St Botolph's

Coming for the first time


Nothing on this page commits you to anything. It is here because almost everyone arrives with the same four worries, and saying them out loud is the difficult part.

Getting here

Church Green, in the middle of the town. The Fore Street car park is three minutes away and free on Sundays; there are two accessible spaces at the lych gate.

Open in maps

Walking in

Use the south porch. A sidesman will hand you a book and a service sheet and then leave you alone, which is generally the bit people most want to know about.

What happens next

Where to sit

Anywhere. The back three rows and the north aisle are understood to mean "leave me be", and are used every week by people who want exactly that.

Things people worry about beforehand

I will not know when to stand up.

Neither does anybody else at first. Watch the row in front, or stay seated throughout — a good number of the congregation does, for all sorts of reasons.

I have not been since I was a child.

That describes a large part of the room. The service sheet spells out everything that happens and when.

I only want to look at the building.

Then come on a weekday. It is open nine until dusk, there is a guide by the door, and nobody will approach you.

Can I bring the dog?

Yes. Assistance dogs anywhere, and well-behaved dogs at the back — there is a water bowl in the porch and it gets used.

Tell us you are coming

Only if you want to. It is not a booking.

The parish office is open Tuesday to Friday mornings and the phone is answered by a person. For a death, ring any time — it diverts out of hours.

Telephone
 
Email
 
In person