Guildford | |||||||||||||
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 Guildford Town Hall | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Guildford | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:31°54′00″S115°58′23″E / 31.9°S 115.973°E /-31.9; 115.973 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Western Australia | ||||||||||||
| City | Perth | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Established | 1829 | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 2,040 (SAL2021)[2] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 6055 | ||||||||||||
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Guildford is a suburb ofPerth, Western Australia, 12 km northeast of the city centre within theCity of Swan. Guildford was founded in 1829 as one of the earliest settlements of theSwan River Colony. It is one of only three towns in the metropolitan area listed on the Register of theNational Trust.
Guildford was established in 1829 at the confluence of theHelena River andSwan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply.
DuringCaptain Stirling's exploration for a suitable site to establish a colony on the western side of the Australian continent in the late 1820s, the exploration party of boats found a fresh water stream across the river from the site of Guildford which they calledSuccess Hill.
Guildford was originally the centre of theSwan River Colony beforePerth succeeded in being the dominant location on theSwan Coastal Plain.[citation needed]
A Guildford Town Trust was established in 1838, but ceased to function within a couple of years.[3] It was reconstituted in 1863, and became theMunicipality of Guildford in 1871.
Guildford was originally the political centre of what is now called theCity of Swan. The original council chambers have been converted to a library. Alongside the library stands the town hall; behind this is the stables built for the councillors while attending meetings and as a depot for council equipment. These stables have been converted and are now the home of theGarrick Theatre, which is the oldest operating theatre group in Western Australia. The original structure is still visible. The roof still has its originalshingles in place, though from the outside they have been covered bycorrugated galvanised iron.
It also houses the oldest government funded primary school in Western Australia: Guildford Primary School.
Over 200 locations in Guildford are listed on theState Register of Heritage Places, including:
Guildford is located on theMidland railway line and contains the stations ofGuildford andEast Guildford.
