St Mary Magdalene's Church, Bexhill-on-Sea

The church sits right in the heart of Bexhill, a proper Victorian seaside town that's seen better days but still has its charm. St Mary Magdalene's is the sort of building you'd walk past a dozen times without really noticing, which is precisely why it's worth stopping for. It's a solid Anglican parish church with genuine medieval bones - the chancel dates back to the 13th century, though the Victorians got their hands on it and gave it the full restoration treatment in the 1880s.

Inside, it's all the usual church things: some decent stained glass, a decent organ, that particular smell of old stone and polish that never quite washes out. The real draw is the archaeology rather than the aesthetics - this is a proper working church with centuries of local history baked into the walls. If you're into Victorian restoration work or just want to understand how ordinary Bexhill functioned beyond the seafront hotels, this is your spot.

It won't eat up your afternoon. Twenty minutes, half an hour if you're the type to read every memorial and squint at old plaques. Free entry, naturally. Combined with a stroll down to the seafront or a wander around Bexhill's Victorian streets, it makes sense. If you're camped at Park Holidays UK just up the road, it's worth the five-minute walk on a rainy afternoon when the beach feels a bit much. Don't expect revelations, but don't skip it either.