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A Jewel in the Crown of Suffolk

Surrounded by countryside with 1,000 years of history to explore, Bury St Edmunds is the home of Saint Edmund, the original patron Saint of England.

In Medieval times, The Abbey of St Edmund was one of the richest, largest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England and people came from all over Europe to visit St Edmund's Shrine. The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 and Edmund’s final resting place is a great mystery; some believe he is buried somewhere within the Abbey precincts!

Bury St Edmunds is known as Suffolk's Foodie Capital with everything from award-winning fine dining to quality Suffolk home-cooked pub grub each with their own unique atmosphere. For beer lovers, Greene King has been brewing beer in Bury St Edmunds for more than 200 years. Shopping in Bury St Edmunds offers plenty of choice with a great mix of fantastic independents and High Street favourites. There are beautiful outdoor spaces to explore and a plentiful arts scene including theatre, live music, film and art.

Explore Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds is known for its history, it's beautiful outside spaces, it's great mix of independent & High Street favourite shops and for being Suffolk's Foodie Capital with its fantastic eateries. We are a dog friendly town with many places welcoming our four-legged visitors.

Bury St Edmunds TV

Take a look at our latest films to get inspiration for your next trip to Bury St Edmunds and Beyond!

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Spooky Bury St Edmunds

If you like ghost stories and Halloween, you'll love visiting Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, known as one of the most haunted towns in England! From ghostly medieval monks to the legend of St Edmund and from mysterious underground tunnels to the infamous Grey Lady who haunts many of the shops and eateries, this historical town offers chills and spooky thrills galore.

With 1,000 years of history, there are ghostly tales and legends in every street. It's the perfect place to spend Halloween and enjoy a spooky stay through Autumn and Winter in the UK.

There's a weekly ghost tour from Halloween to the end of March, spooky events for children and families, pumpkins patches to visit and eerie churchyards and streets to wander.

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Masters of The Air

Over the course of 9 episodes, the TV series Masters of The Air, based on the book by Donald L Miller, will tell the legendary story of the American Eighth Air Force, a bomber unit put together shortly after Pearl Harbor and sent to bases in the East of England, including RAF Bury St Edmunds, which became home to the 94th Bomb Group.

In Bury St Edmunds, you can visit the airbase, now the Rougham Control Tower Aviation Museum, to discover the personal stories of US personnel based there and those that tragically lost their lives. You can also visit the Royal Observer Corps Operations Room (the only surviving centre of its kind in the UK) at Bury St Edmunds Guildhall which relayed messages to Rougham during WWII keeping the skies safe over the town.

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Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds

Enjoy a weekend break with your 4-legged friend and plan a visit to Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds!

With dog-friendly accommodation, cafes and restaurants, plus attractions and days out that your pooch will love, the historic town and surrounding towns and villages are the ideal place to enjoy a short break or holiday with every member of the family - including the furry variety!

There are dog friendly places to stay, dog friendly cafes, and dog friendly parks and attractions throughout Bury St Edmunds! The town has its own Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds scheme to let visitors know where you can bring your four-legged pal.

Visit our Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds Guide to find out more.

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Celebrating 1,000 Years of the Abbey of St Edmund

A year of celebrations to mark 1,000 years since the founding of the Abbey of St Edmund in Bury St Edmunds by King Cnut took place in Bury St Edmunds in 2022.

Events included Anniversary Walking Tours, Pilgrimages, a free Abbey 1000 Heritage Trail, an Exhibition of Abbey Manuscripts in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, a BioBlitz, a Sculpture Exhibition within the Abbey Ruins, concerts, talks, a flower exhibition, a schools heritage project, community art, an exhibition on the Abbey in Moyse’s Hall Museum, and a picnic in the park. The grand finale was the St Edmund’s Day Weekend Spectacular in which over 10,000 people watched as innovative 3D projections appeared on the historic Norman Tower and the Cathedral Tower, telling the story of the Abbey and St Edmund, with an enchanting light trail through the Abbey Ruins.

Film by Misha Panov.

