Each week I send out a short, fresh reflection from the road – photographs, sketches, and observations from old places that still have something to teach us. What follows is a moment fro
Bosham, West Sussex.
From the sky, Bosham (which the locals pronounce 'Bozzam') looks like a lichenous form clinging to this spinning rock in the middle of the universe. When the tide is out, the silted rivulets look like rivers cutting through a vast Amazonian landscape.
Bosham is of this place rather than on it. For several centuries its evolution has been woven into the warp and weft of the interaction between sea and land and its history has been woven into the warp and weft of one of the most famous tapestries in the world.
The historic core rises and populates the land as if it were a natural form itself. The arrangement of its streets and the intricate patterns in its buildings resonate with nature's own fractal designs; and, as we have seen with the silted rivulets, it is all so beautifully scaleable.
From the macro to the micro:
Bosham is a place that perfectly matches the title of this digest. Beyond its organic beauty there is a palpable atmosphere that consists of aftershocks to historic events from the past. It was here that Harold Godwinson was born, and it was here that he embarked to visit William of Normandy in 1064, two years before that fateful day at Hastings.
Holy Trinity Church
At its epicentre is the church of Holy Trinity which is captured indelibly in the Bayeux Tapestry.
When we look at the first two stages of the church tower we are seeing the same building that Harold saw. It is said (and disputed) that Harold is now buried beneath the chancel and, if he is, he is buried next to the daughter of King Canute who lost her life in the mill stream nearby. Legend has it that Canute famously commanded the waves to go back at Bosham.
The Church Fabric
The church is built of Mixon stone (used by the Romans at Fishbourne), Top Chalk, Sarsen stone and Quarr stone rubble. The church is material witness to the pre-conquest world and the ensuing embossing of the post-conquest world of the Normans.
The font is C12th
It is thought that the chancel arch is early Norman - built when the loss of King Harold was still fresh in the memory.
Is it me, or do the grimacing faces on the base of a Norman column in the north aisle have a smugness about them?
Graffiti
The Crypt
The C14th crypt has rib vaults made of Caen stone. Now a chapel it may have originally been a charnel house.
The Buildings and Historic Fabric of Bosham.
The Raptackle
A warehouse from the C18th that held rope and tackle. The outer boards are tar coated.
The Old Mill (now the sailing club)
The water mill at Bosham was mentioned in the Domesday book. It is in the mill leat that King Canute's daughter is said to have lost her life.
Sustenance!
I had breakfast at the Pop In: a coffee, Danish and Elderflower press. Highly recommended.
Pure Scroll
The buildings and streets of Bosham - no words - pure scroll
Explore the Area
Walk
komoot
Cycle
komoot
These are days of outdoor cooking - mainly stir-fry's and wraps.
On the evening before I travel down in to Bosham, I bump into @project.north.expo's rig - much envy. Built for colder climes.
I arrive at Bosham and dare to travel down the estuary road before I'm warned by a local that the road floods at each tide.
But I stop for half an hour, sit and read, and take in the view.
I find a safer spot for Woody in the car/boat park - which has plenty of parking. It's easier to park here and walk around the estuary with an emergency pair of wellies on your back-pack.
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Each week, this Digest offers a small pause – photographs, sketches, and reflections from historic places that still carry meaning. It’s a weekly practice of noticing, continuity, and learning to see more deeply.
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