CHURCHES of small proportions have been places of worship, comfort and inspiration for centuries, as illustrated in Dixe Wills’ Tiny Churches.

In Tiny Churches, intrepid traveller Dixe Wills pays homage to 60 of Britain’s loveliest and most diminutive churches, each one open to the public and so tiny that fewer than 50 people can fit comfortably inside.

This dedication to the country’s smallest of churches features Our Lady and St Anne’s church in Widemouth Bay.

The author of numerous books about Britain’s lesser-know, quirky places, including Tiny Islands, Tiny Stations and Tiny Campsites, Dixe has also written for the likes of The Guardian, The Observer, The Ecologist and Countryfile Magazine, writing mainly about eco-friendly travel.

Tiny Churches sees Dixe traverse the country to discover the fascinating and varied histories of these beautiful buildings, including the church that was once a turkey house, the church that featured in two adaptations of Great Expectations and the churches visited by Mother Teresa and Leo Tolstoy.

Accompanied by contemporary photographs, the book is a visual celebration of church architecture and interiors, highlighting the importance of cherishing and preserving these unique buildings and the unexpected treasures held within them, such as traditional stained glass windows, icon imagery and quirky sculptures and paintings.

The first church featured in Tiny Churches is Our Lady and St Anne’s church in Widemouth Bay.

Dixe illustrates its importance to Bude through his use of words, painting the church in an idyllic, coastal setting and highlighting the church’s simplicity and beauty, claiming it ‘could easily be mistaken by the passer-by for a large white shed, an image reinforced by the garden with pleasant lawns in which it is set’.

Dixe goes on to explain the church’s uncertain history, having been built in 1929, supposedly for three brothers, Claude, Frank and Reginald Kingdom, all of whom were priests.

Another story claims that the church was built for Miss Kirby and Miss Topham, two local ladies who lived at St Anne’s, who then allowed the Kingdom brothers to use the church each August.

Also featured in this section of Tiny Churches is the church’s almost ‘Catholic edge to it’, pointing out the embroidery of St Anne with her behaloed child, Mary.

Dixe brings the detailed piece on Our Lady and St Anne’s church to a close, adding: “Among the rosemary and lavender stands a flourishing palm, a reminder that we are in the mild climes of Cornwall.”

Dixe crossed the country from Cornwall to Orkney by boat, train, bicycle and on foot to visit all of the featured churches.

Written in his amusing, accessible style and complete with information on opening times and directions via public transport, Tiny Churches is the definitive illustrated companion to Britain’s most interesting little churches, and the perfect gift for travel, history and heritage enthusiasts.