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Christmas in Bury St Edmunds

Christmas in Bury St Edmunds is magical! With award-winning food & drink, cosy hotels, wintery walks and fantastic shopping...

Celebrate the festive season in the historic and unique town of Bury St Edmunds; the jewel in Suffolk's crown.

Whether you want to whisk your loved one away, take your little ones to meet Santa, enjoy a magical family day out or simply leave the madness behind and escape this festive season, Bury St Edmunds & Beyond is the perfect place to spend Christmas.

Christmas in Bury St Edmunds is magical. With award-winning festive fayre to tuck into in Suffolk's Foodie Capital, high street brands and independent shops for Christmas gifts, and a range of cosy places to snuggle up in.

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Uniquely Bury St Edmunds

Visit the unique town of Bury St Edmunds this autumn and winter

Looking for an autumn or winter break? With over 1000 years of history, great shopping, award-winning food & drink, unique attractions and places to stay, Bury St Edmunds is the ideal weekend getaway destination!

If you're looking for a unique and authentic staycation, you're sure to find it in Bury St Edmunds in the heart of the Suffolk countryside.

Visit a brewery, whose history goes back to 1086; watch a show in the last surviving Regency playhouse; stay in a hotel room frequented by William Shakespeare and discover the town's 1000 past and a unique part of English history.

Whether you're a couple looking for a romantic weekend away, a family looking for a memory-making break or friends looking to enjoy the town's award-winning food & drink, great shopping and cultural experiences - then Bury St Edmunds is for you!

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Uniquely Bury St Edmunds - Shopping

Looking for an autumn or winter break? With over 1000 years of history, great shopping, award-winning food & drink, unique attractions and places to stay, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk is the ideal weekend getaway destination!

While away a day exploring the 200 stores that line the picturesque medieval streets, and elegant Georgian squares.

From clothes to kitchenware, shopping in Bury St Edmunds offers something for everyone - all within an easy walking distance in beautiful surroundings.

As well as favourite High Street brands, Bury St Edmunds has a host of independent and unique shops that you won't find anywhere else.

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Uniquely Bury St Edmunds - For Foodies

Indulge your appetite with award-winning fine dining to quality Suffolk home-cooked pub grub and from cocktail to gin bars, there are a huge number of places to eat and drink each with their own unique atmosphere.

Whether it’s a family get together or a romantic meal, finding the perfect place to eat in Bury St Edmunds is easy as there are so many choices to tempt your taste buds.

You can easily while away an afternoon or evening with friends in Suffolk's Foodie Capital, which is home to the county's only Michelin-starred restaurant.

The annual Bury St Edmunds Food and Drink Festival held in August is a veritable feast of delicious dishes try and buy together with demonstrations by chefs.

If you enjoy a tipple then look out for our local beverages to try. For beer lovers, Greene King has been brewing beer in Bury St Edmunds for more than 200 years and their beverages can be found in pubs and bars across the town. With an unrivalled brewing history dating back 1,000 years, Bury St Edmunds is the perfect place to experience delicious real ale and unique craft beer with the Bury Ale Trail.

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Bury St Edmunds and Beyond - A Jewel in the Crown of Suffolk

Bury St Edmunds offers visitors 1,000 years of history to explore, award-winning restaurants, fantastic shopping, annual festivals, and stunning parks.

Admire the magnificent St Edmundsbury Cathedral, take a walking tour and discover the legend of St Edmund, and stand among the ruins of the 11th Century Abbey of St Edmund,set in the stunning Abbey Gardens. Visit the final resting place of Mary Tudor, Queen of France and sister of King Henry VIII at St Mary’s Church, and marvel at the Norman Tower, the oldest Norman building in England.

From saints to queens and brewing to Charles Dickens, its impressive historical connections earn Bury St Edmunds its title as 'a jewel in the crown of Suffolk', witnessing intrigue, scandal and greatness in equal measure.

Enjoy the many walking trails and cycling routes in and around the town and enjoy a ghost tour during the autumn and winter months.

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Creating the Pilgrims Sculpture

Suffolk wood carver John Williams creating the beautiful 'Pilgrims' sculpture for the Abbey 1000 celebrations in Bury St Edmunds.

