St Barnabas

The Victorian church of St Barnabas sits in a quiet corner of Leicestershire, a solid red-brick structure that wouldn't look out of place in a Midlands town of the 1880s. Inside, the architecture is proper authentic - high nave, decent stained glass, and the sort of peaceful atmosphere you only find in working parish churches that haven't been turned into luxury flats.

You're not looking at a spectacular ruin or some grand medieval cathedral here. St Barnabas is a real place of worship, and that's rather the point. The exterior has a straightforward Victorian solidity that appeals to architecture enthusiasts who care more about honest construction than theatrical gothic. If you're the type who enjoys tracking religious buildings across a region, this one's worth the detour from Leicester.

Walking around the grounds gives you a sense of how these churches anchored their communities, even if the immediate surroundings are fairly ordinary modern Leicestershire. The interior rewards a proper look if the doors are open - though visiting hours aren't guaranteed, so it's worth ringing ahead. Allow thirty minutes if you do get in.

If you're basing yourself at Fox's Furrow, five miles away, St Barnabas makes a gentle addition to a morning exploring the quieter ecclesiastical side of the East Midlands rather than a destination in itself. Best suited to church historians and anyone genuinely interested in Victorian religious architecture rather than casual tourists after a spectacular photo.