2 down
Poet
outside
independent
church
house
(8)
Poet outside independent church house (8)
hints
0
checks
0
hints
The definition is at the end of the clue.
How the clue works
Look at house at the end — that's your definition, in the theatrical sense of the people filling the seats. AUDEN (the poet) wraps around I (independent) to give you AUDIEN, and then you tack on CE (Church of England, your "church") to finish it off.