First Church of Christ, Scientist, Woking

The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Woking is an architectural oddity that stops you in your tracks. Built in 1907, it's one of Britain's earliest examples of modernist church design - all clean lines and geometric simplicity when the rest of the country was still obsessed with Gothic Revival fussiness. The exterior has a stark, almost austere quality that's genuinely striking.

Inside, the restraint continues. There's something quite meditative about the space - no ornate carvings or overwhelming decoration, just light and proportion. The building's radical simplicity was genuinely controversial when it went up. Worth a look if you're into early 20th-century architecture or just fancy somewhere genuinely quiet for ten minutes.

Admission details aren't straightforward, so ring ahead before you visit. Most Christian Science churches welcome visitors, though you might find it's only open for services. Allow maybe thirty minutes if you manage to get inside, though the exterior alone takes five.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Warren Farm is closest at 2.4 miles - it's a straightforward spin into Woking town centre. The church sits in a residential area rather than amid parkland, so don't expect countryside walks. Woking itself is pretty suburban. This is more of an architectural detour than a main event, the sort of thing you tick off if you're already in the area rather than plan a day trip around.