Saint Mary of the Angels RC Church

The red sandstone facade of Saint Mary of the Angels catches you off guard as you turn onto the street in Chester. This is proper Victorian Gothic, all buttresses and pointed arches, built with the kind of serious conviction you don't often see in modern churches. Step inside and the space opens up - soaring columns, elaborate tilework, stained glass that actually stops you in your tracks. It's a working Catholic church, so you need to be respectful of service times, but outside of those you can usually get a quiet look around.

Who gets the most out of it? Architecture enthusiasts, really. If you know your Victorians and can appreciate the craftsmanship in the stonework and decoration, you'll spend a proper half hour here. History types will clock the significance - this was built when Catholics were finding their feet again in England. Families might struggle to keep kids entertained for long; it's not interactive, and there's nowhere to sit down for a rest.

The church sits about four miles from both Oakwood Farm Touring Park and Chester Fairoaks, so it's an easy morning wander if you're based at either site. Combine it with a stroll through Chester itself - the cathedral and Roman walls are the real draw for most visitors. Don't go out of your way purely for this church, but if you're in the city anyway, it's worth the twenty-minute detour to see what proper Victorian religious architecture looks like when money was spent properly.