Iconic Wolf Sculpture Lit Up

The 2 metre high Wolf Sculpture on the Southgate Street/Rougham Road Roundabout, near Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club, has now had the new lighting installed and can be seen, eerily illuminated from sunset each night. Suffolk Highways engineers made the final connections on Wednesday.

Created by Halesworth based chain-saw sculptor Ben Loughrill, the 2-metre-high Wolf is a central figure in the legend surrounding the death of King Edmund who ruled East Anglia from AD 855 to 869 and was made a saint after refusing to denounce his Christian faith during the Danish invasion.

The legend goes that after being killed with arrows and decapitated in Suffolk, the king's body was found but his head was missing. Supporters heard the wolf call them and they found him guarding the king's head, which was then reunited with his body.

The Wolf Sculpture at the junction of Southgate Street and Rougham Road, is part of a series of roundabout artworks erected by Bury in Bloom that tell the history of the town.

Others include ‘St Edmund’ (Parkway/Risbygate St), ‘The Crown’ (Cullum Rd/Rougham Rd), as well as more recent historically significant features, ‘With the Grain’ (Parkway/Kings Rd), the ‘James Moore Cycle’ (Mount Rd/Orttewell Rd) and the Flight of Peace (Mount Rd/Lady Miriam Way).

David Irvine Coordinator of Bury in Bloom said "We are really happy to have finally achieved our goal of lighting the iconic Wolf Sculpture that is an important part of the history of Bury St Edmunds. We wanted the Wolf to be seen at this entrance to the town, especially with the Abbey 1000 celebrations now planned for 2022.

"We have plans for the ghostly monk’s sculpture for the Northgate St/Tayfen Rd that will reflect the history of the Abbey and we hope to see the first of the three pieces on display this year."

And what of the rumour that the Wolf howls at midnight on the nights of a full moon for the lost king Edmund?

David said: "I can’t confirm or deny, although I did notice the Highways engineers fitting the new lighting, working a bit feverishly to get finished before sunset."

Interested in learning more about the work of Bury in Bloom? Visit https://www.buryinbloom.org.uk/ or email Coordinator@buryinbloom.org.UK