St Thomas Of Canterbury & The English Martyrs

The church sits quietly on Royston's edges, a Victorian rebuild that replaced something far older. St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs is the full name - a mouthful that tells you straight away this isn't your average parish church. The Victorian architects were serious about the martyrs bit, and inside you'll find proper devotional detail: stained glass that actually stops you in your tracks, and the kind of altar work that suggests the congregation took their faith very seriously indeed.

It's worth a visit if you're into ecclesiastical architecture or you're curious about how 19th-century Catholics reclaimed their place in English towns. The craftsmanship is genuine. That said, it's not enormous, and you'll have seen what there is to see in twenty minutes - thirty if you're the type to read every inscription.

Staying at Guilden Gate Glamping just down the road (under three miles away) puts you in brilliant walking country. Royston itself has decent high street amenities, though it's no showstopper. If you're basing yourself at Shepreth Mill or Ashridge Farm for a proper caravan holiday in Hertfordshire, this church makes a sensible half-hour detour on a morning walk rather than a destination in itself. Free to enter as far as these things go, though do check ahead - opening times are a bit unclear. Go on a weekday morning when Royston's quieter and you won't have to dodge the school run.