Queen’s Baton Relay
Location
IP33 1XL, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom
Telephone
01284 757490- Next Event
- 9th July 1:20pm
- Event Finishes
- 9th July 1:35pm
About this event
Residents and visitors are all invited to welcome the Queen’s Baton Relay as it makes its only stop in Suffolk when it comes to Bury St Edmunds on Saturday 9 July.
The Relay will arrive in the award winning Abbey Gardens at 1.20pm and be carried around the grounds and historic Abbey ruins, which celebrates its 1000th anniversary this year, by three batonbearers, before being delivered to the Festival of Suffolk Community Games at Bury’s Athletics Track on Beetons Way.The baton relay begins at the Holocaust Memorial. Rev’d Canon Matthew Vernon, Canon Pastor and Sub Dean of the Cathedral will present the baton to the first of three batonbearers who will take it around the gardens and historic ruins.
It will arrive back in the center of the formal garden before being taken onwards to the Suffolk Community Games.
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About the Venue
The Abbey Gardens, in the heart of Bury St Edmunds, is the perfect spot for enjoying peace and quiet whilst watching the world go by. And it is FREE to visit!
The award-winning 14-acre Abbey Gardens is on the site of the former Benedictine Abbey, the Abbey of St Edmund, once one of the richest, largest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. People came from all over England and further afield to visit the Shrine of St Edmund and it became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage locations in England, visited by royalty.
Internationally renowned for its colourful and attractive displays and the heritage of its backdrop make the gardens a very special place to visit and visitors come from all over the world to see it. According to VisitEngland, the Abbey Gardens and ruins in Bury St Edmunds is the fifth most visited free attraction in England!
The gardens are framed by the abbey wall that runs from the 13th century Abbot's Bridge via the imposing Abbey Gate to St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
It is not hard to understand why the Abbey Gardens have won the prestigious Green Flag Award on numerous occasions, it is a stunning venue for the many and varied cultural events which take place in Bury St Edmunds including the annual Bury St Edmunds Festival.
Created in 1831 by Nathaniel Hodson, the Abbey Gardens was originally a botanic garden laid out in the same style as the Royal Botanic Gardens in Brussels. In 1936 the concentric circles were replaced by the sixty-four island beds which, together with illuminations, formed part of the Coronation celebrations for George VI in 1937.
Today, approximately 20,000 plants are bedded out in the spring for the summer display plus 12,000 plants and 20,000 bulbs in the autumn for the spring display.
Visit our Abbey Gardens Guide to find out more about this beautiful attraction in the heart of Bury St Edmunds.
Facilities:
Crazy golf - available from April to October. Charges: £1.50 per person, per game (plus £1 deposit).
Children’s play area
Wildlife feeding area - near the dovecote, past the children's play area and over the bridge. Please only feed the local wildlife near the dovecote as this will encourage them to stay close to it.
Entry to the gardens is FREE. Opening Times. Download the West Suffolk Council Abbey Gardens Visitor Guide now.
