I was more than a little intrigued by this so I emailed the Office of the Archbishop's Council and asked the following question:

Are women required, by Canon Law of the Church of England, to have their heads and arms covered when entering a Church of England church?

I have downloaded the relevant PDF from your site but can find no mention of this. Is it urban legend? Was it canon law that has been rescinded?

If it is still canon law, could you please quote chapter and verse?
This is the reply I received within two hours:

Dear Chas

Thank you for your email.

The short answer would be no.

It's more a question of general common sense - as people are entering a place set apart for the worship of God.

You may be thinking of churches in countries such as Spain - where sometimes entry is not allowed unless people are relatively well covered up.

Scriptures too mention women covering their heads - but this is not interpreted as meaning all women and is thought to relate to the circumstances and culture of the time of writing.

Hope that helps.

Regards
Howard

Howard Dobson
Archbishops’ Council
Church House
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3AZ

So, there we have it.

Regards

Chas