Our story

In 1989, Peter and Ann Hutley had a life-changing experience during a visit to Medjugorje. They owned the very beautiful Wintershall estate in the Surrey Hills. When a local barn came up for auction, Peter told his children that if they secured it, they would use it for God. They succeeded, and just weeks later, they pushed the cows out for the night and staged the first Nativity. Today, it draws 4,000 visitors every December. 

Peter Hutley started writing the Life of Christ after the Pope said everyone should do something for the Millenium. In 1999, they staged the first The Life of Christ, a remarkable 5-hour open-air production, which has since been performed every year on their stunning estate with a cast of over 100, attracting thousands of visitors each year. 

In 2010, Wintershall brought The Passion of Jesus to Trafalgar Square as a gift to the people of London. The production has been performed every Good Friday since, drawing an estimated 20,000 spectators annually. This is free to all and is watched by hundreds of thousands around the globe via livestream on Wintershall’s Facebook page.

Peter and Ann Hutley passed the running of the Charity to their daughter Charlotte de Klee and the Trustees of the charity include their other daughter Henrietta Fiddian-Green and their granddaughter Lara Stibbard. 

In 2017, Wintershall’s Education programme was set up to develop resources for schools and adult groups drawing upon the rich source material provided by Wintershall’s plays, with an aim to make Religious Education exciting again, by bringing the Bible to life.