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St. Hubert's Church, Idsworth
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The little Saxon church of St. Hubert's stands alone in a field at Idsworth, just north of Rowlands Castle at the edge of the South Downs on the Hampshire/West Sussex border. It was built in 1053 by Earl Godwin (Father of King Harold) and was used as a hunting lodge by Edward the Confessor. The church contains some ancient wall paintings, dated at about 1300. One shows St. Hubert curing the Lycanthrope (a man who through a form of insanity believed himself to be a wolf) and the other shows John the Baptist being thrown into prison, Salome dancing, and the head of John the Baptist being presented on a salver to Salome at Herod's feast. These murals are some of the oldest in Christendom.
To reach the church you cross a footbridge over the bed of the River Lavant - usually dry although the Lavants (as they are known locally) do occasionally flood - and walk up a grassy path through the field. The field is farmed so the view changes throughout the year, from ploughed earth to crops such as rape, barley and wheat. A beautiful place to visit at any time of the year.
I'd really welcome any comments/advice, as I only took up photography a year ago and have been struggling to learn by trial and error ever since!
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