St Martha’s Church, St Martha’s Hill, Chilworth

Geophysical survey along the line of a proposed water pipeline and the excavation of a trench at the west end of the church by D Graham and members of SyAS. The trench revealed a layer of building rubble and mortar probably resulting from reconstruction work on the church in the mid-19th century; this lay directly above undisturbed yellow sand. The sequence indicates that the top of the hill had been levelled, although it was not possible to ascertain when this took place, though it is likely to have preceded the construction of the medieval church. The geophysics indicated the line of the existing electricity supply, the location of a number of graves, and hints at the possibility that some sort of structure may lie to the north of the north transept, and that a wall may lie buried within the cemetery. (376)

Year: 
2004
ID: 
229
NGR: 
TQ027482
Periods: 
Borough: