Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds, or simply Bury, is a historic market town of 40,000 people (2011) in the county of Suffolk, in England. The town's medieval heritage is still visible in much of the street plan of the town centre which has not changed in 1000 years. Bury is also famous for its floral displays, and has won many awards for these, including the prestigious 'Nations in Bloom' title, contested by towns and cities worldwide.

Understand
Because of its position at the "crossroads of East Anglia" (as the town is known), Bury is a popular base for exploring the whole of this region of England. It is not a large town, so it is easy to explore on a day trip or a relaxing weekend or short break; however it is within easy range of many interesting locations such as Newmarket, Cambridge, Lavenham, Long Melford, Norwich and the Suffolk and Norfolk coastlines, so it is frequently used as a base for a longer holiday.

History
At the very centre of East Anglia, the town was established by the Saxons in the 10th century, and its growth was focused around the Abbey of St Edmund. The Abbey grew to become the fourth-largest monastery in Europe and an important site of pilgrimage prior to its dissolution in 1539, since when it became a source of quarry stone for local builders, such that only remnants remain. Today the ruins of the Abbey form part of the Abbey Gardens, a pleasant public park.

The town developed significantly after the dissolution of the Abbey through wealth from agriculture which has always been abundant in West Suffolk. Most of the buildings in the "historic core" of the town are timber-framed Medieval buildings hidden behind brick Georgian fronts, added as symbols of status by wealthy merchants at that time. Some of the grander public buildings — for example the Robert Adam art gallery, which was built as the Corn Exchange, and its Victorian counterpart — reflect directly the agricultural heritage of the area. This heritage continues with the presence of the Greene King brewery in the centre of the town and a large British Sugar factory on the outskirts. The town has always been famous for its markets: it used to host a twice-weekly provisions market and a weekly cattle market, but now has just the provisions market.

By air
There are no direct flights to Bury St Edmunds. The nearest airports are:
 * Stansted Airport (40 miles)
 * Norwich Airport (41 miles)
 * Southend Airport (61 miles)
 * Luton Airport (64 miles)
 * London City Airport (70 miles)

All of these airports are accessible via road or public transport direct to Bury St Edmunds (see below).

Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport  are both accessible via car or public transport from London (see below).

Birmingham Airport, East Midlands Airport and Manchester Airport  are all accessible by car via the A14 road, or public transport via Cambridge, Ely or Peterborough (see below).

By sea
See Ferry routes to Great Britain

Bury St Edmunds is about 50 miles (80 km) inland of the easternmost coast of England. The UK's largest container port at Felixstowe is 40 miles away and acts as a destination port for worldwide cargo ship cruises. For more conventional ship travel, the nearest passenger ferry port is at Harwich (48 miles) for the Netherlands, Denmark and cruises to Germany and Scandinavia. The English south coast ports of Ramsgate (139 miles - for Belgium), Dover (also 139 miles - for France), Folkestone (138 miles - for France via Eurotunnel car shuttle services), Newhaven (159 miles - for France), and Portsmouth (170 miles - for France and Spain) are accessible by road and public transport.

By rail


From London:


 * Greater Anglia train services from London Liverpool St station (1 hr 51 min - requiring a change at Ipswich (30 min))
 * First Capital Connect train services from London King's Cross station (1 hr 40 min - all require a change onto Greater Anglia services at Cambridge (45 min) or Ely (25 min))

From Scotland and the north and midlands of England, avoiding London:


 * East Coast, East Midlands Trains and Cross Country train services from Scotland, the north and the midlands (including East Midlands, Birmingham and Manchester airports) stop at Peterborough and Ely, from where Greater Anglia services run to Bury St Edmunds (1 hr or 25 min)

From Europe:


 * Eurostar train services from France and Belgium to Stratford International (London) station or London St Pancras International station. From Stratford International station, take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Stratford Regional station (5 min) for train services to Bury St Edmunds via a change at Shenfield, Ipswich or Stowmarket (from 1 hr 50 min). From St Pancras International Station, walk to London King's Cross station (2 min) for the Cambridge train as above.
 * Greater Anglia train services from Harwich International port (ferry connections to Scandinavia and the Netherlands) direct to Bury St Edmunds (1 hr 6 min).
 * South Eastern train services to Stratford International (London) station from Dover (1 hr 4 min - for ferry connections to France) and Ramsgate (1 hr 11 min - for ferry connections to Belgium). Trains to Bury St Edmunds from Stratford Regional station as above.

From London Stansted Airport:


 * Cross Country train services to Cambridge or Ely and change onto Greater Anglia services to Bury St Edmunds (from 1 hr 30 min).

From Norwich Airport:


 * Taxi or First Eastern Counties bus 27 from the airport to Norwich Railway Station. National Express East Anglia train service to Stowmarket, Ipswich, Ely or Cambridge and change onto services to Bury St Edmunds (from 1 hr 40 min).

From London Southend Airport:


 * Taxi or Arriva buses 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, or 9 from the airport to Southend Victoria Railway Station. National Express East Anglia train service to Shenfield and change onto services to Bury St Edmunds (from 2 hr 3 min).

