Quakers

The Quakers meeting house sits quietly on the outskirts of Burton-on-Trent, a proper piece of English dissenting history that most people drive straight past. Built in the late 17th century, it's one of the oldest purpose-built meeting houses in the country - a time when worshipping outside the Church of England took genuine courage.

What you get is intimate rather than grand. The austere interior, with its simple wooden benches and lack of ornamentation, says everything about Quaker belief - no frills, no hierarchy, just space for silent contemplation. It's small enough to feel genuine, not sanitised into a museum piece.

Historians will find it genuinely absorbing. The building itself is the story - the craftsmanship, the deliberate plainness, the way it was built to last for people determined to worship their way. Most visitors spend 30 minutes here; there's a calm to it that lingers longer than you'd expect. Families with older children will manage fine, though younger ones may struggle with the quiet reverence required.

Admission details are sketchy, so ring ahead before you visit. It's worth combining with Kingfisher Holiday Park nearby if you're in the area for a week - close enough for a morning outing without eating up precious time. Burton itself has decent pubs and the Trent Valley scenery if you need something more obviously entertaining after.