Dog Friendly Attractions in Bury St Edmunds and Beyond

Dogs are very welcome in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, with a request that they be kept on a lead.

Some pups are even regulars at services. Visitors and their furry companions will find a water bowl outside the Cathedral and a warm welcome in the form of a dog treat from the welcome desk.

The Cathedral even has its own Dogs at The Cathedral calendar. 12 local pups were photographed around the building for the calendar, including a border collie giving a sermon, a Scottish terrier playing the Cathedral’s organ and a cocker spaniel using a kneeler. The desk calendar features a different breed each month of the year, with models supplied by those in the cathedral community.

For over 1,000 years, the site of Suffolk ’s Cathedral 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. The Cathedral building has continued to develop over recent years with the addition of the Millennium Tower, completed in 2005, and its magnificent painted and gilded vault, added in 2010. In 2009 the Cathedral changed its dedication to become the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Cathedral on their own. Entry is free but donations gratefully received. A free introductory leaflet is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Polish. Visitors are most welcome to attend any of the daily services.

Bury St Edmunds is the UK's Most Dog Friendly Town (UK Dog Friendly Awards 2024), and Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides are delighted to offer some more dedicated tours for dog-lovers.

Developed with Jon Kay, of Camp Tails Doggy Daycare, who founded the Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds Scheme.

With your dog you can discover 1,000 years of history, from monks and martyrs to Saxon kings and Tudor queens, from talking wolves and Magna Carta to Georgian chic and Mr Pickwick – you’ll find them all in Bury St Edmunds.

The special tours starts at the War Memorial on Angel Hill and last 90 minutes. The tour is restricted to 20 people and 10 dogs (only one dog per person).

Tickets must be booked online in advance. Visit Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides website for times and ticket details.

You can now visit the award-winning Rougham Control Tower Aviation Museum with your dog.

Dedicated to preserving the memory of all who served with the 8th USAAF at RAF Bury St Edmunds during WW2, the museum is housed in the original control tower and other period buildings.

Uncover the history of the men and women who served here and how they fit into the story of The Mighty Eighth that will be told in a new 9-part Apple TV+ series Masters of The Air, starring Austin Butler in January 2024.

Bury St Edmunds was home for thousands of American airmen and women during WWII and a visit to Rougham Control Tower Aviation Museum is like taking a trip back in time. Full of artefacts, maps, photo's, aircraft relics and memorabilia. Friendly guided tours and a welcoming Vintage Tea Room with home made cakes and refreshments.

RAF Bury St Edmunds, now Rougham Airfield and known in WWII by the USAAF as Station 468, not only welcomed 3,000 GIs during WWII but the Glenn Miller Orchestra, legendary comedian Bob Hope and Hollywood movie star Clark Gable, who all visited to entertain the troops.

It was home for the 94th Bomb Group (and for a shorter time the 322nd and 47th Bomb Groups) of the USAAF 8th Airforce, whose contribution to the Allies’ strategic bombing offensive helped turn the tide of war against the Nazis and free occupied Europe.

The earliest written mention of Bury St Edmunds Guildhall is in 1279, when the Bury St Edmunds Chronicle recorded the arrival of two visiting Lords. Recent archaeological discoveries suggest the building is much older, possibly dating to the mid-1100s.

It was built to host the local Guildhall Merchant, a group that oversaw all the business of the town, which was then at the heart of the lucrative wool trade. As a centre of civic power, the Guildhall became a bitter rival of the powerful Abbey of St Edmund and was a focal point for the town’s own peasants’ revolt in the 1300s - when a group of monks were held hostage within its secure walls.

The great and the good who ran the Guildhall used their wealth and influence to fight for the rights of the town’s ordinary citizens. They delivered justice in the Courtroom, turned the Tudor Kitchen into a soup kitchen in times of need, and offered the Banqueting Hall as a meeting space for the most important discussions of the day – including the fight to abolish the slave trade.

The Guildhall was also home to a group of remarkable, but unsung, local heroes, who helped change the course of the Second World War. The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a civil defence organisation which tracked aircraft movements above the skies of Britain. Their information was sent to RAF Fighter Command and helped to save thousands of lives. The Guildhall’s ROC Operations Room is the only surviving one of its kind in the world – a small space with an incredible story to tell.

You can now visit this wonderful historic venue with well-behaved dogs on leads.

Enjoy a wander around The Apex Gallery with your pooch. The Apex Gallery, housed within The Apex venue, holds a range of exhibitions throughout the year and is the only public art gallery in the historic town.

The gallery features works by emerging and established artists, as well as engaging with West Suffolk's various community art groups, offering them an opportunity to display their work in a professional environment.

Occasionally, the gallery is closed to the public. If you are traveling specifically to see an exhibition, please call the box office on 01284 758000 before your visit.

The Apex Gallery is situated on the first floor. Drinks bought in The Apex Café in the foyer can be taken upstairs, so feel free to relax on the sofas with a drink and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.