Tattingstone Church

You'll find this odd little church hidden away in the Essex countryside east of Ipswich, and honestly, it's worth the detour if you're in the area. Tattingstone Church is famous for one thing: it's basically a theatrical folly dressed up as a church. Built in the 1790s, it was designed to look impressive from a distance across the parkland - the sort of architectural vanity project that makes you smile at the audacity of it all.

The interior is surprisingly genuine despite its showy exterior. There's proper Victorian restoration work, stained glass that catches the light nicely, and the kind of quiet atmosphere you get in rural churches where visitors are rare. Walk around the outside and you'll clock the slightly too-perfect proportions, the way it's positioned for maximum visual impact from the estate house. It feels like someone asked their architect to make a church that looked good from the drawing room window.

You won't need more than thirty minutes here unless you're seriously into 18th-century estate design or Victorian ecclesiastical history. The churchyard is pleasant enough for a wander. If you're staying at Strangers Holiday Park nearby - only four miles away - this makes an easy afternoon stop between longer walks or days at the coast. It's the sort of place that sticks with you not because it's grand, but because it's genuinely a bit barmy. Free to visit, no faffing about with opening hours or tickets. Just turn up.