Bury St Edmunds, Market town in West Suffolk, England
Bury St Edmunds is a market town in the county of Suffolk in eastern England, located roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Ipswich. The center spreads around open squares, broad shopping streets and parkland that borders the remains of the old abbey complex.
A Benedictine monastery formed here in the 7th century and became the burial site of Edmund, who died as a martyr in 869. The abbots reorganized the town in the 11th century around a new street grid that still shapes the layout today.
The name comes from King Edmund, an Anglo-Saxon ruler whose shrine drew pilgrims for centuries and shaped how the streets were laid out. Today residents gather at the Buttermarket or walk through the Abbey Gardens, where sections of the old monastery walls still stand.
The cathedral and abbey ruins sit within walking distance from the main streets, while the train station lies on the eastern edge of the center. Narrow lanes run between the larger squares, easy to explore on foot.
A brewery has operated here since the early 19th century and still uses parts of the old production buildings. Several pubs in the center belong to the same brewing group and pour beer straight from the local production.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
