The Sacred Heart Church

The red-brick Victorian façade gives it away immediately - this is a proper period piece, standing rather proudly just outside Henley-on-Thames. The Sacred Heart Church is one of those solid, no-nonsense examples of 19th-century Catholic architecture that you stumble upon and think, 'Well, that's been here a while then.'

Inside, it's all high ceilings and that particular hush you get in churches built before anyone worried about acoustics. The interior details are worth a proper look if you're interested in the era - the kind of place where you'd spend twenty minutes taking in the craftsmanship and then feel you'd actually earned a cup of tea.

It works best for anyone with a genuine interest in Victorian ecclesiastical design or local religious history. Kids will tolerate it for about ten minutes before asking if there's a café. Fair enough, really.

If you're based at one of the nearby sites - Swiss Farm or Henley Four Oaks are practically on the doorstep - it's an easy walk into Henley proper, which is where the real action is anyway. The church itself is free to look around, though opening hours can be irregular, so check ahead or try your luck. It's the sort of place that fills a gap nicely between riverside walks and exploring the town, rather than being a day-long attraction in itself. Worth twenty minutes if you're passing through.