A Guide to Walsingham: History, Pilgrimage and What to Do
Published by Willow Cottages Norfolk
There are few villages in England quite like Walsingham.
Set just a few miles inland from the North Norfolk coast, its narrow streets, medieval timber-framed buildings, ancient religious houses and quiet gardens tell a story stretching back almost a thousand years.
For centuries, pilgrims have travelled here from across Britain and beyond. Kings and queens walked its streets. Medieval inns and shops grew up to accommodate the crowds. Its great priory was destroyed during the Reformation, pilgrimage disappeared for hundreds of years — and then, remarkably, returned.
Today, Walsingham is once again one of Britain's most important places of Christian pilgrimage, but you certainly don't need to be religious to find it fascinating.
It is a beautiful and slightly mysterious Norfolk village filled with history, architecture, independent shops, good food and some unexpected things to see and do.
And if you are staying at Robin Hood Cottage in Little Walsingham, all of this extraordinary history is quite literally on your doorstep.
Why Is Walsingham Famous?
To understand Walsingham, you need to go back to 1061.
According to the Walsingham tradition, a local noblewoman named Richeldis de Faverches experienced a vision of the Virgin Mary, who showed her the house in Nazareth where the Annunciation had taken place and asked her to build a replica of it in Walsingham.
A small wooden Holy House was subsequently constructed and became a place of devotion and pilgrimage.
It was the beginning of an extraordinary story.
An Augustinian Priory was founded beside the Holy House in around 1153, and over the following centuries Walsingham became one of the great pilgrimage destinations of medieval Europe.
Thousands travelled here.
English monarchs were among them. Henry III visited repeatedly, and royal pilgrimages continued through the medieval period all the way to Henry VIII, who came to Walsingham before his later break with Rome.
Walsingham became known as:
England's Nazareth
It is an extraordinary thing to consider as you walk around today: this small Norfolk village was once one of the most celebrated religious destinations in Europe.
Visit Walsingham Abbey and Priory Ruins
If you visit only one historic site in Walsingham, make it the Walsingham Abbey Grounds.
Despite the name, Walsingham's medieval monastery was actually an Augustinian Priory, and the ruins sit within beautiful private grounds in the centre of Little Walsingham.
The dominant surviving feature is the enormous ruined East Window of the Priory Church.
Standing beneath it gives some idea of the scale of the medieval complex. The Priory Church itself was around 244 feet long and once surrounded the little Holy House that attracted pilgrims from across Europe.
Today you can wander through approximately 18 acres of grounds, following paths beside the River Stiffkey, through woodland, lawns and the remains of the medieval Priory.
Look out for the twin holy wells, the Norman arch, the remains of the refectory and the site of the original Holy House, now marked on the lawn.
The Abbey Grounds are peaceful at almost any time of year, but they become particularly beautiful during the snowdrop season, when carpets of flowers spread through the woodland in late winter.
Don't miss the Shirehall Museum
Admission to the grounds also includes the fascinating Shirehall Museum.
The building contains one of the country's surviving original Georgian courtrooms, and visitors can sit in the judge's chair, enter the dock and learn about Walsingham's later role as a legal and administrative centre.
It is an unexpected second chapter to the Walsingham story.
After medieval pilgrimage disappeared, the village reinvented itself as a market town and centre of law and administration.
What Happened to Medieval Walsingham?
The medieval pilgrimage came to a dramatic end in 1538 during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Both Walsingham's Augustinian Priory and Franciscan Friary were dissolved.
The original shrine was destroyed and the famous medieval statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was taken away to London.
For almost four centuries, organised pilgrimage to Walsingham effectively disappeared.
Yet much of the village survived.
Look carefully as you walk around Little Walsingham and you can still see medieval timber-framed buildings, later Georgian façades and streets whose unusual layout is itself a legacy of pilgrimage.
During the 13th century, the centre of Walsingham shifted towards the Priory and was laid out in a distinctive grid pattern designed partly to cater for the enormous numbers of visiting pilgrims.
In other words, tourism has been shaping Walsingham for around 800 years.
