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Berwick is typical of the small Sussex downland hamlets built at the foot of the North face of the South Downs, a chalky escarpment close to the SouthEast coast of England. Now designated an area of outstanding natural beauty it has attracted artists over many years and became home to Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell who were prominent in the Bloomsbury Group but moved to the rustic simplicity of Charleston Farmhouse in 1916. The church was damaged by bombing at the beginning of the Second World War and as part of the restoration Grant, Bell and her son Quentin were commissioned to paint murals in the Sussex tradition by Bishop Bell, Bishop of Chichester. The plans did not meet with instant approval from the parishioners, probably due to the unconventional lifestyle and relationships of the artists, but the work was completed and dedicated by the Bishop in October 1943. Local people were used as models, including Sergeant Douglas Hemming of the 23rd Hussars, (to whom I am sure I am related, although not directly) who was killed on the 27th June 1944 in the fighting around Caen following the D Day landings.
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