Welcome to St Martha Parish Council

About St Martha Parish

St Martha Parish is one of the smallest of the 24 parishes in the Borough of Guildford in Surrey. There are fewer than 300 dwellings and a population of just over 600. The Parish, which is semi-rural, is situated within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and boasts some splendid views and wonderful scenery.

Two major rights of way, The Downs Link and The North Downs Way, cross the Parish and intersect on St Martha's Hill next to St Martha's Church, which is situated at the summit. There are many footpaths and bridleways, all of which are well used for recreation by walkers, horse riders and cyclists.

View a map of St Martha Parish.

The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty, Boundary Marker

The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) extends from just south of Farnham in the west to just beyond Oxted to the east.

The aim of the AONB designation is to conserve the natural beauty of the landscape and in practice this is implemented by the Surrey Hills Partnership which was set up on 1998 to raise the profile of the AONB.

Boundary marker posts such as the one above, which is in St Martha Parish, announce that you are entering the Surrey Hills AONB. For further information about the Surrey Hills AONB visit www.surreyhills.org.

St Martha's Church

St Martha's Church is a well-loved landmark within the Parish, and is especially magical when it is illuminated during the evenings at Christmas time. Currently there is a major fundraising effort underway to provide money for repairs, an educational facility, provision of water and drainage, and to enable the church to be kept open during the week for the enjoyment of visitors. The fundraising target is £550,000 and already money raised has enabled the church roof to be repaired. The church, which dates back to about the twelfth century, became a ruin after the dissolution of the monasteries (see our 2003 Newsletter) and was restored during the nineteenth century.

Chilworth Manor

Another building within the Parish which has an ancient history is Chilworth Manor. The Manor nestles at the foot of St Martha's Hill, to the south west, and is joined to St Martha's Church by a steep and ancient footpath.

Originally a monastery dating back to the 11th century, the Manor has an imposing stone façade and historic gardens which have occasionally been open to the public, courtesy of the late owner Lady Heald, under the auspices of the National Gardens Scheme (www.ngs.org.uk).

Gunpowder Estate

Gunpowder Estate Millstones

The Parish of St Martha is in the village of Chilworth and is bordered by the parishes of Albury to the east, Wonersh to the south, Shalford to the west and Holy Trinity to the north. To the south of St Martha's Hill is the beautiful Tillingbourne Valley. The river Tillingbourne was a key factor in the industrial history of Chilworth and many interesting and fascinating remains from its industrial past can still be found. For centuries gunpowder was produced along the Tillingbourne and a stroll through the Gunpowder Estate, which is an English Heritage Scheduled Monument, reveals many artefacts from this and from earlier periods. For more information on the Gunpowder Works see the English Heritage Survey Report (2003) by Wayne D Cocroft (ISSN 1478-7008), www.english-heritage.org.uk.

The Tillingbourne

The Tillingbourne is a relatively unpolluted river and supports a rich diversity of wildlife.

There are a number of trout ponds along its length, and one of these is the Powdermills Fishery which is just off Blacksmith Lane and is adjacent to the entrance to the Gunpowder Estate.

Upstream at Mill Lane is Postford Pond where you may be lucky enough to spot a fleeting kingfisher. (See our Wildlife section.)

Powdermills Fishery

Postford Pond

Travel Information

Rail and road links make the Parish very accessible. For more information visit the Travel and Transport page in our Useful Information section.

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