The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
One of the most remarkable chapters in the story began in the 20th century.
In 1921, Father Alfred Hope Patten became the Anglican vicar of Walsingham and set about reviving pilgrimage to the village.
A new statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, modelled on the image shown on the seal of the medieval Priory, was created in 1922. A new Shrine Church followed, opening in 1931.
At its centre stands another Holy House, built in memory of the medieval shrine.
Today the Anglican Shrine is a fascinating complex of chapels, gardens and buildings sitting right in the heart of Little Walsingham.
Whether you visit as a pilgrim or simply as someone interested in architecture and history, it is well worth stepping inside.
The atmosphere is noticeably different from almost anywhere else in Norfolk.
The Catholic National Shrine and the Slipper Chapel
Walsingham also has an enormously important place in modern Roman Catholic pilgrimage.
About a mile south of the village at Houghton St Giles stands the medieval Slipper Chapel.
The tiny 14th-century chapel traditionally stood near the final stage of the pilgrims' route into medieval Walsingham. It became known as the Slipper Chapel because pilgrims were traditionally said to remove their shoes there before completing the last part of their journey to the shrine.
In 1934, it was declared the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady in England during a major pilgrimage involving around 10,000 pilgrims.
In 2015, Pope Francis granted the shrine the status of a Minor Basilica.
The Catholic Shrine complex today includes the historic Slipper Chapel, the large Chapel of Reconciliation, gardens and other pilgrimage facilities.
Walk the Holy Mile
One of the loveliest ways to understand the relationship between the Catholic Shrine and Walsingham is to walk between them.
The traditional route from the Slipper Chapel into Little Walsingham is known as the Holy Mile.
Pilgrims have walked this approach to Walsingham for centuries, and organised groups still process along it today.
You don't have to be taking part in a pilgrimage to appreciate the experience. Walking quietly through the Norfolk countryside towards a village whose entire history has been shaped by people making exactly that journey gives Walsingham an unusual sense of continuity.
Ride the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway
Walsingham's next surprise could hardly be more different.
From the village you can board the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway, a wonderfully eccentric narrow-gauge heritage railway connecting Walsingham with Wells-next-the-Sea.
The railway follows approximately four miles of the route of the former Great Eastern Railway branch line between the two towns.
The present railway opened in 1982 and operates on a gauge of just 10¼ inches — making it the longest railway of that gauge in the world.
The journey winds through open Norfolk countryside before reaching Wells-next-the-Sea.
It makes for a lovely day out, particularly with children: take the train from Walsingham, spend a few hours exploring Wells, perhaps have lunch or walk along the quay, and then return by train.
Check the railway's current timetable before travelling, as services are seasonal.
Look Inside St Mary's and All Saints Church
The parish church of St Mary's and All Saints stands slightly apart from the present centre of Little Walsingham, on the other side of the River Stiffkey.
This is close to the original Anglo-Saxon settlement of Walsingham Parva.
From the outside it appears to be an ancient Norfolk church — and much of it is — but its interior tells a much more dramatic story.
On 14 July 1961, the church was almost completely destroyed by fire. The medieval tower, south porch and remarkable font survived, but much of the rest had to be reconstructed between 1961 and 1964.
The result is fascinating: a medieval exterior surrounding a striking 20th-century interior.
Look particularly at the medieval Seven Sacraments font, considered one of the finest in Norfolk, and the modern East Window telling the story of Walsingham.
Wander Rather Than Rush
One of the nicest things about staying in Walsingham rather than simply visiting for the day is that you don't need to treat the village as a checklist.
Walk slowly.
Look upwards.
Around Common Place, the High Street and Friday Market, medieval timber frames sit behind later façades. Some houses date from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Common Place itself contains the unusual old octagonal pump house, while the street pattern around you still reflects the medieval village that developed to feed, house and serve pilgrims.
There were once even two separate markets, with rival market areas connected to the Augustinian Priory and Franciscan Friary.
The names survive today: Common Place and Friday Market.
This is one of those villages where the buildings make much more sense once you know the story behind them.
