The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

Pilgrims have been making their way to the shrine at Walsingham in Norfolk since the 11th century. A Saxon noblewoman, who was instructed in a vision of the Virgin Mary to build a replica of the holy family’s house in Nazareth, founded the shrine. Walsingham became known as England’s Nazareth and pilgrims flocked to the Shrine of Our Lady, until its destruction in 1538. A faithful few continued to visit, but the trickle became a flood in the last century when the shrine was restored and once again pilgrimage to Walsingham became a regular feature of Christian life.

Recognising some visitors today need help in understanding the concept of pilgrimage, the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham commissioned us to create inspiring interpretation for a new welcome centre. Central to the exhibition is the pilgrim road, an installation which charts pilgrimages to Walsingham down the centuries and leads to a miniature of the holy house. To prepare people for their visit, we designed a series of graphic panels about the shrine, accompanied by scrolls and books which explore the story in greater depth, and a touchscreen.

“Imagemakers got inside our vision of the Welcome Centre and helped us bring it to fruition in a way that speaks to both the first-time visitor to Walsingham and the experienced pilgrim.”

The interpretation has achieved its objectives: “Imagemakers got inside our vision of the Welcome Centre and helped us bring it to fruition in a way that speaks to both the first-time visitor to Walsingham and the experienced pilgrim” said Gill Austen, Retail and Heritage Consultant, “They listened and understood our complex and often conflicting requirements and accepted the sensitivities of working with deeply held beliefs. With Imagemakers’ expertise, we have been able to make the historical and religious aspects of the Shrine accessible to all visitors, and present them in an aesthetically beautiful way.”