Bosham Harbour Church

That Bosham harbour had a Roman settlement at least cannot be disputed as excavations of the church discovered Roman foundations. Local tradition suggest that the Emperor Vespasian, commander of the 2nd Legion Augusta, arrived in Bosham in AD44 and built a palace here. Whilst there has been much evidence of a Roman encampment at Bosham, the location and indeed even the existence of the 'Vespasian Palace' is disputed. 

Holy Trinity Church has a history dating back to the Saxon time and also features in scene 2 of the Bayeux Tapestry. King Harold Godwinson is seen entering the church at Bosham to pray for safe passage to France, before holding a feast at the Manor House at Bosham (one of Harold's many houses). Harold is subsequently captured by Count Guy up on his arrival at Ponthieu in France.

King Harold was a son of Godwin the Earl of Wessex - one of the most powerful Earl's in England under King Canute, and it is believed that Bosham was Harold's birthplace. It is perhaps the local history involving King Canute which is more interesting despite certain events and location being much disputed as with the Roman Connections.

According to local legend it is at Bosham Harbour that King Canute tried (or proved the futility of trying) to hold back the tide, depending on which account you happen to be reading. Bosham is not unique with regard to ownership of this event as there is also a claim at Southampton and also at Gainsborough in Lancashire. 

"Bosham Harbour Church" took around an hour to photograph, as this path is frequented by both locals and tourists alike and to find a gap in the foot traffic requires a lot of patience. I decided again that this image required a painterly feel so did increase the dynamic range and gave the photo my usual treatment, and in addition because of the lens I was using, I had to use a little perspective correction to straighten the church. This is one of my favourite pieces and I hope you like it too.