Saxon origins, roughly translated as “the family of Godhelm”, and probably referring to one of the first lords of the manor.

By the time of the 1086 Domesday survey, Godalming had three watermills and a population of roughly 400 people. At the time, its manor belonged to the King, but a few hundred years later, ownership transferred to the Bishop of Salisbury, under a charter granted by King Edward I.

In the year 1300, the town was granted the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair. Its major industry at the time was woollen cloth, which contributed to Godalming’s prosperity over the next few centuries, until a sudden decline in the 17th century. Instead, its people applied their skills to the latest knitting and weaving technology and began producing stockings in a variety of materials, and later to leatherwork.

A willingness to adapt, and move from one industry to another meant that Godalming continued to thrive. For example, paper making was adopted in the 17th century, and was still manufactured there in the 20th century. The quarrying of Bargate stone also provided an important source of income, as did passing trade - Godalming was an popular stopping point for stage coaches between PortsmouthThis article is about the English city of Portsmouth. For other places with the same name, please see Portsmouth (disambiguation). Portsmouth is a city of about 186,000 located in the county of Hampshire on the southern coast of England. A significant nav and LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri.

In 1764Events January 19 John Wilkes is expelled from the House of Commons for seditious libel February 15 The American city of St. Louis is established. Births February 11 Joseph Chenier, French poet (+ 1811) March 13 Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister, trade received an additional boost when a canal was built, linking the town to Guildford, and from there to the River Thames and London.

So successful was Godalming, that in the early 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended it was considerably larger than today’s county town of Guildford, and by 1851Events January 23 The flip of a coin determines whether a new city in Oregon is named after Boston, Massachusetts, or Portland, Maine, with Portland winning. March 1 Victor Hugo gives speech at the French national assembly and uses the phrase United State the population had passed 6,500. Already, it was becoming a popular residence for commuters, for it was connected to London by railway two years earlier, in 1849Events January 23 Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her MD by the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York, thus becoming the United States' first woman doctor January 31 Corn Laws abolished in the United Kingdom February 14 In New York City, James Knox Polk be, and to Portsmouth in 1859Events January 2 Erastus Beadle publishes The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette''. February 14 Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U. February 16 George Washington Gale Ferris Jr born February 16, 1859 Galesburg, Knox, IL March 26 French amateur astronomer clai.

Godalming came to world attention in 1881Events January 16- 24 ? Siege of Geok Tepe ? Russian troops under general Skobeleff defeat Turkomans January 25 Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company February 5 Phoenix, Arizona is incorporated. February 13 First issu, when it became the first town in the United Kingdom to install a public supply of electricity, and the first in the world to boast electric street lighting, driven by a dynamo at Westbrook watermill.

The long history of Godalming is still evident in its architecture, from its parish church, with its Saxon chancel and Norman tower, to its 19th century town hall, nicknamed the Pepperpot. The town has around 230 listed buildings, featuring everything from Tudor timbers to 17th century brickwork.

Other significant buildings include Edwin Lutyens's Red House, and one of the best known English public schools, Charterhouse stands about a mile from the town, on the top of Charterhouse Hill.

To find out more you can visit the town's museum website at http://www.godalming-museum.org.uk/

Godalming is on the mainline railway between London (Waterloo) and Portsmouth. For train times see timetable updated every 2 minutes.