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St Mary's, Aldworth

In a little village called Aldworth, neatly situated just off the main road, lies lovely St Mary's church. Its graveyard contains some interesting sights, including some chest tombs, nice rusty fences and some really quite old graves - the inscriptions on which are quite unreadable - and a semi-subterranean shed. The church dates back to the 1200's, though, like pretty well all such old churches, no graves of such advanced age are evident. There's the grave of a man called Quiet, surely almost unique.

Of great note also in the churchyard is the Aldworth Yew, a tree which could be anywhere betwen 1,000 and 2,000 years old. Clearly, at such an age, it's seen the ravages of time, but has survived lightning strikes and at least one collapse. But it's nevertheless still alive and sort of thriving, though as you'll see, it needs a bit of help and support. Long may it struggle on.

Pentax K-1. 50mm, ISO 640.