The Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn
October 2024 – initial support for the project
St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, along with its partners West Suffolk Council and English Heritage, received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in October 2024 for the project, then called The Abbey of St Edmund: A Millennium of History in West Suffolk. The Abbey of St Edmund was once one of the greatest abbeys in medieval England. It was a focus for international pilgrimage, and it played a key role in the formation of Magna Carta.
The project aims to conserve and protect the ruins; build a visitor centre, west cloister, and network of footpaths; and use digital technology to provide exciting interpretation for all ages and interests. There will be a huge range of learning and volunteering activities built around events, programmes and exhibitions. The project will link up with other heritage attractions nearby and further afield, giving communities and visitors more opportunities to access the rich heritage of town and county.
Made possible by National Lottery players, development funding of £729,553 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help the Cathedral and its partners progress plans to apply for a full Heritage Fund grant at a later date.
The Abbey of St Edmund is very important to the local community – 29 local organisations have come together to form the Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership, to care about and promote the ruins. The Abbey site currently enjoys over one million visits each year as people walk through the town’s free to enter public gardens, where the ruins are situated.
July 2026 – National Lottery Heritage Fund awards major grant
On July 15, 2026, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, West Suffolk Council and English Heritage, project partners of the now titled The Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn announced a £7.137m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, contributing to a total project of £9.83m.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are delighted to support the Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn partnership project, which aims to reunify this historic site and secure its future as a cultural destination.
“Heritage has a powerful role to play in bringing communities together to celebrate and preserve the past, while also driving regeneration, supporting nature recovery and creating opportunities to be part of the story. This project will strengthen people’s connection with the Abbey, the Cathedral, the town and the surrounding landscape, creating a more accessible and welcoming place that everyone can enjoy, shape and take pride in for generations to come.”