Stanley Spencer Gallery

The Stanley Spencer Gallery sits in Cookham, just outside Marlow, and it's basically a one-room shrine to one of Britain's strangest and most rewarding painters. Spencer spent most of his life in this village, and his work - religious scenes set in suburban gardens, his wife's face appearing in biblical tableaus, nudes that made 1930s gallery visitors deeply uncomfortable - fills the space with an intensity that's hard to shake.

You're looking at oils, drawings, and smaller pieces that chart his obsessions: the Resurrection, carnal love, domestic life, and the human body rendered in ways that feel both sacred and anarchic. It's not a massive collection, but that's rather the point. Spend an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're taking it seriously. Families with teenagers interested in art will find plenty to discuss. Young children will likely fidget.

The gallery is free to enter, though donations are welcomed. Opening hours vary seasonally, so check ahead before heading over from Marlow. It's a ten-minute drive from the town centre.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Hurleyford Farm or Shillingridge Glamping are both within a few miles - this makes an excellent rainy-day or culture-break option. Pair it with a walk along the Thames Path or lunch in Cookham village itself. Spencer's work can feel quite heavy, so follow it with something lighter. The combination of serious art and riverside walks around here works well: you get contemplation without pretension.