Walsingham Abbey Grounds, Shirehall Museum, medieval Priory ruins and place of pilgrimage
From Monday 6th November to Tuesday 23rd January 2024, the Grounds and Museum will be closed.
The Abbey Grounds and the Shirehall will reopen on Wednesday 24th January 2023 which is also when the snowdrop season begins.
Throughout the snowdrop season, from Wednesday 23rd January to Sunday 3rd March, we will be open daily, 10am-4pm
Opening hours for the rest of March yet to be confirmed.
As the snowdrops come to an end each year, the daffodils and other lovely signs of spring start to take over.
Each day we see a few more of our huge collection of daffodils first starting to pop up with green shoots, and then starting to open. The first to flower is a little one called February Gold. Right on time for St David’s Day is a lovely patch in bloom in a sunny sheltered spot.
Wild garlic shoots emerge from among the snowdrops in the woods, bluebells start to come up.
The daffodil and narcissus season is with us from early March and lasts into early May.
Now that the snowdrops have reached their peak, we are expecting to be busy. Reaching their peak in perfect timing for half term!
Places to park: the Old Mill car park
Car parking also available in the Coach Park
Places for eating and drinking :
Walsingham Farms Shop – outdoor tables
Read & Digest Tearoom by The Old Pump indoor and outdoor tables, booking advised
The Bull Walsingham – pub in Common Place
Norton’s Café & Bar at The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Epiphany Walsingham café in the High Street
In Great Walsingham the cafe next to Walsingham Gallery & Framing is under new management and now called OBrennans – they are especially bike friendly!
Obrennans Coffee House & Café is at Great Walsingham Barns.
We are pleased to say that our snowdrop walks are now open.
From today Monday 23rd January we will be open daily up to and including Sunday 5th March, hours 10am-4pm.
As there have been some sharp frosts, especially at night, the snowdrops are not rushing ahead to bloom but are in their early stages. Some clumps are open where they catch the sun, while all around the grounds the green shoots of snowdrop leaves are popping up, and here and there among them, some of the patches of yellow aconites are also starting into flower.
We are delighted to say that we have already seen the first green snowdrop shoots above the ground, and that we will be open for snowdrops from Monday 23rd January. Please see our visitor information for more details.
We are also pleased to announce that our charity day this year will be on Saturday 11th February, in aid of the Benjamin Foundation.
The Benjamin Foundation is a charity working in Norfolk and Suffolk, supporting local young people to overcome challenges in their lives by providing opportunity, stability and independence, to help them feel hopeful of a better future. The Foundation is the regional partner for the End Youth Homelessness campaign.
The Estate is undertaking major tree works in the Dell as part of our programme of woodland management.
For safety reasons there will be no public access to the Dell from Monday 31st October.
The work is a mix of felling of diseased trees affected by ash die back, thinning, and safety work on large trees and boughs which overhang the road.
Fortunately we will be able to use much of the felled material as fuel for the biomass (wood chip) boiler at the Abbey. This boiler truly earns its keep, providing heating and hot water for six households both within and adjacent to the Abbey.
We are pleased to say that the Shirehall Museum will be open again from Saturday 30th July.
Museum entry is included with Abbey Grounds admission, with the entrance to the Museum accessible from inside the Abbey Grounds.
The Shirehall houses Walsingham’s completely original Georgian court room, you are free to explore it and to sit in the judge’s chair or imagine yourself a member of the jury, or the accused!
Pop upstairs (narrow staircase) to the public gallery to get a good view of the courtroom scene.
Also on display, an overview history of Walsingham pilgrimage and its revival, plus a snapshot of local village history together with items from the Norfolk Constabulary’s collections relating to 18th and 19th century policing, law and order.
We are in the last few days of our snowdrop season and the flowers are just beginning to fade. There is still plenty to see with lots of beautiful hellebores in full bloom and the earliest of the daffodils just beginning to come through.
Our opening hours are changing after Sunday 6th March. From Monday 7th March to Sunday 3rd April our opening hours will be Thursday-Sunday, 11am-4pm. (Closed Monday-Wednesday.) Entry at the High Street Gate.
We are thrilled to see the snowdrops once again reaching their peak flowering. As a result we are very busy this week (half term week).
We would like to remind visitors that when the weather is inclement, our paths may become wet and muddy. Please bear in mind that you will be walking across wet grassy meadows, in woodland and by a river and will need appropriate footwear to avoid slipping – wellies or trainers with good soles offering some grip are ideal.
We love to see children here enjoying themselves in the fresh air, gathering sticks and having fun, however do please remember that the ruins of Walsingham Abbey are a Scheduled Ancient Monument, the highest category of listed buildings. Please make sure that children do not climb on the ruins. This is for their safety as well as for conservation reasons. It may look like a pile of old stones, but they have been there for a long time and we want to keep it that way.
We try to keep prohibitive notices around the grounds to a minimum, relying on visitors’ common sense. Thank you for your understanding.
Snowdrop season 2022
We are delighted to say we have spotted the first snowdrops in the grounds, and that we will be open for snowdrop walks from Monday 24th January-Sunday 6th March, daily 10am-4pm.
Admission will be at the High Street Gate. We will be operating a one-way system to avoid congestion, with exit through The Shirehall Museum. Admission is £6 adult, £2.50 child 6-16 (under 6 free).
We are especially pleased to be opening the museum (and shop!) for the first time since March 2020.
Wearing face coverings is no longer a legal requirement indoors, but we would appreciate it if you would kindly wear a mask in the Museum and shop. Mask wearing is still recommended in confined spaces.
Dogs on leads are welcome.