John Appleby Rose Garden

Originally an orchard, the John Appleby Rose Garden in The Abbey Gardens is a beautiful and established rose garden with over 400 rose bushes, and a permanent memorial to those Americans based in Bury St Edmunds with the 8th Air Force 'The Mighty Eighth' who gave their lives during World War II.

Featuring a bench made from the wing of a B17 Flying Fortress, the rose garden is named after Tech Sgt John Appleby, an American serviceman who served with the 487th Bomb Group in Lavenham.

John Appleby fell in love with Suffolk while he was stationed here and the result was a book, Suffolk Summer, published in 1948, which has charmed its readers ever since. John Appleby gave the copyright to Suffolk Summer to the town's council so that all royalties would be used to maintain the Rose Garden in the Abbey Gardens as a permanent memorial.

There's aa stone monument in memory of the 94th Bomb Group who were based at RAF Bury St Edmunds known as Station 468, now Rougham Control Tower Aviation Museum. Unveiled in 1977, the monument is dedicated to all those Americans ‘who gave their lives during World War II’.

Here you can also find the Saint Edmund Rose, planted by His Majesty The King when he was HRH, Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in 2005 in commemoration of the completion of St Edmundsbury Cathedral's new Millennium Tower.

Find out more about John Appleby and the Appleby Rose Garden in our Guide to A Suffolk Summer and discover more about the town's lasting relationship between the 8th Air Force in our Masters of The Air Guide.