Once the rival of Canterbury as a pilgrimage destination, Little Walsingham remains one of the most important spiritual centres in the UK, filled with religious shrines. The origins date back to 1061, when the Anglo-Saxon noblewoman Lady Richeldis de Faverches experienced a Marian vision in which the Virgin Mary commissioned her to build a replica of the Holy Family’s house in Nazareth in commemoration of the Annunciation.

Walsingham Priory was established in the 12th century by the son of Lady Richeldis de Faverches, and attracted pilgrims from across the UK and Europe, including six English monarchs. The last to visit, Henry VIII, was responsible of the dissolution of the monasteries and the site fell into disrepair. The 14th century East Window is the most significant remaining part of the site, close to the newer private mansion ‘Walsingham Abbey’ and a court house.

The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was built in 1938, inspired by the restoration of pilgrimages to Walsingham in the 1920s by Father Alfred Hope Patten. Now three major pilgrimages take place each year, and it was voted by BBC Radio 4 listeners as their favourite spiritual place.

There was a service on when I visited so I couldn’t enter the main shrine, but there were many smaller ones throughout the building, in styles far more reminiscent of Orthodox churches than the Church of England.

The streets of Little Walsingham were much like many other English villages, but with far more shops selling devotional products.