St. Mary the Virgin, Battle

St. Mary the Virgin, Battle

Famous for 1066 and all that, Battle is a busy little town which gets it’s fair share of visitors. There are various trails laid out and much is made of the famous events which led to the Norman Conquest. St. Mary’s is in a good position and is worth a visit in it’s own right.

The church is open but looks locked! A sign saying that it is accessible would be good as well as one that indicates that the entrance is through the west door and not the south porch (which is nearest to the road). It was a dull day so the church was a bit gloomy inside but it is worth seeing as there is a lot of interest here.

There are postcards for sale and a guide (a bargain at 50p, especially as it is in colour) and a laminated guide to carry around. There are some interpretation boards around which are nicely done. This church gets a fair number of visitors, 78 entries in the book for August 2014 for instance. There is also a prayer tree and a prayer board and a votive stand to use. A Bible is left open. Also a children’s area.

There is a website – http://www.stmarysbattle.org.uk which is rather strange. It does give some history but no specific visitor information.

I rate St. Mary’s as good for this study.