St Margaret Mary R C Church

The red sandstone facade of St Margaret Mary catches you off guard driving through Plymouth's quieter quarters - it's properly striking against the ordinary terraced houses. Built in the 1950s, this Roman Catholic church isn't your tourist-trap cathedral, but it's got genuine presence if you're interested in post-war ecclesiastical architecture.

Inside, the light comes through in ways that feel deliberate rather than accidental. The altar catches your eye immediately, and there's a restfulness to the space that most modern churches struggle to achieve. It's the sort of place where you can actually sit and think without feeling like you're in someone's way.

You won't spend hours here - thirty minutes maximum if you're actually looking at the details. But if you're staying out at Dartmoor Domes and fancying a cultural detour into Plymouth proper, it's worth a quick visit on a weekday morning when it's genuinely quiet. The area around it is ordinary residential Plymouth, so don't expect quaint streets or a cafe culture, but that's precisely why it feels authentic rather than packaged for visitors.

Worth the diversion? Only if you genuinely care about mid-twentieth century church design or you're the type who likes to duck into local places of worship wherever you travel. Otherwise, fine as a ten-minute stop between other Plymouth attractions, but not a reason to drive in from Dartmoor on its own.