THE P RTAL
Advent Supplement Page ii
Our Lady of the Annunciation King ’ s Lynn
Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady Of Walsingham 1897 - 1934
visited by Eliza Treblecock
As you speed to Walsingham on pilgrimage , be it a day or residential one , no doubt you curse the traffic jam that is usually found at King Lynn . I want to help you to think differently about this North Norfolk town . Called “ Lynn ” by locals it is a charming place , full of ancient and remarkable buildings .
designed by Pugin
The first Catholic church in Lynn since the Reformation was built in London Road in 1845 . Called St Mary ’ s it was designed by A . W . Pugin and opened in 1845 .
When Father George Wrigglesworth came to the King ’ s Lynn Mission in 1887 the church , having been built on poor foundations , had deteriorated to such an extent that urgent action was needed . Every effort was made to carry out satisfactory repairs but it eventually became clear that more drastic action was required .
small congregation
In 1888 Bishop Riddell of Northampton decided that the church should be demolished and a new one built . A subscription list was started and a public appeal was launched through the Catholic papers and magazines .
Fr George Wrigglesworth and his small congregation ( about 90 at the time and drawn from the whole of North West Norfolk ) had great difficulty raising the necessary funds . Nevertheless , Bishop Riddell laid the foundation stone on the 29th September 1896 .
50 guineas from the Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales ( later King Edward VII ) had drawn Fr Wrigglesworth ’ s attention to the discomfort suffered by royal guests at Sandringham when attending Mass in King ’ s Lynn . Learning of the necessity of building a new church , the Prince gave fifty guineas towards the building fund and the Kings of Spain and Italy also made donations . The new church was opened for worship on the 2nd June 1897 .
Fr George Wrigglesworth died suddenly on the 14th December 1900 , aged 49 years and a brass in his honour is mounted on the wall in the Shrine Chapel , which he had built at his own expense .
the re-ordering of the 1960s
In the re-ordering of the 1960s , panels formally in the reredos depicting the Annunciation were mounted on the north wall of the nave beside the former East Window . This shows Our Lady with the Child Jesus flanked by St Thomas Becket and St George .
The Font and the figures of the Rood also came from the Pugin church of St . Mary . Displayed on the rood beam is the coat of arms of Pope Leo XIII , the Spanish Royal family and King ’ s Lynn .
Coronation of Our Lady
The Stations of the Cross , were made in the Tyrol , and were installed in 1923 , when the church was redecorated . All the walls were painted and a large painting of the Coronation of Our Lady covered the wall behind the High Altar .