About The Abbey of St Edmund

The Abbey of St Edmund was once one of the greatest medieval abbeys in England. It is now in ruins. The ruins are in the Abbey Gardens, which are open free of charge to the public all year round, but they are hidden from the historic town centre and from the Cathedral.

The story of St Edmund, the first patron saint of England who was martyred by the Danes in the late ninth century, is not widely known outside of Suffolk. This project will help tell that story to more people.

Made possible by National Lottery players, our £9.9m project will:

  • Conserve the Abbey ruins to give them a sustainable future
  • Create a visitor centre in listed buildings facing Angel Hill
  • Build a west cloister to link the visitor centre to the Cathedral
  • Reconnect the site with town and Cathedral through an improved footpath network
  • Rejuvenate biodiversity in the Abbey area

Project Board and Chapter

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Project Partners

St Edmundsbury Cathedral (the lead partner), West Suffolk Council and English Heritage have come together as members of The Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership (comprising 29 organisations and individuals who care about the Abbey) to develop and deliver this project.

Each of these three organisations has a statutory responsibility for part of the Abbey site.

  • St Edmundsbury Cathedral owns and manages the listed buildings which will become the visitor centre.
  • West Suffolk Council owns and manages the wider Abbey area and Abbey Gardens.
  • The Abbey ruins are part of the National Heritage Collection, a portfolio of over 400 historic sites owned by the Department of Culture Media and Sport for the benefit of the public, cared for and managed under the Historic Properties License by English Heritage.

Local Partners

The Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership are helping us develop and deliver this project. The organisations in this partnership are:

  • St Edmundsbury Cathedral
  • West Suffolk Council
  • English Heritage
  • Suffolk County Council
  • Bury St Edmunds Town Council
  • The Bury St Edmunds Society
  • Bury St Edmunds Town Trust
  • Bury St Edmunds Town Guides
  • Bury St Edmunds and Beyond
  • Our Bury St Edmunds
  • St Mary’s Church
  • St Edmund’s Roman Catholic Church
  • Historic England
  • University of East Anglia
  • Suffolk Archives
  • Bury Past and Present Society
  • Abbey Gardens Friends
  • Bury Water Meadows Group
  • River Lark Catchment Partnership

Project Patron

The project patron for the Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn is The Marquess of Bristol. Of the project, Frederick said, “I have always loved the Abbey Gardens, which my family owned prior to transferring ownership to the Borough Council, and they will benefit greatly from conservation of the ruins and inspiring interpretation. I think it is a wonderful idea to have the visitor centre with good links to the town centre, making it easy to get to while preserving the peace and tranquillity of the gardens. Personally, I feel a strong connection to The Abbey of St Edmund because my title of Hereditary High Steward of the Liberty of St Edmund is almost as old as the Abbey itself – so it feels like we have nearly a thousand years of shared history. I very much look forward to being involved with such an ambitious and thoughtful project.”