Many residents and visitors saw John carving the sculpture from pine donated by Nowton Park outside opposite the aviary in the Abbey Gardens over six months in 2021.

The sculpture shows a variety of Medieval pilgrims who came through the centuries to visit the shrine of St Edmund in the Abbey, John has created the shape of the sculpture to reflect the contours of the ruins.

Video shared here by kind permission of BBC Radio Suffolk.

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Visit the Ruins of the Abbey

In Medieval times, The Abbey of St Edmund in Bury St Edmunds was one of the richest, largest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. People came from all over England and Europe to visit the Shrine of St Edmund and it became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage locations in England, visited by royalty.

Near the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmunds, nestled in the Abbey Gardens, is ‘Our Liberty’, a lasting memorial to Bury St Edmunds’ link to the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta is widely recognised as one of the most important documents in the world and Bury St Edmunds played a very crucial role in its creation.

The people of Bury St Edmunds have celebrated this link for hundreds of years with the town’s motto ‘Shrine of the King, Cradle of the Law’, which refers to our historic links with King Edmund (the first patron saint of England) and the creation of the Magna Carta.

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Saint Edmund

Bury St Edmunds takes its name from King Edmund, the original Patron Saint of England and King of East Anglia, whose shrine at the Abbey of St Edmund was once one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage sites in England.

The brave King Edmund was killed by Danish invaders on 20 November 869 after refusing to denounce his Christianity. In 1020, King Canute had a stone church built for Edmund's body and the first abbots arrived. This was the beginning of the Abbey of St Edmund and it became a site of great pilgrimage as people from all over Europe came to visit St Edmund’s shrine.

The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 and it is a great mystery where St Edmund's remains were moved to. Some say he is buried somewhere in the Abbey precinct!

St Edmund's Day is celebrated around the world every year on November 20th.

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Tour Bury St Edmunds

Secrets, stories and scandals are yours for the asking on the daily official historic walking tour of Bury St Edmunds

This 90-minute walking tour of the historic centre of Bury St Edmunds includes all the great attractions and photo spots! Take in the Abbey Gate, the award-winning Abbey Gardens and the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmund, the statue of St Edmund, the Norman Tower, the magnificent St Edmundsbury Cathedral, St Mary’s Churchyard, and more!

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St Edmundsbury Cathedral

For over 1,000 years, the site of Suffolk ’s Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds has been one of worship and pilgrimage.

The death of Edmund, King of the East Angles, at the hands of the Danes in 869 led to the building of an abbey to house his remains. St James’s Church was built within the precincts of the Abbey, becoming a Cathedral in 1914.

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Discover the Abbey Gardens

The award-winning 14-acre Abbey Gardens is on the site of the former Benedictine Abbey, the Abbey of St Edmund, once one of the richest, largest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. People came from all over England and further afield to visit the Shrine of St Edmund and it became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage locations in England, visited by royalty.

Internationally renowned for its colourful and attractive displays and the heritage of its backdrop make the gardens a very special place to visit and visitors come from all over the world to see it. According to VisitEngland, the Abbey Gardens and ruins in Bury St Edmunds is in the top 5 most visited free attractions in England!

Approximately 20,000 plants are bedded out in the spring for the summer display plus 12,000 plants and 20,000 bulbs in the autumn for the spring display.

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Moyse's Hall Museum

This beautiful medieval museum in the heart of Bury St Edmunds houses rich and eclectic collections and changing exhibitions, and hosts events ranging from themed craft workshops for all the family to historical talks and lectures.

The Museum's ground floor not only features six Terrible Tales by Terry Deary, best-selling author and creator of the hugely popular Horrible Histories books, but also some grisly and gruesome interactive displays for children and adults. Every story links back to an artefact, bringing the museum’s stories to life.

Moyse's Hall Museum is also known as home to a world class collection of exquisite collections of clocks and timepieces including rare items bequeathed by musician and clock collector Frederic Greshom-Parkington and fine art by Sir Peter Lely, Angelica Kauffman, James Tissot, and England's first professional female painter Mary Beale.

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