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Celebrity favourites

Welcome to favourite churches!

Discover the favourite churches of some of your favourite people.

Come on a journey through art, beauty, weddings, peace, cake, adventure and much more with us!

The National Churches Trust has asked well known people to reveal their favourite church. They are a celebration of some of our most loved and interesting places of worship. There is plenty to see and much history to be discovered.

Simply tap on each image to visit their favourite church.


We asked people to share their favourite churches as part of our 60th anniversary celebrations in 2013.

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Revd Lucy Winkett

Peace in a busy and diverse London : St Mary, Newham is my favourite church.

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Lord Lloyd Webber

Changed the whole pre-Raphaelite movement : All Saints Margaret Street, London is my favourite church.

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Jilly Cooper CBE

No newcomer to Bisley need feel lonely : All Saints, Bisley is my favourite church.

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Hugh Dennis

A fantastic place of calm : St Michael, Up Marden is my favourite church.

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Alex Polizzi

Where I spent every Sunday of my childhood : Immaculate Conception, Mayfair is my favourite church.

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Giles Coren

The parish church of the journalistic trade that I ply, a holy and peaceful place for memories : St Bride, Fleet Street is my favourite church.

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Joanna Lumley OBE

The tiny, graceful spire rises like a dream : St Bride, Fleet Street is my favourite church.

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Revd Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch

A church crawler’s dream, having something from almost every period in English church history : St Mary the Virgin, Wetherden is my favourite church.

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James MacMillan

I played the organ in the church as a teenager : St John the Evangelist, Cumnock is my favourite church.

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Professor Michael Wood

Rich in memorials to our national and local history : St Wilfrid, Kibworth Beauchamp is my favourite church.

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Diana Quick

The community works hard for its preservation and restoration : St Peter, Theberton with Eastbridge is my favourite church.

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Ian Hislop

Unassuming and remote : St Issui, Patricio is my favourite church.

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Dr Kate Williams

Feels so very ancient when you enter : Heath Chapel, Heath is my favourite church.

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Alain de Botton

Extraordinary for its humble beauty, simple faith, austerity and noble stoicism : All Saints, Cockthorpe is my favourite church.

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Rony Robinson

The last ever Norman church in all Derbyshire, jerry built in the 1920s : All Saints, Totley is my favourite church.

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Ben Fogle

A lovely little church in a picture postcard setting : St Mary the Virgin, Fawley is my favourite church.

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Sir Michael Palin

I was married here : St Margaret of Antioch, Abbotsley is my favourite church.

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Dr Bettany Hughes

Because all life is here : St Matthew, Ealing is my favourite church.

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Thomas Allen

A rare northern delight of Arts & Crafts : St Andrew, Roker is my favourite church.

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Libby Purves OBE

A beautiful, white bareness : St Peter, Westleton is my favourite church.

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Harry Mount

Scores a royal flush for us church bibbers, almost too much beauty to deal with : t Andrew, Mells is my favourite church.

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Kirsty Wark

A building that I associate with my sense of Scottishness : Laigh Kirk, Kilmarnock is my favourite church.

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Brian Blessed

Contributed greatly to my happiness : Methodist Church, Great Houghton is my favourite church.

Support us

When you visit a church, remember that keeping churches, chapels and meeting houses looking beautiful, and able to cope with the demands of the 21st century, costs money.
Replacing a leaking roof, fixing a leaning spire or repairing precious medieval stonework can cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds, which is much more than most church congregations can afford.

The National Churches Trust is work is dedicated to supporting places of worship of historic, architectural and community value.

We provide grants for urgent repairs and community facilities, to help places of worship keep their buildings in good repair.

You can support the work of the National Churches Trust here
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GarethLoveringPhotography