Knowlton Henge and Messing Around in Photoshop

This morning I was reading a fabulous blog by the very talented Jerry Jones, a digital artist who's work I've long admired. For those interested his blog can be found at; http://shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com. (I'm sorry for some reason at the moment I can't seem to get the direct link function to work properly).

Anyway it featured a tutorial on how to create moody vintage effects on ordinary photos, so having nothing better to do (I'm with Quentin Crisp on this one and NEVER classify a mountain of housework or ironing as being something better to do regardless of how much it's all piling up!) I decided to have a go and set about sorting through some of my photographs to find a suitable image to experiment with. Whilst doing so, I came across this photo;

BEFORE



Knowlton Church - a serendipity find of Ian and mine whilst out for a leisurely drive around Dorset a couple of years back.

AFTER



The change isn't radial but can best be seen by clicking on the images and viewing them in a larger format. I think perhaps I ought to have de-saturated the colour out of the photo a little more to give it a better vintage 'washed out' feel. Was fun experimenting like this though.

But anyway, more about Knowlton. Built around the 12th Century and set smack bang in the centre of a neolithic henge, the Church could perhaps be seen as an example of the assimilation of two spiritual beliefs. It's not entirely unusual to find such things. Whether by force or just the changing attitudes of a population swayed by the comforts imported into the country by Roman then Anglo Saxon invaders - the influence of Christianity spread across Britain, although the evidence to suggest the old pagan influences weren't suddenly eradicated completely can be found if you look closely enough. Which intrigues me. Green men, Sheela na Gigs, Yew Trees et al can still be found in older Churches throughout Britain. It's a continual delight for me to find affirmation of this on my wanders but always throws up a multitude of questions.

In relation to Knowlton, was the Church built in the henge forcefully to signify Christian power over the old ways, or in recognition of the significance the site formally held to a population making a spiritual transition from old to new? Or were they simply hedging their bets with a double whammy of sacredness? I suspect we'll never fully have the answers on that one.

A better impression of the henge can be found on a variety of videos on the ever helpful Youtube, but I've chosen this one because it includes both aerial and ground shots of the Church in situ;