Major boost for heritage project with a new name, patron, and focus on visitor experience in Bury St Edmunds.
Last year, they unveiled the project. The National Lottery gave development funding. They will create a visitor center. They will explain the abbey’s history. It was once one of England’s largest abbeys, before the dissolution of monasteries.
Lord Bristol is the project’s new patron. He said he loves the Abbey Gardens and that his family owned them before giving ownership to the Borough Council. The gardens will benefit from ruin conservation. They need inspiring interpretation too.
He thinks the visitor center is a great idea. It will easily connect to the town center while preserving the garden’s peace. He feels a strong connection to the abbey. His title is Hereditary High Steward. It’s almost as old as the abbey, and they share almost one thousand years.
He looks forward to this ambitious project. Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, said they are honored that the Marquess of Bristol will be patron. They look forward to a fruitful collaboration to develop this project for the people of Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk.
The project bids for £6.7m in lottery funding. They already got £730,000. This money was for development funding.
Twenty-nine groups are in the bid. The abbey ruins could become a big attraction. It would be a tourist spot in the region.