Louth's top attraction – the tallest parish church spire in England – rises atop St James' Church, propped up by dramatic buttresses. The elbow-scraping climb up 198 steps to the top is rewarded by stellar views over the town and surrounding countryside. Captain John Smith, of Pocahontas fame, once worshipped here.

Opposite the churchyard at 47 Westgate, an archway leads to Westgate Pl and a row of impossibly cute terraced cottages, one of which bears a plaque commemorating the four years that Alfred Lord Tennyson spent here.