Bury St Edmunds Abbey Gardens are beautiful to visit in the summer in all its glory.
The abbey was named after Edmund who was crowned king when he was 15 years old in 8655. He was fighting the Danes when he had to retreat. He was caught and refused to renounce his Catholic faith and was slained. Bury St Edmunds became a pilgrimage place for worshipers and a great Abbey was built in the 12th century but was destroyed during a riot between the Benedictine monks and the townspeople. The Abbey gate was rebuilt next to the previous one.
An interesting fact about Bury St Edmunds is that Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, who came from here, went to America and named Martha's vineyard after his daughter.
St Mary's Church is one of the largest parish in the country.
After the reformation (breakdown between the Catholic world and England), the dissolution of monasteries occurred and many of the stones were used for other uses. Only St John and St Mary's church, Abbey gate and the Norman Tower survived.
During WWII, 1 in every 7 person in Suffolk were American due to the 19 airfields that were built in Suffolk's fields. There is a garden dedicated to the 94th Bombardment Group in the Abbey Gardens.
During the summer, they have concerts but this is a nice place for a walk as well. There is plenty of room for the children to run around and it has a playground and avairy as well.
So pack a picnic and get out there!All the Best!
American to Britain