Faringdon Baptist Church

The red-brick Baptist chapel on the High Street in Faringdon is one of those buildings you'd walk past a hundred times before actually stopping to look properly. Unassuming from outside - nothing fancy, no soaring spire - but inside it's genuinely worth ten minutes of your time if you're interested in Victorian chapel architecture or local religious history.

It's a working congregation, so you can't just wander in whenever you fancy. Best bet is to check service times or ring ahead to arrange a visit - the locals are usually keen to show people round. The interior has that lovely 19th-century simplicity that appeals to history types: original galleries, decent woodwork, and a real sense of how ordinary people actually worshipped, rather than the grand cathedral experience.

This isn't a major draw on its own, to be honest. You're not going to plan a day trip around it. But if you're staying at Faringdon Grange or The Real Campsite - both decent enough for a night or two in the area - and you've got an hour to kill before heading somewhere else, the church adds a bit of local colour to your wandering. Faringdon itself is a pleasant market town with decent pubs and cafés, so you can easily combine a quick look inside with a decent lunch.

Best visited mid-week when it's quieter, and definitely ring ahead first. Kids will probably get bored unless they're the type who like poking around old buildings.