At the recommendation of Fr. Chandler Holder Jones, I read the biography of Alfred Hope Patten, recently published by SCM Press. It is a great book full of interesting information about Hope Patten and his associates, and all of the triumphs and failures associated with reestablishing the medieval shrine. Although he was marginalized during his lifetime for his beliefs, history has judged him to be one of the most important figures in the CofE of the 20th century, as Walsingham is now hugely succesful, and appeals to people of every type of churchmanship.
I think that the book is especially interesting from a planning and development perspective. How one man could bring about the restoration of the shrine, and raise the moral and financial support from various people to make it happen, is truly amazing. He established the shrine so it would be free from the control of hostile "protestant-minded" bishops, but also made it such that it could never be taken out of the CofE. He carefully and skillfully navigated the sometimes stormy waters of the CofE in the early part of the 20th century, when people strongly disagreed about matters of ceremonial and liturgy.
Regardless of whether or not you support the shrine and what it stands for, or if you support spikey anglo-catholicism, this is an inspiring book to read if you want to do something big, and make a dream a reality.
