John Saunders

John Saunders was born in Suffolk and has spent his life in the County.

He was previously a senior police officer, in charge of the criminal investigation department and serving in various roles as a uniformed officer, retiring after 32 years.

Having gained a Masters Degree in Business Administration, he then held a variety of employments including being the business manager of Bury’s Cathedral; Town Clerk; developing strategies for Government organisations; acting as an adviser and assessor in National quality of service initiatives.

For nearly 10 years he has been a tour guide, showing people the beauty of the Abbey ruins and the sights of Bury St Edmunds, including the delights of The Nutshell and The Angel Hotel.

As a guide he can be seen conducting food and drink tours, he dresses as a monk for the ghostly and macabre tours and undertakes many of the local tours that are offered.

As a guest speaker, he delivers talks on various local and historic subjects.  He has published books on local topics and is Chairman of a prolific Church History Group.

He continues to be active in his retirement, volunteering for various organisations including riding one of the town’s rickshaws for children having special needs.

Married, with a grown-up family, his leisure time is spent enjoying history and sport.

The Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides are all green or blue badge registered having completed their training with the National Institute of Tour Guiding.

With years of experience and with a love of Bury St Edmunds, its history and people and a great sense of humour, the tour guides will ensure you see the best that Bury St Edmunds has to offer!

Daily Tours

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

This 90-minute tour of the historic centre of Bury St Edmunds includes the Abbey Gate, the Abbey Gardens and Abbey Ruins, the statue of St Edmund, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, St Mary’s Churchyard, Church Walks, Guildhall Street, Hatter Street, Abbeygate Street and the main market area.

Find out about the legend of St Edmund and the wolf, Bury St Edmunds’ connections to the Magna Carta, where Charles Dickens stayed, and the final resting place of a French Queen and Henry VIII’s beloved sister. Hear about the story of the great Abbey - once one of Europe’s most important pilgrimage sites whilst visiting the ruins and see the oldest Norman building in the country and the second oldest building in England. Discover where a Dickens classic movie was filmed and where the great author himself visited.

The history of Bury St Edmunds stretches back over a thousand years starting with the martyrdom of Edmund, Anglo Saxon King and the original Patron Saint of England. Later came the establishment of the Benedictine Abbey dedicated to St Edmund, which became a major focus of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. With Medieval, Georgian and Norman architecture, a visit to Bury St Edmunds is like taking a trip through time.

Between April and October guided walking tours of Historic Bury St Edmunds (90 minutes) run daily at 11am.

Tours must be booked online in advance at the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides website.

Tours cost Adults £10, Under 18s £5, and Under 5s free. We recommend parking at the long stay car park at Ram Meadow.

Just some of our TripAdvisor reviews:

"Excellent and informative tour of Bury St Edmonds. One of the best guided tours that we’ve been on. Recommend to anyone visiting Bury St Edmunds."

"I had a fascinating couple of hours, walking in the Abbey Gardens and around the beautiful town of Bury St Edmunds. The Guide was full of information and wonderful stories and anecdotes. My stand out moments were the delightful statue of the eponymous St Edmund, seeing the exact spot of the shrine of St Edmund in the abbey ruins, being able to imagine the pilgrims walking through the Norman tower and seeing the imposing facade of the original abbey, and through a small window in the town spying out a small original wood carving of Henry VIII and one of his wives. I only experienced these things because I went on this tour - I can't recommend it enough!"

"The tour is packed with history, facts and key sites in the town centre."

"A lovely 90 minutes with a charming, amusing and knowledgeable guide. Answered all our questions enthusiastically. Would recommend."

Ghost Tours
Visiting in Autumn or Winter? Then you'll love the Ghostly and Macabre Tours! Murder, executions, plague, riots, witchcraft and sightings of ghostly figures, the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides take you on a journey around our haunted town.

Dog Friendly Tours
Join a special dog-friendly tour of the ancient abbey and historic town of Bury St Edmunds. Bury St Edmunds is the UK's most dog friendly town (Dog Friendly Awards 2024), and Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides offer dedicated tours for dog-lovers. 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

Food and Drink Tours
Our Food and Drink Tour, takes you through the heart of Bury St Edmunds - Suffolk’s Foodie Capital - as we offer you a taste of the town and explore our food and drink history on this 2½ hour walking tour. You’ll pass iconic landmarks including The Angel Hotel, the Abbey Gate, The Nutshell pub, The Corn Exchange and more. Along the way, enjoy bite-sized samples of delicious food and drink and meet the proud people behind these independent businesses.

Bespoke and Group Tours
The Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides also offer an extensive range of over 20 Themed Tours that can be pre-booked for groups and schools. All group, themed and ghost tours must be pre-booked. For information on the group tours and to book, contact  01284 758130 or email privatetoursbse@westsuffolk.gov.uk.