Whenever I write or post pictures from various parts of the UK, all my ActiveRain friends seem to like it. So this is part of a new daily series introducing you all to various parts of this lovely little island! If you've got any special requests for certain English places, just drop me a line and it could be featured next!

Today we're talking about Bury St Edmunds :-)

Bury St. Edmunds, one of the few towns in England that doesn’t end in Ton, Ing, Ham or Ford is situated in the heart of John Constable’s county of Suffolk. It earns its unique name from its dark and complicated history. Originally a Saxon monastery, King Edmund was buried here in the 900s, of which his fame brought prosperity and growth to the surrounding town. Monasteries crumbled, abbeys were erected and power regularly changed hands up until the wool trade in the 15th century, which allowed the market and nearby villages to flourish. In the following 200 years, some of the largest witch trials were held in the town by the “Witch finder General” Matthew Hopkins.

Despite the dark history, Bury St Edmunds’ town centre is a beautiful place with plenty of independent shops, bars and restaurants. The ruins of the abbey are open to the public and host some beautiful flower gardens and even a tiny bird zoo.

If you’re in to your ales, you’ll find the freshest Greene King beer in the country, as the brewery is based right in the town centre and fills the streets with delicious hoppy smells for most of the year. The Old Cannon Brewery also offers some independent and very high quality tipple.

Travel wise, London can be a bit far on the train but is still commutable, and property prices are considerably lower than Cambridge and Ipswich. If you work in the latter two towns of course, you can be at work in about half an hour. Also, if you’re in to your country property, the surrounding villages to Bury St Edmunds play host to one The Rothschild’s estates as well as Claudia Schiffer’s little agricultural project. In the summer, West Suffolk’s colour scheme is unrivalled as golden fields of wheat and barley compliment the ‘Suffolk-pink’ cottages that are so common around Bury.

If you like the sound of Bury St Edmunds, and you’re not a witch of course, why not check it out?

Property for sale in Bury St Edmunds

Property to rent in Bury St Edmunds