The square stone keep at the heart of Guildford Castle is what remains of a Norman fortification raised soon after the Conquest. Climb the spiral staircase to the roof for a view across town to the cathedral on its opposite hill; the interior holds a small display on the castle's history as a royal residence under the Plantagenets.
The castle grounds are now a public garden — bowling green, bandstand, the lower terrace lined with flowerbeds — and one of the more pleasant lunchbreak spots in central Guildford. The Alice through the Looking Glass sculpture by Jeanne Argent stands on the upper lawn.