The first thing you need to know about Trottiscliffe is how to pronounce it! Surely, it’s just three syllables – ‘Trott-iss-cliffe’ but, in actual fact, a lot of local folk pronounce it as ‘Troz-lee’. Traditionally it seems to have been Trott-is-cliffe with the more phonetic approach dating back to records from 1396 when the village’s name was Trottesclyve. It’s hard to know when or how the particular pronunciation of ‘Troz-lee’ came about but it’s almost certainly related to the fact that Trosley Country Park is nearby, which in turn was once part of the Trosley Towers Estate.
Some locals say it one way, and some say it the other. As a church we welcome everyone regardless of their preference!
Other than our wonderful old church building and our place just to the south of the Pilgrim’s Way, Trottiscliffe is also known for the neolithic Coldrum Long Barrow, an ancient monument that may date back six thousand years.
Trottiscliffe was also the home of artist Graham Sutherland from 1937 until his death in 1980. He is now buried in our churchyard at Trottiscliffe parish church.
Today, our village is home to around 500 people. The village is close to the A20, M20 and M25. We very much value our local pub, which is community owned and family run – the Plough Inn and we’re also pleased to have a strong link to Trottiscliffe CEP School.