About Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Bury St Edmunds full of history was once the capital of East Anglia, with its Cathedral which began in 1503 on the site of an earlier church and then became a Cathedral in 1914. Abbey Gate, the entrance to Abbey Gardens hosts stunning floral displays which have won Bury St Edmunds several awards in recent years. It is the town that provided the setting for the first series of 'Lovejoy' and so is not surprising to find a wide selection of art galleries and antique dealers. Nearby the quintessential Suffolk villages, Lavenham and Long Melford abound with dealers, collectors, fairs and artists. Bury has been the centre of entertainment and the arts for centuries. The Theatre Royal a superb restored Georgian building features opera, dance and music as well as drams from the best touring companies. The Art Gallery has exhibitions of contemporary arts and crafts of the highest quality as well as holding its own annual community festival.

The town has several Public Houses and at one time this part of Suffolk boasted more pubs than Churches. On top of all this, there are the restaurants, snack bars, bistros, cafes and hotels offering food that varies from traditional Suffolk fayre to more exotic dishes.

Bury serves as the focal point for the health needs of the surrounding village communities, as well as for the citizens of the town itself. It is well served with a number of doctors' surgeries, dental surgeries and complementary practitioners and in addition the West Suffolk Hospital.

Bury St Edmunds has an array of play groups, schools and colleges and the nearby towns are Cambridge, Ely and Newmarket.