From London Luton Airport:


 * First Capital Connect train services to London St Pancras International station and walk to London King's Cross station (2 min) for Cambridge train as above; or First Capital Connect train services to London Farringdon station and London Underground tube services to London Liverpool St station for Greater Anglia services to Bury St Edmunds as above (from 3 hr 10 min).

From London City Airport:


 * Docklands Light Railway and London Underground services to Stratford (London) or London Liverpool Street stations for train services to Bury St Edmunds via a change at Shenfield, Ipswich or Stowmarket as above (from 2 hr).

By coach/bus
From London:
 * National Express coaches NX496 and NX497 services from London (Stratford) and London Victoria (from 1hr 50mins).

From Scotland and the north and midlands of England, avoiding London:
 * National Express coach NX350 from Liverpool (10 hr 45 min), Manchester (8 hr 45 min), Sheffield (7hr 10min) and other connecting cities and towns (via Peterborough and Cambridge).

From within East Anglia
 * From Cambridge (for connections to Birmingham, Oxford and other cities and towns):
 * National Express coach NX350 as above (1 hr 10 min).
 * Stagecoach in Cambridge bus 11 (57 min).
 * Whippet Coaches buses B, D, E and H (45 min - summer service only).
 * From Norwich Airport: Norse bus 603 from the airport park and ride to Norwich Bus Station then as from Norwich:
 * From Norwich: National Express coach 490 to Thetford. Change onto Coach Services bus 84 to Bury St Edmunds (from 2 hr 30 min).

From London Stansted Airport:
 * National Express coach JL727 to Newmarket (50min) then coaches NX496, NX497, NX350 (25 min) or Stagecoach in Cambridge bus 11 (27 min) or Whippet Coaches buses B, D, E and H (15 min) to Bury St Edmunds.

From London Southend Airport: First Essex coach X30 from the airport to Stansted Airport (1hr 36min) then coach/bus to Bury St Edmunds via Newmarket as above.

From London Luton Airport:: National Express airport coach 787 to Cambridge (1 hr 35 min) then coach/bus to Bury St Edmunds as above.

By car
The A14 is the main road serving Bury St Edmunds. It runs from Birmingham to Felixstowe and connects the town to London (via the M11/A11). Pay and display parking is available in the centre of town.

By bicycle

 * The town is on National Cycle Route 14 which runs from Fakenham to the N to London to the S (via Colchester).
 * The town is on National Cycle Route 51 which runs from Harwich in the east to Oxford to the west.

On foot

 * The St Edmunds Way long distance footpath from Brandon, through Thetford Forest to Sudbury and on to Maninngtree (at the mouth of the River Stour) runs through the town.

Get around
Almost all of Bury St Edmunds is accessible on foot. The town is small and even from the furthest points, it is not more than a 45-minute walk to the centre. Accommodation is likely to be located in the town centre and from there it is possible to reach many restaurants, bars and attractions. Much of the town centre is pedestrianised on market days (Wednesdays and Saturdays).

The bus operator is First Norfolk & Suffolk

Much of the town is equipped with cycle lanes; cycling around is normally safe and easy.

Do
With the leisure centre, cinema and bowling alley just on the edge of town there's entertainment for all the family. If you are without children, walk around the historic town, visit the abbey gardens for a walk and picnic or go a little further out of town and find many well kept parks with wildlife and gorgeous long walks.





Buy
Bury has most of the larger chains of shops such as Next, Dorothy Perkins, Burton etc. A controversial shopping development opened on the former site of the cattle market which houses more chain stores, with a Debenhams the focal point. A few local places include:
 * Farmers Market is held along The Traverse on the second Sunday of the month.
 * Farmers Market is held along The Traverse on the second Sunday of the month.
 * Farmers Market is held along The Traverse on the second Sunday of the month.

Eat
Bury St Edmunds is home to many different restaurants. A quick walk around the town centre will reveal places suited to every taste and wallet.



Drink
There are lots of bars, clubs and pubs in Bury; it certainly punches above its weight given its size. Many premises have late licences with some bars, clubs and pubs serving until 1AM on weekdays and until 3AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Bar 3, Benson Blakes, Hide Bar, Karooze, Bar Ambition and So Bar provide a fairly relaxed night out and are a welcome alternative to the two main nightclubs (Brazilias and Deja Vu) which are over-priced and tacky by comparison. Ruin is a night club and cocktail bar. The cheapest pub in and around the town centre is certainly The Grapes, which is open until 2AM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Connect
Bury St Edmunds has 4G from all UK carriers. As of May 2022, 5G has not reached town, but it's getting close.

Stay safe
Bury is one of the safest towns in the country and you are unlikely to be a victim of crime; however as with anywhere don't allow yourself to become too complacent.

Go next

 * Cambridge - a university city.
 * Lavenham - one of the finest examples of a medieval wool town.
 * Thetford and Thetford Forest a large forest with a wide range of activities, walks, etc.
 * Newmarket
 * Diss
 * Ipswich