A service of holy communion is held at Coates on the first Sunday of each month at 10am, except in October when the harvest festival service is held at Barlavington and on Christmas Day, when there is always a service at Coates. There is no special provision for children, but they are very welcome. If you live in the area or are just visiting, please do come along and join us for a service and for coffee afterwards. Click here for a map and churchwarden contact details. There is much of interest for visitors, both in the church and in the surrounding countryside. The church is open during the hours of daylight.
The origin of this tiny downland church is lost in antiquity. An entry made in about 1100 in the Chartulary of Lewes Priory, stated that the Church of "Cotes" made an annual donation to the Prior. In about 1180, Geoffrey de Chotes signed a charter confirming the gift by his grandfather to "God and the Church of Blessed Pancras (Lewes Priory) and the monks the Church of Chotes" and various tithes and pastures. This and other contemporary charters also show the transition of Coates Church from a chapel served by the minster at Petworth to a parish in its own right. The parish registers, dating back to 1559, are kept at West Sussex Record Office in Chichester. The first references to St Agatha in the parish records date from the late 1950s. Click here for a virtual tour of the church.
The origin of this tiny downland church is lost in antiquity. An entry made in about 1100 in the Chartulary of Lewes Priory, stated that the Church of "Cotes" made an annual donation to the Prior. In about 1180, Geoffrey de Chotes signed a charter confirming the gift by his grandfather to "God and the Church of Blessed Pancras (Lewes Priory) and the monks the Church of Chotes" and various tithes and pastures. This and other contemporary charters also show the transition of Coates Church from a chapel served by the minster at Petworth to a parish in its own right. The parish registers, dating back to 1559, are kept at West Sussex Record Office in Chichester. The first references to St Agatha in the parish records date from the late 1950s. Click here for a virtual tour of the church.
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