St. Martha's Hill
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St Martha's Hill is a landmark of the St Martha Parish in Surrey, England, situated between Guildford and Chilworth, Surrey. It is a prominent hill on the Greensand Ridge just to the south of the North Downs in southeast England. The top of the hill provides great views of Newland's Corner and the Surrey Hills AONB and is a popular wedding place. The site contains several Megalithic and Neolithic artifacts, dating from as far back as 3500 BCE.
St Martha's Church, also known as St Martha-on-the-Hill, sits atop the hill and is accessible only by foot. It lies on the Pilgrims' Way and featured briefly in the 1944 film A Canterbury Tale. The structure has existed since the 12th century and is one of the few churches in England dedicated to Saint Martha, another example being St Martha's in Broxtowe near Nottingham. The church is floodlit during the Christmas season.
The graveyard of the church includes a memorial to Yvonne Arnaud whose ashes were scattered there. There is also the grave of Bernard Freyberg VC, which is in front of the south door of the church. Freyberg won his medal in 1916 as a Lieutenant-Colonel in The Royal West Surrey Regiment. He was a New Zealander who also won the DSO and 3 bars and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
The eastern end of St Martha's Hill is notified as part of Colyers Hanger Site of Special Scientific Interest[1] This area was included in the SSSI for its heathland vegetation communities, including several characteristic acidic grassland plants. Other parts of the hill also have relict heathland vegetation.
The western end of St Martha's Hill is registered Common Land[2].
The hill reaches a height of 573 feet.
[edit] References
- ^ Colyers Hanger SSSI citation on Natural England website.
- ^ Open Access web page showing areas of Common Land
