There is nothing that evokes a sense of heritage more than the parish churches of Britain. These historic treasures range from fabulous cathedrals, some of the most elaborate and effusive examples of medieval architecture, to isolated country churches, slumbering away the years amid quiet lanes and hedgerows. I love visiting the historic churches of Britain, and I hope that you will, too. Most of the churches in our gazetteer are those I have visited personally. Where possible I have included opening information and directions. Follow the links on this page to find more resources for church tourism and to learn more about historic church architecture and history.
Historic Churches in: Scotland | Wales | for England see individual counties menu
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Cathedrals in England | Wales
Illustrated Dictionary of Church History and Architecture
A visual guide to British Churches from Saxon to Victorian Gothic.
The Best Churches to Visit in Britain: a highly subjective rating of the most historic churches in Britain - those churches awarded the top score in our Heritage Rating scheme.
Learn more:
Glossary
of Medieval Church Architecture
Romanesque architecture
Gothic architecture:
Early English
Decorated
Perpendicular
The Medieval
Parish Church
Our picks among historic and architecturally interesting churches:
- Patrington, Yorkshire - the perfect Decorated Gothic church
- Lower Oddington, Gloucestershire - superb 'Doom' painting
- Pickering, Yorkshire - perhaps the finest wall paintings in England
- South Dalton, Yorkshire - a Victorian Gothic gem
- Stoke Dry, Rutland - unique wall paintings and Gunpowder Plot association
- Exton, Rutland - magnificent memorials
- Barfreston, Kent - arguably the finest Norman carvings in England
What about cathedrals?
Our favourites:
- Wells Cathedral, Somerset
- York Minster, Yorkshire
- Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
- Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire
- Canterbury Cathedral, Kent
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- County Durham
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- London
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Sussex
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Yorkshire
Normanton Church Museum
Normanton, Rutland
Normanton church is a Rutland icon. This lovely classical building stands on a narrow peninsula of land jutting out into Rutland Water. It was created by architect Thomas Cundy for …
Churches Conservation Trust
The CCT looks after over 340 redundant and historically important parish churches, offering free entry to visitors. See all Churches Conservation Trust properties >>
Church tourism
National and regional societies, charities, histories, and suggested regional resources
County Church Trusts
Many British counties and regions have a trust that cares for historic churches. This can be a great resource for finding interesting historic churches to visit.
Books and DVDs
The following list contains several books that we use regularly to plan trips and research historic churches. Links are to Amazon.co.uk
England's Thousand Best Churches
The Church Explorer's Handbook
How To Read A Church: A Guide to Images, Symbols and Meanings in Churches and Cathedrals
Church Architecture: A Glossary of Terms (Discovering)
Wales's Best One Hundred Churches
The "Daily Telegraph" Guide to England's Parish Churches (Daily Telegraph Guide)
1000 Churches to Visit in Scotland , published by The Scotland's Churches Scheme.
A Little History Of The English Country Church
Discovering the Smallest Churches in England
Discovering the Smallest Churches in Wales
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Medieval abbeys and monasteries
England | Scotland | Wales
