I’m led to believe that this is a pretty rare sight these days. In Offham, a village 3 miles away from my own, they have a Quintain on the village green. This one, although heavily restored over the years, is thought to date from Medieval times and is considered important enough to have been designated a Grade II listed monument.

As I was driving back from the shops through Offham this afternoon I thought the Quintain looked rather nice silhouetted against the darkening winter sky, although sadly I’m not good at holding the phone still for long enough in low light.

The Quintain was used in jousting training, the idea being to hit the target with a lance without being clobbered by the weight on the chain (or falling off the horse)! These days though it just stands on the village green as a reminder of the long-distant past. Modern health and safety rules would no doubt prevent jousting in these enlightened days!!