In Bury St. Edmunds: a photo gallery

August 22, 2024

The spell of fine weather we’ve enjoyed ever since leaving Yorkshire came to an end this morning when a new front blew in bringing strong winds (a fresh breeze, according to Beaufort), and a light rain. Conditions dried out by mid morning though, and Rachael left for a long walk south of town. As grey and windy as it was it didn’t inspire her to break out the camera so she returned only with her Garmin track as evidence of her day:

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I left the apartment about a half hour later, but was surprised when I went to unlock the bike to discover it was still lightly misting. Cool, windy and damp conditions didn’t inspire me to ride off into the hills again so I yielded to my inner sloth and went back upstairs to spend the next several hours catching up on the blog and scrolling through reports of the Democratic Convention.

Later in the day though I summoned the gumption to go out again and take a walk at least as far as the nearby River Lark, just behind the cathedral. I didn’t quite do that either though, because once I was behind the western walls of the cathedral complex I couldn’t resist wandering through the ruins of the razed abbey and cathedral, at one time one of the greatest and richest in Europe.

If you’re unfamiliar with the saga of Bury St. Edmonds, here’s a thumbnail sketch of the town and its odd name:

The remains of Bury St Edmunds Abbey today are extensive, but even so they do little justice to what was once one of the largest and grandest monasteries in England. Its name derives from the martyred King Edmund, who was killed by the Danes and who came to be venerated as a saint soon afterwards. After his remains were enshrined at Bury St Edmunds Abbey, it became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage destinations in England.

Bury’s importance led to its destruction. When Henry VIII closed the abbey in 1539, it was systematically demolished to demonstrate the king’s power and control. Apart from the abbot’s palace, the site was allowed to become a quarry for local building stone. The ruins now lie mostly within a public park, giving visitors a glimpse of the abbey’s medieval glory.

And if you’d like more, this English Heritage site gives an extensive but very readable presentation of its history, complete with illustrations of how the site is believed to have looked in the past before its destruction.

And here is a random selection of the ton of snapshots I took for the next hour or so. So little remains, but enough to amaze you from the scale of the place and that it was all plundered and destroyed in such a brief period of time. I’m behind and we’re in transit to Holland now, so I’ll just add a few captions now and come later to do more. Or not.

The destroyed abbey was bracketed by surviving churches on the north and south. This one, subject to many revisions and extensions over the century, is now St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. This is the view we enjoy from the window of our apartment.

A part of the west wall of the destroyed abbey was left standing, and later a set of residences (still in use) were built into it.

The Great Gate. We can’t go in this way or inside the new cathedral today because it’s reserved - the beer and cider festival is on this weekend. Tonight we’ll go to the sounds of a live big band playing GlennMiller and similar dance standards.

Somehow I always end up wandering around the graveyard. I didn’t plan it that way - it’s just en route to the river I’m still aiming for.

The stones have their usual appeal, but today I especially focus on the splendid trees scattered around, like this giant cypress or yew.

Finally I make it to the River Lark, but I’m not there long before I cross back over to wander through the ruined abbey.

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Graham FinchI was in Bury this summer but all the hotels were full, so I got a train back to Dave's.
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3 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Graham FinchLooks like it’ll be around awhile. You might try booking in advance next time.
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3 months ago

Graham FinchTo Scott AndersonI saw there were lots of hotel options and didn't think there'd be a problem finding a bed midweek.
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3 months ago