Welcome to the Walsingham Page

Dear friends

Some of you will be aware that a party of eight of our members have been on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, a small village in Norfolk

It is a place of pilgrimage for many; Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox worship there, each in their own manner

The Anglican Shrine sits in the heart of the village, and is a unique place in Britain

Elaine has written a blog about the pilgrimage which will appear in an edition of The Rock later this year, but the blog and a collage of some of the photos are here - the blog is linked to the collage page

She has produced a powerpoint collage of photographs and videos taken during our time in Walsingham which has been converted to a video, uploaded to Youtube, and which can be viewed here

The tradition of the Shrine dates back to 1061, when a Saxon noblewoman, the Lady Richeldis de Faverches, was visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary, who took her in Spirit to the house in Nazareth where Mary had been told that she would become the Mother of Jesus

While there, Richeldis was asked to build a replica of this 'Holy House' in Walsingham, saying that

'All who seek me there will find succour'

Inside the Holy House

Pilgrimages to 'the new Nazareth' as it became known grew rapidly across Northern Europe, and for those from the northern parts of Britain, the Shrine of Our Lady in Egamanton became an intermediate stop on their route

The Holy House, and the associated Priory, which from its inception has welcomed everyone from commoners to kings, was destroyed in 1538 (even though Henry VIII, and both Queens Catherine and Anne had previously worshipped there), along with the rest of the religious foundations in England; accordinly the pilgrimages eased

In the late nineteenth century, Roman Catholic pilgrimages began, but it was not until 1921, with the arrival of Fr Alfred Hope Patten, that the revival of the Anglican pilgrimage began, and in 1931, the Shrine was was restored as 'The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Walsingham', with a replica of the Holy House formed, based on the illustration of the House on a mediaeval seal

Since then, the Shrine has grown in popularity as a place of worship, and as a place for rest, reflection and community