Monday 19 November 2018

More Photos From Bury St Edmunds

From the car park in Bury St Edmunds I crossed over the road and into the Abbey Gardens.
Here again is the picture of how the abbey would have looked in the C14. Apart from the outer walls and a few pillars there is nothing left.


But for as long as I can remember there have been gardens, and play ground and open space among the ruins and of course the aviaries, with Parrots and Lovebirds and Zebra Finches. Always the first thing we wanted to see on our visits here in the 1960s. (Years ago there were also Peacocks but probably not PC to have them caged nowadays.)




This book made of wood wasn't here last time I visited. It tells the story of King Edmund and the Wolf

The formal gardens are newly planted up for spring so not as colourful as they sometimes are. This is one quarter of a huge circle and in spring and summer they look fantastic.
About  The Abbey Ruins

The Abbey of St Edmund was once one of the richest and largest Benedictine monasteries in England.
The site became home to the remains of the martyred King Edmund in 903 and the acquisition of such a notable relic made the monastery a place of pilgrimage as well as the recipient of numerous royal grants.

Visitors enter the abbey precinct today, as they have since the 14th century, through the impressive Great Gate,

 which originally gave access to the Great Court and the abbot palace; the north-east corner of the abbot garden is marked by a hexagonal tower, now a dovecote. The Great Gate is the abbey's best surviving feature and gives an excellent idea of the quality of the stonework elsewhere.
The precinct wall survives well in places, and still crosses the River Lark over the Abbot Bridge. Access to the abbey church itself was through the Norman Tower, which dates from 1120-48 (restored in Victorian times). Beyond is the once magnificent west front, into which are incorporated a range of houses built between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Enough remains of the abbey church to suggest it was an impressive structure. At over 150 metres long the church was one of only a few of its date to be built on such a large scale in this country. Construction began at the semi-circular (apsidal) east end around the high altar and shrine of St Edmund.
Below this and on the same plan was the crypt: the bases of its supporting piers and lower courses of its walls remain to show what a vast space this must have been, and the view from above is quite spectacular. Conspicuous among the standing remains are the piers of the crossing tower and the north wall and centre window of the north transept. The layout of some of the once extensive monastic buildings can still be seen to the north and east of the church.
The chapter house, north of the north transept, contains the graves of six abbots, while the monks cemetery and infirmary lay to the east of the church.
In 1214 King John's discontented earls and barons assembled at the abbey to discuss their grievances against him, and committed themselves to forcing the king to grant them a number of liberties. The following year John met the rebel barons at Runnymede and sealed Magna Carta.
The abbey continued to thrive throughout the 13th century but relations with the townspeople were rarely cordial. Matters came to a head in 1327 in a summer of riots, though disputes rumbled on throughout the 14th century. The abbey suffered other problems too, notably damage to the west tower through collapse and later a serious fire.
Despite these setbacks Bury St Edmunds remained politically important throughout the 15th century - Henry VI came for Christmas in 1433 and stayed for four months - and when it was surrendered to King Henry VIII in 1539 it still had a considerable income. Though the abbey precinct was quickly stripped of valuable building material, the abbot palace survived as a house until 1720.

All that's left of what must have been an amazing building MORE INFO HERE

The Norman Tower

About The Norman Tower


The Norman Tower, which was the principal gateway into Bury St Edmunds' great abbey church, houses a fine peal of twelve bells (with a thirteenth semitone bell) was built between 1120 and 1148 and is one of the oldest Norman buildings in England and one of the most complete Norman buildings in the UK as it has never been altered.

The original ten bells were cast by Thomas Osborn of Downham Market in 1785. The heaviest bell, the 'tenor', weighs just over 27 hundredweight and sounds a C# note. 

In 1973 the bells were re-hung by Taylors of Loughborough in a cast iron frame lower down the tower, with their original wooden frame preserved higher up. In 2010 an appeal was launched to augment the bells to a cathedral ring of 12, and two new trebles (lighter bells) were dedicated on Easter Sunday 2012, then hung and rung for the first time on Easter Monday. In 2013, a 13th bell was added. This helps learner ringers, as there is a requirement to learn on 8 bells before progressing to higher numbers (10 and 12) - a ring of 10 bells contains within it only 1 true octave, that comprising the 8 heaviest bells, but the provision of a 13th (semitone) bell makes a lighter octave available in the ring of 12.

Approximately 175 full peals have been rung since records began in November 1879. The bells are rung on Sundays from 9.00 am for the 10 o'clock Eucharist, and quarter peals are regularly rung before Sunday evensong. The bells are also rung for weddings and other special occasions. 



This part of the  ruins below are rather special - they are homes, built into the original West Front of the Abbey between the C16 and C18.

The statue of King Edmund was commissioned in 1974 to mark the joining of East and West Suffolk County Councils to form Suffolk County Council



Standing proud on the Angel Hill opposite the Abbey Gate is the Angel Hotel. It's been here a long time and mentioned in one of Charles Dickens books
In the middle of the town is Moyse's Hall Museum

Steeped in history, Moyse’s Hall has looked out over Bury St Edmunds market place for almost 900 years


The Pub below is supposed to be "The Smallest Pub" In England, although many other small pubs make the same claim
 

The Building below was once Bury St Edmunds Borough Library, where I worked for a few years when I first left school between 1971 and 1975. There is now a new library and this building became shops and now a coffee shop

























The sign that the sugar beet from the fields all around is being processed are the clouds of steam from the Sugar beet factory  on the edge of town. BUY BRITISH SUGAR - BUY SILVER SPOON!




Just a  quick tour of another Suffolk  town that I know so well.


