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The ‘hauntingly beautiful’ photograph of the Tudor mansion has won the top prize in the South Downs National Park astrophotography competition.

Richard Murray, of Waterlooville, captured the night-time scene, which shows moonlight creeping over the Tudor ruins, in Midhurst.

He claimed the winning prize of £100 in the contest, which attracted 60 entries.

Undated handout photo issued by South Downs National Park Authority of 'Cowdray Comos' taken by Richard Murray which has won the top prize in the South Downs National Park astrophotography competition. The image, taken by Mr Murray from Waterlooville, captures the night-time scene at Cowdray ruins in Midhurst, West Sussex.

Mr Murray said: ‘We were blessed with crystal-clear skies and I was lucky enough to be able to capture this shot of the Milky Way rising behind the Cowdray ruins.

‘It demonstrates that you don’t have to travel too far from town to enjoy the spectacular dark skies the South Downs National Park has to offer. The national park has such a wide variety of beautiful landscapes and buildings to photograph and is truly a special part of the UK, both by day and night.’

Most of the mansion was destroyed in September 1793 by a devastating fire. Repairs and refurbishments were being undertaken for the impending marriage of the eighth Viscount Montague.The competition celebrates the national park’s status as one of only 20 International Dark Sky Reserves in the world, which recognises the region as one of the best places globally to stargaze.

South Downs lead ranger Dan Oakley said of the winning image: ‘It’s such a well-framed image and shows what the landscape would have been like a couple of centuries ago.

Undated handout photo issued by South Downs National Park Authority of 'Toad In The Road' by Peter Brooks which won the South Downs Nature at Night category. The image was taken near Cuckmere Haven, in East Sussex. Mr Brooks said: "I took this particular image to highlight the dangers toads face when migrating back to their breeding ponds". Issue date: Thursday February 2, 2023.:Milky Way GV

‘It’s a great little chocolate box photo of the South Downs.’

Runner-up in the main category was a shot of the moon rising behind Beachy Head lighthouse, near Eastbourne, taken by Andrew Parker, who won £75.

Another Sussex man won the runner-up prize in the ‘Nature at Night’ category, for his photo ‘Reach for the Sky’. The picture, snapped by Carl Gough from Littlehampton, was described as ‘almost supernatural’.

“The morning I took this photo was actually a work day. I woke up at 3am and headed straight to Lords Piece to meet my friend who had the same shot in mind,” Mr Gough said. “Thankfully the forecast was correct and I was able to complete the full panorama without too many issues. It was quite remarkable to get it all done before leaving for work. The most enjoyable thing about the photo is the experience itself.”

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Stunning shot of Tudor ruins in Midhurst wins top prize