The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word STEEPLED
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
T
E
E
P
L
E
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "appearance of some churches" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case appearance of some churches = steepled.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does STEEPLED mean?
STEEPLED verb- To form something into the shape of a steeple.
- (of a building) having a steeple
- Formed into the shape of a steeple