St Laurence-In-Thanet Church, Ramsgate

The church sits quietly on a corner of Ramsgate, easy to walk past if you're not paying attention. St Laurence-In-Thanet is a proper medieval affair, all flint and stone with a tower that's been watching over this corner of Thanet for centuries. Inside, the space feels lived-in rather than museum-like, which is exactly what a working parish church should feel like.

History types will appreciate the medieval fabric and the accumulated layers of the place. There's nothing flashy about it, no major tourist crowds, just honest English church architecture and the kind of quiet you rarely find in seaside towns. It's the sort of spot where you can actually think for five minutes without someone trying to sell you rock or an ice cream.

It works best as a short stop rather than a destination in itself. If you're staying at Birchington Vale Holiday Park or Sandwich Leisure just up the road, it's a straightforward walk into Ramsgate's quieter quarters. Allow twenty minutes, thirty if you're the type who reads every plaque. Free to wander in during opening hours, though calling ahead wouldn't go amiss if you're making a special trip.

The real appeal? It's genuinely local and unselfconscious. You're seeing what residents actually worship in, not a heritage site playing dress-up. That matters more than you'd think, especially when you're after something real during a Kent coast holiday.