A WEST Devon church has made it into the top 100 churches in England, according to a national newspaper survey announced last weekend. St Peter?s Church at Lew Trenchard is the only church in Devon to have made the Daily Telegraph?s guide to 100 favourite churches, which was compiled by readers of the paper. The church, whose most famous leader was The Rev Sabine Baring Gould, was nominated by churchwarden Anne Westlake. She said: ?It?s absolutely incredible. I just thought ?Give it a go? and when I saw our church in the list, it was a lovely surprise. ?It?s such a tiny little church and when I saw it with all these others, in towns, and much bigger, I was amazed. ?We are just hoping now that this will bring us a few more visitors ? who knows what will happen.? Mrs Westlake said many people come to visit the church because of the Baring Gould connection ? but St Peter?s also had a very supportive congregation and ran a regular Sunday school. ?It?s such a pretty little church ? I know I?m biased, but it is lovely, and it?s super to have this recognition,? she said. The Rev Andrew Pagett, vicar of Lew Trenchard, said he was ?delighted? that St Peter?s had made it to the top 100 list. Mr Pagett, who only came to the Lifton beneficiary six months ago, said St Peter?s had a thriving congregation and there were plans to extend the facilities at the church, to include extra parking, toilets and a new room which could possibly be used to display items from the Sabine Gould era. St Peter?s Church dates back hundreds of years ? the original building was rebuilt in 1261 and then again in 1520. The Rev Sabine Baring Gould, most famous for his hymn Onward Christian Soldiers, was rector at Lew Trenchard from 1881 until his death in 1924.
