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A visitors guide to the village of Great Walsingham in Norfolk
located under seven miles from the North Norfolk Coast. One would assume
that with the term 'Great' included in a name that Great Walsingham
would be bigger than its sister Little Walsingham, however this is not
the case. Great Walsingham is significantly smaller and quieter
than its neighbour Little Walsingham,
which is where the Anglican and Roman Catholic shrines are
located.
Great Walsingham village sits in the vale of the river Stiffkey and
contains a handful of handsome houses, some with impressive timber
frames and others fine Georgian facades. One building of
particular note is the manor house Berry Hall a private residence which
dates from the 16th century complete with a Saxon moat.
It is worth visiting the pretty 14th century church of St. Peters, set
on a hill overlooking the valley. Inside the church’s tower are three
bells made in Kings Lynn between 1330 and 1350.There are also
particularly ugly gargoyles, and its worth risking neck ache to see
them. The pews within the church have decorative ends featuring strange
animals, apostles and angels. There are reference to the Black
Death of 1348 contained within the church, when it is said the entire
village of Great Walsingham upped sticks and moved across the ford.
For Holiday Accommodation in Great Walsingham - Self Catering - Holiday
Cottages - check out our Great Walsingham Holiday Accommodation Pages.
The seaside resort of Wells-next-the-sea
is four miles away and for provisions, inns and restaurants Little
Walsingham is under 1/2 a mile away. You can catch The Walsingham to
Wells Light Railway at Little Walsingham for a trip to the seaside,
onboard the longest 10¼" narrow gauge steam railway in the world.
The nearby village of Thursford is home to the 'Thursford Collection' an
attraction of steam organs, steam locomotives and mighty
Wurlitzer. Its annual Christmas extravaganza a combination
of carols dancing trumpeters marchers and community singing has world
wide appeal.
At the eastern most buttress of the
church south aisle, is a small round circle with lines shooting out from
a central hole, this is a scratch dial. A metal or wooden peg known as a
gnomon (Greek indicator) used to be placed inside the hole. The shadow
of which was used when it touched one of the radiating lines to indicate
to the priest that it was time for Mass.
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