Church of St Martha-on-the-Hill
Church of St Martha-on-the-Hill, Halfpenny Lane, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8PZ
This Grade II listed hill top church, was reconstructed by local architect Henry Woodyer (1848-50) who was an avowed Anglican and an exponent of the Gothic Revival style which informed much of his work as an architect - both ecclesiastic and non-ecclesiastic buildings.
Recently united with St Thomas’ church in the valley, it is now the parish church for the village of Chilworth. It has far-reaching views of the Surrey countryside and beyond to the South Downs. The hilltop has been a place of worship for over 1000 years. The many interesting features inside the church include a drawing by E H Shepard, the illustrator of Winnie the Pooh.
Timings & Tours
- Sunday 14 September:
- 1300-1600
Location & directions
Church of St Martha-on-the-Hill, Halfpenny Lane, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8PZ
- Directions:
- St Martha on the Hill. St Martha’s Hill, Chilworth
- Contact on day:
- Linda Holden
- Telephone number:
- +447792522421
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Limited access / parking at top of steep hill from the west end for disabled drivers only. From the west, Halfpenny Lane GU4 8PZ - an overflow parking facility will be available on open days. A 10-15 minute walk up the hill. From the east, Guildford Lane GU5 9BG. Again a steep walk up the hill, limited wheelchair access (short but uneven uphill path from on-site disabled parking) Limited on-site disabled parking via steep narrow unmade track being walked by pedestrians Pushchair/pram accessible but via steep unmade track
Additional information
Inspired by the Norman style, Woodyer incorporated the remaining walls into a new design, with a well-proportioned central tower to replace the large western tower of the original church. He used local dark ironstone for the walls and kept the interior clear and simple in whitewash. One of the original doors was blocked up, but the other four were retained. Pevsner’s Buildings of England describes the result as “ an impressive job...expressing the spirit of the lonely exposed site perfectly.” The new church was opened on 15th May 1850 with service of re-consecration.
- Max no of people per tour:
- 12
- Est. tour duration:
- 0 hour(s) 15 minute(s)
