St Catherine's Hill, Surrey
| St Catherine's Hill | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 The base of St Catherine's Hill | |
| Summit: | 213 feet SU993481 51°13’27"N, -0°34’43"W |
St Catherine's Hill is a little hill to the south of Guildford in Surrey, with a ruined chapel at its top. The hill is named after the chapel.
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.
At the summit stands St Catherine’s Chapel, a ruined mediaeval chantry chapel, probably built as a chapel of ease associated with St Nicholas Church in Guildford It was built in the early 14th century by the rector of the church, Richard de Wauncey.
A five-day fair has been held at the top of the hill 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
- ↑ St Catherines: Exploring Surrey's Past
- ↑ "Rail workers discover markings in cave thought to be from 14th century". Express & Star. 6 April 2020. https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/04/05/rail-workers-discover-markings-in-cave-thought-to-be-from-14th-century/.
- ↑ "St Catherine’s Hill near Guildford c.1808". UK: Tate. http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-st-catherines-hill-near-guildford-d08137. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ↑ "St Catherine’s Hill, near Guildford, Surrey 1832". UK: Tate. http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-st-catherines-hill-near-guildford-surrey-t05088. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ↑ "Percy Robertson". UK: Godalming Museum. http://www.godalmingmuseum.org.uk/index.php?page=percy-robertson. Retrieved 9 April 2016.