Have Lunch or Dinner at The Black Lion
After exploring several centuries of Walsingham history, the Black Lion is an appropriately historic place for lunch or dinner.
Standing in Friday Market, the Black Lion is one of the oldest buildings in the village.
It became a coaching inn during the 17th century, and in the 18th century the local Petty Sessions were held there before eventually moving to the Shirehall in 1861.
Today it is a Grade II-listed hotel, pub and restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
There is also a lovely Willow Cottages connection: since 2023 the Black Lion has been run by Izzy and Andy from The Carpenters Arms in Wighton, another of our favourite local pubs.
It is precisely the sort of place that makes staying in a village so enjoyable: you can spend the day exploring and then walk out for dinner without needing the car.
Booking ahead for dinner is sensible.
Stock Up at Walsingham Farm Shop
For guests staying at Robin Hood Cottage, Walsingham Farm Shop is another local favourite.
Set in Guild Street in the village, it combines an excellent butchery with a deli and shelves full of Norfolk produce.
Expect local meat and game, homemade pies and pasties, soups and ready meals, breads, Norfolk cheeses, fruit and vegetables and locally produced beers and wines.
For a self-catering stay, it is one of those places that makes putting together a very good supper remarkably easy.
Buy a pie, some vegetables, Norfolk cheese and a bottle of something local and you are essentially done.
Discover Walsingham's Other Religious Traditions
One of the most interesting things about modern Walsingham is that its religious story doesn't end with the Anglican and Roman Catholic shrines.
The village is also home to an Orthodox Christian presence.
At the former railway station you will find St Seraphim's Orthodox Chapel, together with a small railway heritage museum and quiet garden.
It is another example of what makes Walsingham so unusual: within a very small Norfolk village are layers of Anglican, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian history sitting alongside medieval ruins, pubs, houses and ordinary village life.
Walk to Great Walsingham
Walsingham is actually two neighbouring villages: Little Walsingham and Great Walsingham, roughly a mile apart.
Most of the famous pilgrimage sites are in and around Little Walsingham, but Great Walsingham is well worth exploring too.
It is quieter and more rural, with pretty houses and St Peter's Church, an unusually well-preserved medieval church containing a remarkable collection of carved 15th-century bench ends and pews.
It's a lovely extension to a village walk and provides a completely different atmosphere from the busier pilgrimage centre.
Our Perfect Day in Walsingham
If you are staying at Robin Hood Cottage, there is no real need for the car.
Start the morning with a wander through Little Walsingham while the village is quiet.
Visit the Abbey Grounds and Shirehall Museum, allowing plenty of time to walk beside the river and explore the ruins.
Then step inside the Anglican Shrine before wandering through Common Place and Friday Market.
Stop for lunch at the Black Lion, or pick something up from Walsingham Farm Shop for later.
In the afternoon, visit St Mary's and All Saints, walk towards Great Walsingham or — if the railway is running — take the little train across the countryside towards Wells.
Finish the day back in the village with dinner at the Black Lion and walk home.
It's a wonderfully relaxed way to experience a place that many visitors see only briefly.
Staying in Walsingham
For us, Walsingham isn't simply somewhere to visit.
It is home to Robin Hood Cottage, one of our three Willow Cottages Norfolk properties.
The cottage sits in historic Little Walsingham, placing guests within walking distance of much of what makes the village special.
That means you can experience Walsingham differently from a day visitor: an early morning walk through virtually empty streets, the bells and sounds of the village during the day, dinner at the pub and an evening stroll after most visitors have left.
And although Walsingham feels wonderfully tucked away, the North Norfolk coast is only a few miles away.
Wells-next-the-Sea, Holkham, Blakeney, Cley-next-the-Sea and Burnham Market can all be easily combined with a stay here.
It is an unusual base for a North Norfolk holiday — and that is precisely why we love it.
Willow Cottages Norfolk — luxury holiday cottages in Wighton, Binham and Little Walsingham, perfectly placed for discovering the history, coast, villages and extraordinary landscapes of North Norfolk.
