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[anglican shrine] |
Although in certain circles Walsingham's been as famous as Glastonbury for many years, I didn't really know about it until quite recently. Then, as is often the case, a number of apparently unrelated things happened all at once.
In an issue of Church Building I read about a new stone-carving for the new refectory building; I fell in love with Mechelen and I became aware that a new feast day was to be introduced in honour of Our Lady of Walsingham. There are more details on my pages on the Anglican and Catholic shrines, but in brief, Walsingham was a place of pilgrimage from the mediaeval period until the dissolution of the monasteries, The old shrine site was excavated and rebuilt during the early part of the twentieth century and regular pilgrimages started once more. It now houses two official shrines (although one is outside the village) and on 24 September 2001 the first feast day of Our Lady of Walsingham was celebrated.
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It seemed natural to visit to compare the atmosphere of Walsingham with similar continental locations I'd seen. On 24 September 2002, for the second feast day, we travelled to Walsingham and found a great deal more than we expected. We only had one day to spare and so were only able to spend a few hours in the village. The comparison is unfair, but to drive to Walsingham from where we live takes as long as getting to Mechelen on the Eurostar.
First stop was the Anglican Shrine. I already knew of the existence of the refectory, the Holy House and the statue but I was completely unprepared for the atmosphere in the place and the variety of little chapels. We also knew in advance about the service at the well in the shrine, which was very moving.
At this point we had only a short time for the museum and the gardens, which close at four. However, we returned early in 2003 to see the snowdrops and have more time in the museum, which has a room about the history of the shrine and pilgrimages together with a display of local history.
The gardens are extensive and, despite an apology for the damage caused by a recent storm, beautiful. We had the best of the evening light to see the ruins and trees, and found another well, although at the time we visited it was looking a little sorry for itself.
We next walked around the village: the area around Common Ground, Friday Market and Church Street is good for just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere. We made a brief foray to identify the start of what is the world's longest 10½" railway, but the last train had gone.
We drove - it was getting late - to the Slipper Chapel and the Catholic Shrine. The Slipper Chapel was the last stopping point for pilgrims to Walsingham and traditionally one would walk the last stage barefoot, hence (presumably) the name. There's a lot of fast traffic on the road out to Houghton St Giles, but there's a new "Pilgrims' Way" built along part of the old railway bed, which offers pedestrian and full diasbled access in safety. Ah well, next time. The stained glass in the chapel is beautiful and the shrine is wonderful.
By now dusk was falling, so we settled for a drink and a much-needed sit-down, followed by a drive round Wells and then a meal in Fakenham before heading for home. It would have been nice to eat in Walsingham but we were stuck in that odd limbo when the afternoon eateries have all closed and evening pub food hasn't started yet.
Over drinks we decided that we wanted to come back - as with Mechelen and Arundel, I found that this first trip just gave me the lie of the land. As well as going back to the bits we liked, there are several more churches in the area, the walk between the two shrines, a ride on the little railway to Wells and much more of the museum and Abbey Gardens than we had time for. It's also a nice place just to walk around, and there are plenty of other things to see and do in the area.
I hadn't been able to find a timetable for the events of the feast day. I could have phoned the pilgrim bureau but didn't and in a one day trip it didn't matter because we'd have missed the early part anyway.
As with Arundel and Mechelen, much of what happens is really only for people directly involved, and I fully respect that - in fact it's part of what I love most about these things. For the record, in 2002 there was a procession, which left the Catholic Church in Friday Market at 10:00 and walked the Holy Mile to the shrine. Check the arrangements before travelling, though.