Back Tomorrow
Sue

32 comments:

  1. Must spend a few days there at some point. It looks extremely interesting.
    xx

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    1. Perhaps we'll bump into each other Joy! Sue has whet my appetite too.
      Rather dozily I had never realised how the town came by it’s name.
      Sue

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  2. The Abbey gardens are quite impressive in mid-summer and it’s not unusual to see wedding parties using the location as a backdrop for the photographs. I’m equidistant between Bury St Edmunds and Ely and we tend to get drawn more to the latter, which of course has one of the most stunning of Cathedrals.

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    1. My Sister was married in Bury St Eds and used the gardens as a back drop just as you say.
      Ely Cathedral is rather impressive in the surrounding flatness. I've been once but would like to go again

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  3. I spent a lot of time in Bury in the '50s and '60s just up the hill from the Angel because my father's sister was married to the vet whose surgery and house were in Northgate Street, a grand house with a big garden. They were very much part of my life. When my father died in the late '60s we stopped going. Bury also formed a big part of our lives in another way because we were sugar beet hauliers. We retired five years ago. I was pleased to see you photographed the factory over in the distance. Thank you.

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    1. A very important part of the area farming. Where we lived at the smallholding sugar beet wasn't grown so much especially after the Ipswich factory closed but here in Mid Suffolk there are fields of it everywhere

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  4. When we lived in Brandon, we used to love visiting Bury. Hopefully still a nice place.

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    1. The town centre is lovely, not changed too much from the 70s but lots more housing around the edges

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  5. Lovely set of photos to go with the text, Suffolk never seems to get into the news sadly.

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    1. We are glad Suffolk isn't in the news - keep it secret!

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  6. I remembered going to see a niece to get married in the Abbey Gardens. My sisters daughter is living in Sherbourne Road Bury. I can remember the lovely gardens.
    Hazel c uk

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    1. The town centre hasn't changed much - I don't know the outer estates very well

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  7. Nice to see the pictures of Bury. Spent many a day in Bury when my son was stationed in Suffolk, going to the shops and market and wandering around town. Always enjoyed the walk from the Abbey up Crown St to have lunch at the Dog and Partridge or stopping for tea/coffee at one of the places leading to Abbeygate St.

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    1. There are coffee shops and restaurants by the dozen in the town now!

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  8. I like Bury St Edmunds. Last time I was in the gardens there were several very friendly, scampering squirrels. They were so entertaining.

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  9. THANK YOU for the wonderful tour. I truly enjoyed hearing about the things you remember about Suffolk & especially of Bury. While my body resides this side of the big pond, it's through wonderful posts like this I can travel about with my eyes.

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    1. I love to share photos of our beautiful county. loads of different things to see

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  10. Here in the states we tear down old buildings and then visit England in awe of yours. I saw the photo of the sugar beet plant and wonder if this is to help with shortages?

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    1. What shortages? Are you newspapers feeding you with untruths and propaganda about the UK? All is is well here, we have been producing sugar in this area since 1918. This is the main sugar beet growing area of the UK, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincs and is a major part of our economy.

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    2. I agree with Rachel - What Shortages?? There are no shortages of anything here, just rather too much Christmas TAT imported from China! What are you being told in other parts of the world?
      Sugar beet is lifted from late October onwards and either taken straight to the factories in Norfolk and Suffolk or left in huge piles ready for later. The first sign is the sweet smell from the factory drifting over the county or the mud on the roads from the tractors and lorries!

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    3. Diana, if you would like to see what they look like, sugar beet that is, you can see them on my blog post on 11 November, Views from a House.

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  11. It looks lovely and he photos are great. Love the coiffured gardens.

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    1. They look glorious in spring and summer, the whole area is well kept but I noticed the Bowling Green is no longer in use.

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  12. I had read on another blog that there was concern because of Brexit and another post by Jack Monroe on Bootstrap Cooking that some folks were stocking up . I only brought it up because I know most people on your blog are careful with budgets and shortages cause price increases. That is what I have read on blogs in your country. Nothing said about it here in the states and my inquiry was not meant to create a stir. Please forgive if this has offended anyone. It was my intention only to care for those I have met via the internet.

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    1. I'm so glad there are not strange stories going round the world that there are shortages of things here. We hear so much about the person in your country who frequently mentions Fake News that I must be starting to get paranoid!
      I don't think many people are stocking up at home in case exiting the EU causes problems, businesses are looking at their purchasing lines which is probably a good thing for any emergency.
      Jack Monroe has a lot of books to sell - which could explain her stance - what she says puts her in the news!

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    2. We don;t hear anything about shortages due to Brexit or otherwise. But I do read a lot on UK blogs about stocking up because the prices are going up quite a bit and it could be worse after Brexit. Just what I;ve read.

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    3. Don't believe everything you read.

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  13. I had family in Bury. We never seemed to say the whole name. I remember the Abbey and the Angel Hotel and the sugar beet lorries.

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  14. Well you have certainly whet my appetite for a visit to this wonderful area. Such a wonderful tour you took us on Sue, I really enjoyed it.

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  15. Thanks so much for the pictures.They brought back a lot of memories. I lived in Bury in the 1970's firstly on Garland St where I met my first husband who was in the Air Force at Mildenhall I shared a house with him and another GI. Then we got married and lived in a very haunted flat on Church St a stones throw form Abbey Gate. I am in the USA now and that was a long time ago. Years later my second husband and I visited and stayed in the Angel Hotel.

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  16. Love, love, love Bury St. Edmunds! I read it on Tuesday - a good day for a read on Bury St. Edmunds as it is St Edmund's Day today. Thanks for sharing lovely photos of a town I love.

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