Lud's Church

Lud's Church

This deep, mysterious chasm was formed by a massive landslip many centuries ago. It has been considered a sacred place since pagan times and was used as a secret place of worship by the Lollards in the 15th century. It may have been named after Walter de Ludank, a Lollard who was captured here after one of their secret meetings.

Lud's Church is associated with the legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
"A hole in each end and on either side
And overgrown with grass and great patches
All hollow it was within, only an old cavern
Or the crevice of an ancient crag"
So says part of the 14th century poem about the location of the battle between Sir Gawain, one of the Arthurian knights, and the mysterious Green Knight.

(Canon EOS 60D, Tamron 10-24mm @ 12mm, 3 exposures HDR in Photomatix)