St Martin's Church, Epsom

The church sits right in Epsom town centre, a solid medieval structure that most people rush past on their way to the shops. St Martin's has real bones though - the building dates back to the 12th century, though it's been knocked about and rebuilt enough times that what you see today is a mix of periods. The interior is surprisingly spacious, with decent stained glass and that particular smell all old churches have: stone, dust, and something ineffably Anglican.

It's not a destination in itself, to be honest. You won't spend more than twenty minutes inside unless you're genuinely into ecclesiastical architecture. But if you're staying at one of the caravan parks scattered around Chessington - particularly Chessington World of Adventures Resort just down the road - and you fancy a break from the theme park chaos, this offers genuine peace and quiet. The churchyard is pleasant for a wander too.

The real value here is that it anchors Epsom's actual history. This town got famous for its salt springs and the racecourse, but St Martin's is what's left from before all that - a marker of something older. Worth popping into if you're exploring Epsom itself, especially if you've got kids who need calming down after Chessington. It's free, obviously, and you can usually just walk in during daylight hours. Don't expect queues or gift shops. Just a proper, working parish church doing what it's done for eight hundred years.