Things To Do in Bury St. Edmunds
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Bury St. Edmunds Attractions
For a bit of easy and always interesting sightseeing, take one of the hour-long guided walks around Bury St. Edmunds. Choices include a "Blue Badge Guided Tour" and theme tours with Bury's historical monk, Brother Jocelin, or with gravedigger William Hunter. Tours leave from the Tourist Information Centre where tickets can also be purchased.
The normally quiet town center is a hub of hustle and bustle on Wednesday and Saturday mornings when the market arrives. Weather permitting, hours are approximately from 9am to 4pm. You'll find a pleasing mix of family-run businesses and High Street names for shopping in and around town and its pedestrian zones.
Several parks are located just outside of town. Our two favorite parks are listed below. If you have kids in tow, make it West Stow Country Park, which has more man-made attractions. But if it's unspoiled nature you seek, a series of relatively easy and quite romantic walks, head for Nowton Park, which will give you the best view and the most evocative scenery of what the Suffolk landscape looks like. The West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village (tel. 01284/728718; www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk) is part of West Stow Country Park. This reconstructed village is built on the excavated site of an ancient Anglo-Saxon village, and period reenactments take place throughout the year. The park is open daily from 9am to 5pm in winter, 9am to 8pm in summer. Admission is free. The village is open year-round from 10am to 5pm. Admission is £5 for adults and £4 for children 5 to 15; free for children under 5. Family tickets are also available for £15.
Nowton Park (tel. 01284/763666) is 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) outside of Bury on 81 hectares (200 acres) of Suffolk countryside. Landscaped a century ago, the park is typically Victorian and has many country-estate features. In the springtime, walk the avenue of lime trees with its masses of bright yellow daffodils. Marked walking paths snake through the park. Depending on the path, walks take between 20 and 75 minutes. It's open daily from 8:30am to dusk; admission is free.
- Historic Site
Ickworth House
This National Trust property was built in 1795 and contains an impressive rotunda, staterooms, and art collections of silver and paintings. An Italian garden surrounds the house, and all is set in a peaceful, landscaped park. - Religious Site
St. Edmundsbury Cathedral
This 16th-century church has a magnificent font, beautiful stained-glass windows, and a display of 1,000 embroidered kneelers. - Religious Site
St. Mary's Church
St. Mary's was built on the site of a Norman church in 1427. Note its impressive roof and nave. It is also where Henry VIII's sister, Mary "the Tudor Rose," is buried. - Religious Site
The Abbey
The Abbey Visitor Centre is a good starting point for a visit to the entire abbey precinct. (The abbey itself is in ruins today and sits in the middle of the Abbey Gardens.) The Visitor Centre is housed in the west front of the abbey's remains and uses a clever series of displays to…
Bury St. Edmunds Nightlife
Throughout the centuries, Bury has enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as a small center of arts and entertainment. The Theatre Royal, Westgate Street, is the oldest purpose-built theater in England. Its Georgian building has been lovingly and richly restored to its original grandeur. Programs include opera, dance, music, and drama from the best touring companies. Tickets are £8.50 to £35 and can be purchased at the box office (tel. 01284/769505; www.theatreroyal.org).
Stop by the 17th-century pub Dog and Partridge, 29 Crown St. (tel. 01284/764792), and see where the bar scenes from the BBC hit series Lovejoy were filmed while you sample one of the region's Greene King Ales. Also try wiggling your way into the Nutshell, corner of the Traverse and Abbeygate Street (tel. 01284/764867). This pub has been notoriously dubbed the smallest pub in all of England and is a favorite tourist stop. The Masons Arms, 14 Whiting St. (tel. 01284/753955), features more of a family atmosphere and welcomes children. Home-cooked food is served along with a standard selection of ales. There's a patio garden in use in summer.
