St Margaret's Church, Lee

The church sits quietly on the high street in Lee, a corner of southeast London that doesn't make it into the glossy travel guides. St Margaret's has been there since medieval times, though what you see today is largely Victorian restoration - the Victorians had a habit of tinkering with these places. Inside, the light comes through properly old windows and there's that particular smell of old wood and stone that never quite leaves you once you notice it. The interior is genuinely lovely if you care about parish church architecture. Worth a look if you're passing through Lee or staying at one of the nearby parks like Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping, which is only five miles away. Don't expect to spend hours here - twenty minutes will do unless you're deeply into ecclesiastical history. The churchyard is peaceful, the sort of place where you'll actually hear birds rather than just London traffic. It's free to wander around outside and the doors are usually open during daylight hours, though exact times seem to vary. For families with younger children, it's bit quiet and still for an afternoon out, but if you're already in the area exploring the wider Lee neighbourhood, the church is worth ducking into. The real value is in the walk itself through the village and the chance to see how ordinary southeast London actually looks beyond the tourist circuits.