Located in the English county of Norfolk, the village of Walsingham may not feature all that prominently on international tourist maps but for European and Christian travelers, the village is an essential stop during a tour of the UK and Europe. Here are a few other reasons that prompt people to go to Walsingham.
For pilgrimage
The village of Walsingham actually comprises of two individual villages called Great Walsingham and Little Walsingham which are virtually conjoined together. The village has been a major pilgrimage centre since the middle ages as it is home to shrines of Virgin Mary. It is claimed that Richeldis de Faverches, a Saxon noblewoman, had a vision in which she was instructed to honor the Annunciation by building a shire replicating the house of the Holy Family in Nazareth in Walsingham. Though the legend dated to 1061, the Doomsday Book makes no mention of the family name. In the eleventh century, Walsingham became a major centre of pilgrimage and remained one of the great places of pilgrimage in northern Europe through most of the Middle Ages
To visit medieval ruins
Egmere, the depopulated medieval village that adjoined the two villages of Walsingham is included in the civil parish of the area. This tiny parish consists of a mere 397 household spread over an 18.98 square kilometer area. The ruins of a couple of monastic houses from the medieval period are also located close to the village.
To experience English country life
Thanks to its population of fewer than 1000 people, Walsingham has been able to retain its char of a typical English village. The village boasts of most modern amenities though it remain an idyllic picture of the quintessential, slow paced English village that romance novels had mad popular through the world.
