John explained that throughout the time of pilgrimage, Walsingham was a small village on the east bank of the river Stiffkey, stretching south from the church. In the meantime, pressure of pilgrimage caused the priory administering the Holy House to grow on the west bank. In the middle of the 16th century, the village expanded across the river to become what we now know as Little Walsingham. In the 19th century the old village was completely destroyed, leaving no signs of it except for the church and a few houses. John explained how and why all this happened,
