Late season Milky Way chasing saw me at St. Thomas Becket Church, Fairfield, on The Romney Marsh, Kent. A target for many photographers and somewhere I would normally avoid, not wanting to do the same old thing. The draw from this place, however, is too great; being in such a fabulous and unique location and such a stunning church. The atmosphere at night is eerie, yet warming at the same time. The odd Romney sheep coughing sure does keep you on your toes. This particular night a mist rose very early on and made for a very wishy washy Milky Way, but created a beautiful scene and far nicer than one of those clear crisp nights (although infuriatingly difficult to photograph with my lens misting over every minute, amongst other problems).

St Thomas à Becket Church in Fairfield stands alone in a field on the Marsh, surrounded by watercourses and sheep. A causeway was built in 1913, and until then the church was more often than not surrounded by water during the winter and spring.

Fairfield, the village it once served has long since disappeared, but the church has survived and is now part of the civil parish which includes the villages of Brookland, Brenzett and Snargate. The church is dedicated to St Thomas à Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170.

Legend has it that the Archbishop was journeying across the dangerous Romney Marsh when he fell into one of the many ditches. He prayed to St.Thomas, as he came up for the second time, for a miracle to save him from a watery death. Just in time, a farmer arrived to save him, and in gratitude the Archbishop had the little church built and dedicated to St Thomas a Becket.