Our Lady of Gillingham Church

The church sits on the high street in Gillingham, and you'll know it immediately by the sturdy Norman tower that's been anchoring this corner since the 12th century. Inside, the space opens up in a way that catches you off guard - all soaring arches and pale stone, with Victorian restoration work that actually respects what was here centuries before.

This is one for people who enjoy poking around church interiors properly, not rushing through. Architecture enthusiasts will spend a good half hour picking apart the different periods of construction - Norman elements rub shoulders with later medieval work and Victorian improvements. The tower itself is the real showstopper, a proper piece of medieval engineering that dominates the town's skyline.

Gillingham itself is unpretentious. It's not somewhere you'd trek across the county for alone, but combined with a stay at one of the local holiday parks - Kits Coty Glamping or Oak View are both highly rated and within easy reach - it makes sense as part of a broader Maidstone area exploration. You're twenty minutes from proper Kentish countryside and only marginally further from Rochester's bigger historical draw.

Allow yourself forty minutes here if you're genuinely interested in medieval church architecture. Bring a camera - the light through those windows is genuinely lovely. Check locally before visiting as opening times aren't always reliably posted, and admission is almost certainly free, though a donation box will be present.