Westminster Cathedral

Lonely Planet review

John Francis Bentley's 19th-century cathedral is a superb example of neo-Byzantine architecture: its distinctive candy-striped redbrick and white-stone tower features prominently on the west London skyline. This is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain.

Work on the cathedral started in 1895, and worshippers began attending in 1903, the church ran out of money and the interior has never been completed. In some ways, it's London's version of Gaudí's La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - a magnificent work in progress.

Remarkably few people think to look inside, but the interior is partly a stunning variety of 100 types of marble and mosaic and partly bare brick. The highly regarded stone carvings of the 14 Stations of the Cross (1918) by Eric Gill and the marvellously sombre atmosphere make this a welcome haven from the traffic outside. The views from the 83m-tall Campanile Bell Tower are impressive, and the fact that it has a lift will have you thanking the Heavens.

Seven Masses are said daily from Sunday to Friday and five on Saturday. There's a gift shop and a café here, open 10:00 to 16:30 daily.