The base of St Catherine's Hill
Looking up St Catherine's Hill towards the chapel.
St Catherine's Chapel on top of St Catherine's Hill

St Catherine's Hill is a hill south of Guildford in Surrey, England, with a ruined chapel on its top.

The hill is about half a mile south of Guildford on the way to Godalming, near the village of Artington and the River Wey.[1] The village is on a sandstone outcrop near the Pilgrims' Way, at the crossing on the river.

Chapel

The name is derived from the chantry chapel, a ruined ancient monument on top of the hill. This was probably a chapel of ease associated with St Nicholas Church in Guildford and was built in the early 14th century by the rector of the church, Richard de Wauncey. A five-day fair has been held here historically, licensed by King Edward II in 1308.

Archaeology

In 2020 a small cave was discovered on the hill during work on the railway line between Guildford and Portsmouth, which goes through a tunnel under the hill. The cave is reported to contain several decorative niches carved into the walls of the sandstone cave, which are thought to be part of a medieval shrine dating to the 14th century.[2]

Art

The hill and chapel were depicted by the artist J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851), with engravings including some in the Tate Gallery.[3][4] The watercolourist Percy Robertson (1868–1934) painted the view from the hill in 1891.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Guildford: St Catherine's". Exploring Surrey's Past. UK. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Rail workers discover markings in cave thought to be from 14th century". Express & Star. 6 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "St Catherine's Hill near Guildford c.1808". UK: Tate. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "St Catherine's Hill, near Guildford, Surrey 1832". UK: Tate. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Percy Robertson". UK: Godalming Museum. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

51°13′27″N 0°34′43″W / 51.22427°N 0.57848°W / 51.22427; -0.57848

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