History · St Hilary's House
Chapter six

A little history

Walsingham has drawn pilgrims for nearly a thousand years. In about 1061 the lady of the manor, Richeldis de Faverches, had a vision and built a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth here. By the Middle Ages, "England's Nazareth" ranked alongside Rome and Santiago, and pilgrims walked the last mile barefoot.

The priory was dissolved in 1538. Pilgrims returned in the 1920s, when Father Alfred Hope Patten revived the shrine. St Hilary's House belongs to that revival.

The house was built around 1934 by Mr Dagless, a local builder, as his own home, and was first called The Falcons. In 1945 it became St Hilary's, a children's home run by the Guardians of the Shrine. It took its name from the Cornish parish of St Hilary, where the home had begun. The home closed in 1977, and today the house welcomes holiday guests.

  1. c.1061

    Richeldis builds the Holy House

  2. 1538

    Priory dissolved under Henry VIII

  3. 1931

    The new Holy House is built at the Anglican Shrine

  4. c.1934

    “The Falcons” is built

  5. 1945

    Becomes St Hilary's children's home

  6. 1977

    The home closes

  7. 1982

    The light railway opens along the old line to Wells

Guests often ask

Why is there a shrine here?

Because of Richeldis's Holy House. For four centuries it made Walsingham one of the great pilgrim destinations of Europe, until Henry VIII closed it in 1538. In the 1920s and 30s both the Church of England and the Catholic Church re-founded shrines here. The Anglican Shrine is in the village and the Catholic Slipper Chapel is a mile south. An Orthodox church now occupies the old railway station.

What does it mean for a stay?

Pilgrims come in groups, mostly from Easter to October, and many arrive by coach. On big pilgrimage days and some evenings you may meet a procession in the streets. Outside those times the village is quiet, and in winter it is very peaceful. You don't need to be religious to enjoy it: the shrine gardens, cafés and shops are open to everyone, and they keep the village lively.

Planning around the busiest days? See the Anglican Shrine's events calendar.