 The Abbey, built on the site of the shrine of the martyred Saxon King Edmund, rose to fame in the middle ages when St Edmund became the patron saint of England. It was here in 1214 that 25 barons forced King John to swear an oath that he would ratify the Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta was a significant step towards the English democratic and legal systems of today. Small wonder that Bury St Edmunds is known as 'Shrine of a King, Cradle of the Law'.
 The Abbey precinct encompasses the giant ruins of the Abbey, the splendid Abbey Gardens, the Cathedral Church of St James and St Mary's Church. The Abbey Gate and the Norman Tower are the gateways to the precinct, and have become the symbols of Bury St Edmunds. They can be climbed each year on Towers and Tunnels Day in August.
The Norman grid system of the streets makes exploring on foot an easy business. A fine collection of public buildings in the town centre includes the Athenaeum, which opened in 1714 as an Assembly House and has been a centre for social life ever since. It was here that Charles Dickens gave public readings from his books.
The Nutshell pub in the centre of the town is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as Britain's smallest pub, and is owned by local brewers Greene King. Be sure to sign their visitors' book.
Bury St Edmunds is also home to the much-loved Theatre Royal, one of the oldest and smallest working theatres in the country, and to a selection of interesting museums and galleries including the Art Gallery.
Historic Bury St. Edmunds was home to one of the most powerful monastries in mediaeval Europe. The Manor House Museum and Moyse's Hall Museum are both to be found in the centre of town and well worth a visit.
Bury St Edmunds has seen glory, turmoil and scandal over the centuries of which few small towns could boast. Today it remains a busy and beautiful market town at the heart of East Anglia.
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