St Denys' Church, Sleaford

St Denys' Church, Sleaford
The church's west façade, facing the market place
St Denys' Church, Sleaford Location in Lincolnshire
52°59′59″N 0°24′32″W / 52.99972°N 0.40889°W / 52.99972; -0.40889Coordinates: 52°59′59″N 0°24′32″W / 52.99972°N 0.40889°W / 52.99972; -0.40889
OS grid reference	TF 06883 45893
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	sleafordparishchurch.co.uk
History
Dedication	St Denys
Administration
Parish	New Sleaford
Deanery	Lafford
Diocese	Lincoln
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Rev. Philip Johnson
Laity
Director of music	David Prescott
Churchwarden(s)	Richard Clash Philip Starks

St Denys' Church, Sleaford, is a medieval parish church in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England. While a church and a priest are likely to have been present in the settlement since approximately 1086, the oldest parts of the present building are the tower and spire. The tower and spire can be dated to the late 12th and early 13th centuries; the stone broach spire is one of the earliest examples of its kind in England. The Decorated Gothic nave, aisles and north transept were built in the 14th century. The church was altered in the 19th century: the north aisle was rebuilt by the local builders Kirk and Parry in 1853 and the tower and spire were largely rebuilt in 1884 after being struck by lightning. St Denys' remains in use for worship by the Church of England.

The church is a Grade I listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of exceptional interest". The architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner stated it is "remembered for the flowing tracery of its windows". Built out of Ancaster stone with a lead roof, St Denys' is furnished with a medieval rood screen and a communion rail, possibly by Sir Christopher Wren, and has a peal of eight bells, dating to 1796. The church also houses several memorials, including two altar tombs commemorating members of the Carre family, Sleaford's Lords of the Manor in the 17th century.

St Denys' Church is the parish church of the benefice of Sleaford (formerly called New Sleaford), which encompasses most of the market town of Sleaford in the English non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire. The benefice is a vicarage and falls within the deanery of Lafford and the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln; as of 2015, the vicar is Rev. Philip Anthony Johnson, who was appointed in 2013. The church is located next to (and faces onto) the market place at the town centre. It is dedicated to St Denys; the Victorian clergyman and local historian Edward Trollope stated that this is a medieval form of St Dionysius, but does not elaborate on which of the several saints called Dionysius this refers to. According to a pamphlet published by the parochial church council, St Denys is a medieval composite of Dionysius of Paris, Dionysius the Areopagite and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.