Spite Row

A row of cottages built purely to block a rival's view - that's Spite Row for you. Stuck between Lathom and Ormskirk, these modest Victorian terraces were constructed by a landowner specifically to obstruct his neighbour's sightline to the countryside. It's petty, it's brilliant, and it actually happened.

The cottages themselves aren't going to stop you in your tracks architecturally. They're ordinary red-brick terraces that could sit on any Lancashire street. But the backstory is what makes it worth the detour. There's something darkly funny about spite given permanent form - about bearing a grudge so much you'll sink money into masonry just to prove a point. The locals know the tale well enough, though the exact details have blurred over generations, as these stories do.

This is really a spot for history enthusiasts and anyone after a bit of quirky British eccentricity rather than families after a full afternoon out. Twenty minutes, a decent photo, and you're done. You'll want to combine it with other things in the area - Lathom is close enough, and if you're based at somewhere like The Secret Garden Glamping six miles away, you could swing past while exploring the wider Lancashire countryside.

Free to look at from the street, obviously. No visitor centre, no café, just cottages with an attitude problem. Proper daft, but that's rather the point.