Bury St Edmunds is an historic market town, the main town in the borough of St Edmundsbury, with many fine strengths, including natural, historic and architectural attractions. The most notable of these is the ruined Abbey, a shrine to Saint Edmund, Saxon King of the East Angles. In 1214 the barons of England met in the Abbey Church and swore that they would force King John to accept the Charter of Liberties, later known as Magna Carta. The original Abbey was a site of pilgrimage, but was destroyed in the ‘dissolution of the monasteries’ in the 16th Century. Bury survived this, as it was a flourishing cloth-making town, and it remained a prosperous and attractive market town.

Next to the abbey is the Cathedral, which was extended with a new eastern end in the 1960s, and a completely new Gothic revival cathedral tower was built as part of a major 5-year millennium project. There are still parts of the cathedral that need completing - the cloisters remain unfinished, which makes the only cathedral still being built in the UK – in fact only a handful of Gothic revival cathedrals are still being built worldwide. The tower was constructed using original fabrication techniques and six highly skilled masons cut and placed every stone individually, using the original plans.

The town has the small but enormously significant Theatre Royal, built by the National Gallery architect William Wilkins in 1819. It is the sole surviving Regency Theatre left in the country and even after nearly 200 years, remains a vital part of our cultural identity. The theatre began a major restoration in late 2005 which is due for completion in Autumn 2007. The Appeal raised £5M for the restoration, and it’s Patron, Dame Judi Dench said: "The Theatre Royal holds a unique place in the history of theatre in this country as well as a special place in my heart. The restoration of one of the last Georgian theatres in the country and will ensure a vital part of our theatrical heritage will survive for future generations."

Other Facts about Bury

• Bury St Edmunds has an extensive network of underground tunnels which are evidence of chalk-workings. Some buildings have inter-communicating cellars. Due to their unsafe nature the chalk-workings are not open to the public.
• Bury St Edmunds has a population of around 36,000.
• Bury St Edmunds is known for its great landscaping and floral arrangements and through a great community spirit, determination and sheer hard work wins an award every year at some level in the Best Town in Bloom competitions, regionally, nationally and even world wide. This year we are very lucky to be UK finalists in the Britain in Bloom Finals.
• Every May, Bury St Edmunds holds its two week long Bury Festival including concerts, plays, dance and performance art, beginning with Beat th Retreat and culminating in fireworks.
• Bury St Edmunds boasts Britain's first internally illuminated street sign, the ‘pillar of salt’. When built, it had to be granted special permission because it did not conform to regulations.
• Notable bands from Bury St Edmunds include Jacob’s Mouse, Miss Black America and The Dawn Parade.
• Notable people from Bury St Edmunds include actors Bob Hoskins and Nigel Havers, Guy Simonds (WWII Canadian General), 18th Century English landscape architect Humphrey Repton, and John Peel (although living near Stowmarket, was buried on 12 November 2004 in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral).
• The name Bury is a form of borough, and comes from the Norse word "borg" meaning "wall, castle" and the Gothic word "baurgs" meaning "city".
• Bury St Edmunds is the seat of the East of England Regional Assembly.
• On 3 March 1974 a Turkish Airlines DC10 jet crashed near Paris killing all 346 people on board. Among the victims were 17 members of the Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club, returning from a trip to Paris.
• King Henry VIII's sister, Mary, is buried in Bury St Edmunds St Mary's Church.
• Bury St Edmunds is home to England's oldest Scout Group, the 1st Bury St Edmunds (Mayors Own)
• Bury St Edmunds reputedly has the worlds smallest pub, The Nutshell, on the Traverse.