Friends of Walsingham Occasional Paper Number 1 July 1955
Friends of Walsingham
Occasional Paper 1
The requests for an Occasional Paper in
connection with the Shrine of Our Lady of
Walsingham have come from many people,
and so we at last bow to this demand and send
out the first paper.
The Whit Monday Pilgrimage was a most happy affair, blessed with glorious weather, and there were
more people than for several years past. These came from such places as London, Watford, Norwich,
Hitchin, Letchworth, Bury St Edmund’s, Caister, Lincoln, Wainfleet, Huntingdon, Boston, Oxford. The
arrangements made to cope with 1400 pilgrims seemed to work smoothly, and the way the buffet
lunches and teas were handled by the usual willing helpers was the admiration of all. Over 500 people
were served in under half-an-hour. The sermon was preached by Fr Whitworth SSJE, and again this was
pronounced the best for many years. He told us that devotion to Mary was little known in the Church of
England as a whole, and that it was our duty and privilege to share our love and thankfulness for and to
her with other people. We were to become apostles of Walsingham and what better job could we do, for
does not the Shrine stand to proclaim the great fact that God became man, and surely everything for us
Christians follows from this?
The plans for the Sisters’ Convent have passed the Walsingham Rural District Council; a start has now
been made and the walls are slowly rising.
Walsingham Sewerage: The inhabitants living along the narrow streets of Walsingham have had a very
noisy time lately as the local Council is busy putting in a sewerage plant for these two places, namely
Great and Little Walsingham. The plans were made many years ago and had to be postponed in being
put into operation due to an embargo on works of a capital nature by the central Government. After
much agitation on the part of our local Councillors and the working out of a memorandum giving details
of the number of people both staying in and visiting Walsingham, the central Government was convinced
of the urgency of the matter and work is now progressing. It will cost somewhere in the nature of
£60,000, so before long we should be able to provide water closets. So we progress.
Hospice Extension: The plans for the extension of the Hospice have now been drawn and are before the
local Council as we write. They show that the Shrine Shop will be moved a little to the east and the
private entrance to the Hospice garden will have a brick gateway with a large sitting room over etc. At
the west end where the Shrine Shop now is will come lavatories approached from the garden, and on the
first and second floors we shall get accommodation for just over 20 more pilgrims. These rooms for the
most part will be furnished with wash basins with hot and cold water. There will also be three bathrooms
and a men’s sitting room. It will indeed be a great blessing to get these extra rooms which have been so
badly needed for so many years. We are indebted for all this to a most generous benefactor who is
providing £10,00 for this work. Please say a prayer of thanksgiving.
Cottages: We are taking advantage of the Government grants to improve many of the Shrine cottages.
The tenants will now have hot and cold water and indoor sanitation – the first time for many in their
lives.
A New Memorial: The Memorial to William Frary, the late beadle and gardener of the Shrine, is almost
finished. It stands near the pilgrims’ refectory, and as people visiting the Shrine pass it a tablet will be
seen asking for prayers for the repose of his soul.