“The hill, though high, I covert to ascend; the difficulty will not me offend!” - John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress

Standing at the bottom of St Martha’s Hill and eyeing  the ever-steepening  path that ascends to the church, it quickly becomes very clear why some believe it to be the inspiration for John Bunyan’s Hill of Difficulty in his Pilgrim’s Progress! At 574 feet it is the 18th highest in the country.

Chilworth Manor sits on its lower south western slopes, and both St Martha' church and the estate share their roots in a Saxon origin as recorded in the Domesday Book. Over this near 1000 year history, the Manor, in all its incarnations, has maintained stewardship of the surrounding landscape.

In more recent history, Chilworth Manor established a vineyard at the base of the hill. We cultivate the vines with an ethos of sustainability, looking beyond the boundaries to the wider environment which is a haven for wildlife and walkers alike!

In purchasing the sloped hill to the south east of the church - which many locals and visitors know and love for its wonderful views across the vines and valley - we will continue to honour this responsibility to the countryside.

We at Chilworth might relish a challenge, but the field was most definitely not bought with vines in mind! Instead, our aim is to conserve and manage the field as a shared landscape for people and nature, informed by our desire for sustainable stewardship.

In the long term, this will mean working to keep a balance between natural regeneration and  low-intervention management such as seasonal cutting to promote wildlife (and human!)-friendly open grassland in tandem with allowing portions, such as the bramble thickets, to develop as safe habitats and food sources.

A walk up to the bench at the top is itself a pilgrimage for many local residents, and that access is what we hope to encourage in the years to come. As much as improving and enhancing biodiversity,  we hope that this will help regenerate the character of the landscape surrounding Chilworth and, like Bunyan’s Pilgrim, a walker might spot the fine seat at the summit and reflect.. “The hill, though high, I covert to ascend; the difficulty will not me offend!”