Fairfield Church

Fairfield church, also known as St. Thomas à Beckett church is an iconic isolated building on Romney Marsh in Kent. Little remains of the village it was first built to serve in the 13th century, Fairfield along with many other villages on the marshes vanished as the population fell, notably due to malaria which was prevalent in the area into the 1800s. The medieval church now sits alone in among the fields of grazing sheep, intersect with various watercourses and drainage ditches. These waterways offer fantastic opportunities to frame and reflect the church in all directions and are evidence of the practices in use to keep the sea from reclaiming the marshes.

I have compiled some of my favourite shots of the church in the different seasons and times of the day. As you will see, there are many ways to shoot this iconic structure..!

Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
Sunrise pinks on New Years Day 2016.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
A more recent shot from round the back of the church with some frozen reflections as the first glimmer of light strikes the building.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh gets its fair share of mist and fog which is certainly beneficial for atmospheric shots.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
The water level was very high on this trip which led to some flooding in the fields. This came in handy for surrounding the foreground reeds in this view.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
A portrait version from around the back of the church, this time the low water level allowed me to get close to the fresh green shoots for my foreground.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
A recent shot from early 2020. This angle was ideal to best use the winter side-light on the back of the church. I was grateful for the frozen reeds but it took a while to find an arrangement that worked.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
The dark skies of Romney Marsh are ideal for seeing the Milky Way.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
Late afternoon stormy light from 2015.
Fairfield Church on Romney Marsh
The interesting shape of the church lends itself to silhouettes when gifted with a strong sunset afterglow.

I’d better stop there although I have a few more..! As you can see, I’ve shot here a little bit over the years and yet it is still appealing to me due to the variety of angles available which all change depending on the time of day and when in the year you visit.

Thanks for viewing!

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