The artisan community at Great Walsingham welcomes new business to The Barns; ‘Galadriel’s Mirror Antiques & Collectables’, as it continues to grow in popularity as a destination-stop for visitors to Walsingham, and the North Norfolk coast.
Shaun Brennan, co-owner of O’Brennan’s Café & Coffee House – recently awarded Best Café in Norfolk 2025 – said Galadriel’s Mirror is a great new, and lively addition to this welcoming community of shops, artist studios and galleries, helping to increase the location’s appeal to visitors and locals year-round.
He said, “We are very happy to have Galadriel’s Mirror at The Barns. It’s a beautiful shop! I love being in it. Great Walsingham is waking up as we continue to raise our profile. More and more visitors to Walsingham are realizing that it is worth the walk, or the short drive from Walsingham for quality shopping and great food throughout the year.”
Part of the Walsingham Estates, Great Walsingham Barns was once the location of small rural factories and workshops supporting the estate and its surrounding farms, such as The Old Forge, and The Old Smithy, both now refurbished holiday homes.
Since the revitalization program of rural buildings in Norfolk began in the late 80s, The Barns has grown to become central to the beautiful thriving village of Great Walsingham.
Co-owners of Galadriel’s Mirror Antiques, Chris & Alison Bird, recently returned to the UK after living in the USA, where they ran a very British vintage tearoom, called ‘The English Butler’, on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. They had never been to Norfolk before buying a home in Great Walsingham last year.
Alison said: “We literally stuck a pin in the map, and now are very happy to be here. The Barns were an attraction for us when we bought our home. We knew there would always be life there. When the unit next door to O’Brennan’s Café suddenly became available it seemed very synchronistic. We have always bought and sold antiques and consider ourselves proud custodians of enduring aesthetic artistry & craftsmanship.
The shop is named after Tolkien’s Elven Queen, and through Galadriel’s Mirror, we glimpse the past in our present and ponder the wisdom of the future. We believe there is a growing need to remember our roots and find comfort in nostalgic reminders of our social history.”
The Barns remain open through Autumn and Christmas and is closed on Mondays.