26 August 2012 Last updated at 03:08

In pictures: Britain's hidden churches

According to English Heritage, the song of a wren singing at Furness Abbey in Cumbria so inspired William Wordsworth that he said: "I could have dwelling-place and lived for ever there." The abbey was founded by Stephen, later King of England, in 1124. Earlier this year, archaeologists found a hoard of medieval treasures on the site.

St Blanes Church, Kingarth (c) Historic Scotland

Turn left at the Kingarth Hotel on the Isle of Bute and follow three miles of single-track road and you will find the beautiful ruined remains of St Blane's Church, a place that Scottish National Heritage says is "charming and tranquil". The beautiful 12th Century Romanesque ruin is certainly remote. It was built on the site of an 8th Century monastery, the remains of which are still visible on the site.

Ty Chapel stands alone in an upland position at the head of a valley above Betws-y-Coed, north Wales. This tiny church served a community that developed around the valley's slate quarry. By the early 20th Century, the mines and quarries closed and the miners drifted away, leaving the chapel abandoned. The Landmark Trust has now renovated the property and lets it out to tourists.

Hidden away in Shropshire's countryside, Langley Chapel is set all alone. English Heritage, which is responsible for this tiny property, has maintained its humble but "perfect" set of 17th Century timber furnishings, including a musicians' pew.

Nendrum Monastery was founded with the blessing of St Patrick and was "at its prime in the year 1000", according to the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. The remains of this pre-Norman monastery include three concentric stone walls, a ruined church, the foundations of several other buildings and even a sundial.

The church of All Saints Llangar in North Wales is a rare example of a church untouched by Victorian restoration, according to Cadw, the Welsh government's historic environment service. The structure is estimated to date from the 14th Century. The painting of a giant skeleton with its winged hour-glass and arrow is a figure representing death, which was probably painted in 1748.

Slemish Mountain (c) Northern Ireland Tourist Board

It is not a church, but Slemish Mountain in Co Antrim has great religious significance. It is the legendary first known Irish home of St Patrick. The mountain rises about 1,500ft (450m) above the surrounding plain, and it is actually the central core of an extinct volcano. According to legend, following his capture and being brought as a slave to Ireland, Patrick worked as a shepherd at Slemish Mountain for about six years.