Begin with the building itself

Your parish church is a palimpsest, a document written in stone, timber and glass. Walk around the outside before you step in. Look at the tower: square, round, or topped with a spire? Norman work often has round arches and thick, low walls. Early English brings pointed lancets and slender columns. Decorated tracery is flowing; Perpendicular windows are upright and grid-like. A Victorian restoration may have added pitch pine pews and encaustic tiles. Note where the stone changes – that is often a building break. A blocked doorway, a rood stair turret or a squint cut through a wall all speak of earlier layouts and forgotten rituals.

Folklore clings to the fabric. A yew tree in the churchyard may predate the church by centuries, once a symbol of eternity and a source of bow wood. Boundary stones and healing wells often sit near the churchyard edge. A carved face or sheela-na-gig touches a very old apotropaic tradition.

Read the churchyard like a document

The churchyard is an archive under your feet. Memorials give you names, dates, occupations and sometimes cause of death. Look for symbols: a willow and urn for mourning, a skull and hourglass for mortality, a broken column for a life cut short. South-facing memorials are often better preserved. Unconsecrated ground, usually on the north side, may hold the graves of unbaptised infants, suicides or excommunicants. A lychgate, a churchyard cross and a mortuary chapel each have their own history.

Take photographs and record inscriptions before they weather away. A simple notebook with a sketch of the churchyard layout will help you match stones to names later. Look for war graves – their uniform design stands out. Ancient yews may be mentioned in local folklore as markers of a pre-Christian site.

Step inside and look up, down and around

Inside, begin at the font. It is usually near the door, marking entry into the Christian community. Norman tub fonts, octagonal Perpendicular fonts and Victorian marble fonts each tell a story. Look at the pews: box pews speak of Georgian propriety, while benches with poppy-head finials are often medieval. The chancel arch may be off-centre, a sign of an earlier Saxon or Norman plan. Wall monuments and brasses commemorate local gentry, clergy and benefactors. Brasses often show detailed costume and heraldry.

Check for mason's marks, scratch dials and graffiti. A scratch dial – a simple sundial – is usually near a south door. Graffiti can include apotropaic marks designed to ward off evil. Look at the roof: hammerbeam, tie-beam or wagon. Bells are wonderful documents: their inscriptions often name founders, donors and saints. Ask if you can see the bell chamber – but only with permission and proper supervision.

Written records: registers, accounts and terriers

Parish registers are the backbone of local history. Since 1538, every parish was meant to record baptisms, marriages and burials. Many registers are now in county record offices or local studies libraries. Bishops' transcripts, made annually from the 1590s, can fill gaps. Churchwardens' accounts are a treasure trove: payments for bell ropes, bread and wine, repairs to the churchyard wall, and "dole" to the poor. Terriers are inventories of church property, glebe land and buildings. Faculty records document alterations, from new pews to stained glass.

• Start with the parish register – look for baptisms, marriages and burials.
• Check churchwardens' accounts for building works and local customs.
• Consult terriers and faculty papers for changes to the fabric.
• Search monumental inscriptions published by local history societies.

Many records are indexed, but you may need to decipher Tudor and Stuart handwriting. Take a palaeography course or ask the archivist for help. Always handle documents with clean, dry hands and use a pencil.

Put the church in its landscape and community

A church is never isolated. Look at tithe maps, enclosure awards and old maps. Place names such as Church Lane, Kirkgate, Chapel Field and Priest's House reveal ancient boundaries and ownership. The church may sit on a pre-Christian site, aligned to the rising sun on the patronal festival. Local folklore might tell of a hidden tunnel to a nearby manor, a devil's stone that turns at midnight, or a ghostly procession on All Hallows' Eve. Customs such as beating the bounds, rushbearing and well dressing often began in the churchyard.

Talk to people. The churchwarden, the vicar, the local history society and the county archaeologist can all add pieces to your puzzle. A church recorder may have already surveyed the building. Share your findings with the parish – they will be grateful. Start small: choose one feature – the font, the tower, the south door – and research it thoroughly. Visit at different times of day to see how light reveals carvings. Carry a notebook and a camera. Ask permission before entering locked areas or climbing towers. Use the county record office and local studies library. Be systematic: note each feature, its style, its condition and its date range. Remember that the oldest part of a church is not always the first thing you see. Respect the building and its community. It is a living place of worship, not just a monument. Your careful curiosity will help keep its stories alive.