Bury St Edmunds and the Inheritance from Its Abbey, Bury St Edmunds, England

As it was in medieval times it remains so today. In Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk the Abbey is separated from the town. Although the Abbey itself was destroyed during the sixteenth century its grounds remain. Today, those grounds are still partly protected by the old walls but the public are no longer excluded. Abbey Gardens are a valued amenity treasured by the locals and appreciated by visitors.

The main feature of Abbey Gardens are the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmundsbury. The body of Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia and first patron saint of England was brought to Bury St Edmunds in 903 after he was murdered in Denmark. The town soon became an important place of pilgrimage. The Benedictine Abbey was established here by Edward the Confessor in 1020 to house the remains of Saint Edmund. This Abbey was to become one of the most important abbeys in England in terms of both wealth and political importance. When it finally surrendered to King Henry VIII in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was still very wealthy. The abbey itself was quickly stripped for building materials and the whole site passed into private ownership in 1560. The Abbot’s Palace was the only building to survive. It was demolished by the owner of the abbey precincts in 1720. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).