On 14 May 1264, this landscape witnessed one of the turning points in English history.

Simon De Montfort defeated Henry III in the Battle of Lewes on these slopes, now covered in several hundred houses.

That defeat lead to the Mise of Lewes, a treaty of sorts which established the earliest form of the English Parliament.

The lineage of UK democracy, rudimentary and baronial though it was at the time, runs through this soil.

On this vantage point - looking out from the grounds of Lewes castle - is a plaque commemorating the battle. I had intended to take a pic of that - attesting to the date, the site and its historical importance.

But the dramatic cloud, lowering over the battle site, was too arresting. It lends its own urgency and majesty to the scene.

I am rather in awe of the fact that I live just a few hundred yards from this place. I wanted a suitably awesome shot to represent that feeling. This is it.