Bury St. Edmunds--a Little Jewel of a Town

The second day of our trip through some of the wool towns of Suffolk found us in the town of Bury St. Edmunds, where it was market day. A market has been held on this site for 945 years--imagine that!  In addition to the fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers, 

you could find all sorts of trinkets, especially if you were looking for memorabilia for the upcoming Queen's Jubilee celebrations. 

We hit the market about lunch time, so when we spied that hog roasting in the pit,

we knew a pork/stuffing/applesauce sandwich was our gourmet treat for the day.

And just in case, you are in need of some pigs' ears,

or some postman's legs, I can surely direct you to them at several booths there in town.

Our exploring began at the Abbeygate that leads to the picturesque ruins of the 11th century Benedictine abbey,

which was one of the most famous and wealthy in the country at its time. Beautiful gardens for a stroll back through time.

Suffering the fate of all the other abbeys under the reign of Henry VIII, the monastery and abbey were disbanded and all of its assets collected. Over 800 religious communities suffered the same fate during 1536-1541, when Henry VIII broke off relations with the Catholic church and established his own Church of England. 

The current St. Edmundsbury Cathedral remains from the days of the abbey's peak of popularity, when pilgrims would come to view the relics of the martyred King Edmund.

Fascinating to me were the houses built right into the remaining western walls of the abbey property--

that's an amazing form of recycling and repurposing.

Also remaining from the days of the abbey is St. Mary's Church of the 15th century.

This church is the final resting place of Mary Tudor, the favorite sister of Henry VIII, who was married off for political gain to Louis XII, the King of France. At the time of their union, he was 34 years older than Mary, known as one of the most attractive women of her time.

Mary was firmly opposed to marrying him, so she probably felt great relief when he died just three months after the marriage. After secluding her for 6 weeks to make sure she was not pregnant with the heir of France, she was finally released

and allowed to return to England when she married her true love, and good friend of her brother the king--Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk.

Beautiful stained glass windows, given by Queen Victoria, depict the story of Mary Tudor's betrothal and wedding to the King of France and her subsequent return to England.

The pews were all decorated with carved finials, which I assumed were fleurs de lis, but I discovered later they are referred to as poppy-heads.

 The gates outside the church were ornamented with what I think resembled fleurs de lis,

as well as the boot scrapers at the door. I'm quite drawn to the fleur de lis symbol, so it's a bit of a treasure hunt looking for them throughout Europe.

And even if I had been on an extensive treasure hunt throughout the region, I doubt I would have ever, ever guessed I would find one of these:

A car with a Texas license plate, right smack in the Chequer Square across from the church! 

Just a few miles away from its home....

Medieval Town of Lavenham

Last weekend, we headed to the Suffolk region of England to see the "wool towns" of the area. We decided to stay in the small town of Lavenham, where we settled in at The Swan Hotel for a couple of nights. The Swan Hotel dates from the 15th century, and is comprised of 3 different houses from that era, all strung together to offer a charming experience on an overnight stay.

We kept pinching ourselves to remind us that we were sleeping in a building that has been around for centuries.  Our room was on the back side on the left corner,

and the interior was warm and cozy, especially after braving the elements of a chilly and damp early March day.

There were intimate and welcoming reception areas throughout with huge fireplaces to warm you after your explorations,

and the Great Hall dining room with fine cuisine known for miles around,

as well as the small gardens offering the guests the ultimate in lodging.

Lavenham is a quintessential English town,

commonly known as "England's Best Preserved Medieval Village,

with 300 listed buildings of architectural and historical significance scattered over several small, narrow streets.

Most homes date from the years 1460-1530, when the cloth making trade was at its height.

This house is currently for sale if you fancy life in a small and picturesque village. Just under £500,000 or $785, 000.

As you wander the streets, you see little has changed since medieval times

when the city was one of the wealthiest towns in England.

The Shilling Old Grange house was built in 1496, but 300 years later, it was the home of Jane Taylor, who wrote the sweet rhyme that I often sing to my grandchildren. Twinkle, twinkle little star....

I could have taken photo after photo of interesting details,

such as these doors

and the crooked houses

that just make you smile

and wonder what it would be like to live in them today.

The stunning Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is one of the many "wool churches" in the area, built from the proceeds of the lucrative cloth trade of the time.

Equally as important is the Guildhall on the Market Square, which was built in 1530 for religious meetings

and the Little Hall, once the home of a rich wool merchant, but which is now a private residence and can be viewed by the public.

Our getaway weekend didn't offer up the best of weather, so after an afternoon of exploring, we decided to have a "cup of tea" to chase off the chills. We chose Munnings on the High Street.

Such a charming place, the owner explained to us that the tea room with her lodgings upstairs, was originally a home built in the medieval era

and today hosts locals and tourists alike who come to sample her homemade treats.

We were the last guests of the day, picking a table by the window

and sitting down only after we scoped out the dessert buffet.

I opted for a slice of lemon-orange cake

and Mike had the traditional "cream tea" with scones, clotted cream and jam. A delicious ending to our first day of the weekend.

There's more to come--hope you'll grab a cup of tea and join me!