Walsingham Shirehall Museum

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.

Daffodil time

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.

Peak snowdrop!

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 Walks 2022

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.

Closed for deep winter

The Abbey Grounds, Shirehall Museum and Prison are now closed for the winter.

We look forward to reopening at the earliest sign of spring, with the snowdrops,  from Monday 24th January.

 

Opening hours in November

From Friday 5th November to Monday 29th November inclusive, we will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am-4pm and Monday 11am-3.30pm.

The Abbey Grounds will be closed from Tuesday 30th November to Sunday 23rd January 2022.

We expect to be able to reopen for our 2022 snowdrop season from Monday 24th January but this will be confirmed nearer the time.