St Thomas à Becket's Church

The church sits in a quiet corner near Bognor Regis, dedicated to the archbishop who famously fell out with Henry II. It's a proper working parish church rather than a museum piece, which means you get the real feel of village worship rather than roped-off history.

Inside, there's decent medieval stonework if you know where to look, and the sort of peaceful atmosphere you only find in old churches on weekday afternoons. The setting itself is the main draw - it's the kind of place where you can actually imagine centuries of worshippers passing through the same door. Don't expect grand architecture or famous artwork. What you get instead is authenticity.

Really, this works best for people interested in religious history or those doing a serious Sussex church crawl. Children will find it dull within ten minutes unless they're already keen on that sort of thing. Families staying at nearby Haven Church Farm Holiday Village or Butlins Bognor Regis could slot it in as a quick morning visit before heading to the beach or theme parks.

The admission situation isn't entirely clear from the information available, so ring ahead or turn up during service times when it's definitely accessible. Allow twenty minutes maximum unless you're seriously into medieval architecture. It's the sort of place that rewards a brief stop rather than demanding hours of your time.