New Life Church

New Life Church in Northampton is a modern evangelical congregation that sits apart from the town's older ecclesiastical landmarks. It's the sort of place you'd visit if you're actually part of the congregation rather than a casual tourist looking to tick off historic churches - which is worth being honest about upfront.

The church serves the local Christian community with contemporary worship and teaching. Unlike Northampton's medieval parish churches with their centuries of stonework and stained glass, this is a working chapel for active believers. Sundays are the obvious time to attend a service, though opening hours for visitors outside services aren't widely publicised.

If you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Billing Aquadrome is barely three miles away, and Riverview Park and Blisworth Park are also close by - and you're after Sunday worship rather than architectural tourism, it's worth knowing about. Families attending services will find a contemporary environment, though this won't scratch the itch if you're after the kind of church experience that involves Norman arches and five centuries of local history.

For the average holiday park visitor doing a family tour of Northampton attractions, your time would be better spent at the town's Saxon church of Holy Sepulchre or wandering round the historic town centre. New Life Church is genuine and functional, but it's properly a church for churchgoers, not sightseers.