Salvation Army Church

The Salvation Army Church in Taunton is one of those Victorian buildings you walk past a hundred times before actually stopping to look properly. The red brick facade and modest entrance give nothing away, but inside there's a genuine sense of purpose that most modern churches struggle to convey.

It's a working place of worship rather than a tourist attraction, which means you'll want to check service times before turning up. The architecture reflects the practical, no-nonsense ethos of the Salvation Army itself - functional but dignified, with none of the gothic flourish you might expect. For anyone interested in Victorian social history or the role religious organisations played in industrial communities, it's genuinely worth an hour's wander around.

Taunton itself is compact enough to explore on foot, so if you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Haven Doniford Bay is closest at just over a mile away, or Warren Bay Holiday Village barely nine hundred metres off - you can easily pop into town and take in the church alongside the castle and town centre shops. Hoburne Blue Anchor is a bit further out but still within reasonable reach.

Honestly, this isn't a destination in itself. But if you're spending a week in one of the local parks with kids who need a change of scenery from the leisure facilities, a quiet walk into Taunton and a look around the church makes for a low-key afternoon. Park your car and leave the tourist trail behind for a bit.