St. Denys, Rotherfield

February 23, 2015

Sussex is a beautiful county with some interesting churches that are well worth a visit. St. Denys is one of them. It is hard to imagine the village of Rotherfield being a hub of industry but there was much iron making here until the Industrial Revolution introduced new processes. This in part accounts for the magnificence of the church. In the churchyard is an ancient yew, well propped, which might well predate the church behind it!

The church is open and there is a simple ‘welcome’ notice outside, although a mention of this on the church notice board would be a good idea.

One thing I did like was clear instructions as to how to put some lights on – a simple idea but which greatly enhances both the welcome and the visitor experience. I show a picture here-

There is a good selection of leaflets available and some post cards as well as the ‘Word 4 today’ which give simple Bible studies. There is a welcome leaflet which is well produced with a bit of history and a plan to guide visitors. Also a selection of leaflets from ‘Reform’ which are the first I have seen in any church I have visited. The visitors book only had only entry for February so far – but it is a quiet month.

There is a children’s area as well as some ‘quiet bags’ – simple cloth bags with toys etc in. The church is beautifully maintained and spotlessly clean. Candles can be lit at a votive stand.

There is a website at http://www.stdenysrotherfield.org.uk this gives details of how tours of the church can be arranged but doesn’t state that the church is open for visitors.

All in all, I rate St. Denys as very good for the purposes of this study.