People invited to have their say on the ‘Abbey of St Edmund Reborn” project

People are being invited to have their say on the “Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn” project at an exhibition being held in St Edmundsbury Cathedral later this month.

The Abbey of St Edmund has a history stretching back over 1,000.

Once one of the richest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in medieval England, the story of the Abbey is central to the development of the town of Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk across five centuries.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the “Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn” project will conserve and protect the Abbey ruins, build a visitor centre facing onto Angel Hill, expand and improve the footpaths around the site and provide interpretation and activities for all ages and interests. 

The exhibition will present a series of panels that outline the project’s emerging ideas, proposals and priorities, some of which have not been shared publicly before.

Visitors will be able to explore themes such as the Abbey’s extraordinary history and legacy and how this is presented to visitors, plans for conservation and interpretation of the ruins, opportunities for education, community engagement, and tourism, how the biodiversity of the site will benefit from the project and how new buildings may look. 

Feedback will be encouraged and will play a vital role in shaping the next stages of planning and development.

The panels will be on display in St Edmundsbury Cathedral from Friday to Sunday, September 26 to 28,  during visitor opening hours, 10am to 5.30 pm Friday, 10am to 4pm on Saturday and 12.30pm to 3pm on Sunday, and the public are encouraged to come along, ask questions and provide their views on how the project is shaped moving forward. 

The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury and deputy chair of the project board said: “We want this project to inspire and serve the whole community, which is why this consultation is so important.

“We warmly encourage everyone to come along, learn more about the proposals, and share their views.”