Bury St Edmunds Abbey

In the civil parish of Bury St Edmunds. In the historic county of Suffolk (Modern Authority of Suffolk, 1974 county of Suffolk).

C14 Great Gate and C12 St James Gate of abbey precinct survive but although impressive probably never meant to be defensive. The Abbey was surrounded by a precinct wall, and some slight sections of the precinct wall do survive. The great gate of the Abbey of St Edmund was begun after the riots of 1327 but before 1346; completed after 1353. Built of Barnack stone. Much is made of the defensive features of this tower, but cannot have been seriously defensive since the rest of precinct not really defensible.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 466446; 466456 and others)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL858642

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 382532; 382615
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is BSE 010 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/155/greatgate.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/155/stjamestower.htm
• Books
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p233
    Pevsner, N. (Revised Radcliffe, Edna), 1974, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p138
    Cox, J.C., 1911, 'The Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds' in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Suffolk Vol2 p56-72 http://www.archive.org/stream/victoriahistoryofs02page#page/56/mode/1up
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1853, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol2
• Journal Articles
  • Whittingham, A.B., 1951, 'Bury St. Edmunds Abbey: The Plan, Design and Development of the Church and Monastic Buildings' The Archaeological Journal Vol108 p168-87 and plates XIX-XX
• Guidebooks
  • Whittingham, A.B., 1992, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk (London: English Heritage)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#suff2]