This new Red Guide to one of the most powerful monasteries of medieval England includes a new series of reconstruction drawings to accompany Professor Luxford’s engaging and comprehensive text. Together, text and images give a vivid picture of the magnificence of this once-vast abbey complex and the life of those who lived here.
Founded in 1020 by King Cnut, the Benedictine abbey of Bury St Edmunds replaced the minster that had been established here in the seventh century to house the relics of the king and martyr, Edmund of the East Angles. The king had supposedly been killed by the Vikings – stuck so full of arrows his body bristled like a hedgehog.
Pilgrims flocked to St Edmund’s shrine, bringing wealth and fame to the abbey, which remained high in royal favour for the next 500 years.
It was dissolved under Henry VIII in 1539, its fabric and buildings plundered, and the site sold to a series of lay owners. In 1953 it was established as a public park. Now under the care of the English Heritage Trust, the abbey’s scattered and towering remains still give a glimpse of the impressive scale and beauty of this powerhouse of the medieval church.
- ISBN: 978-1-910907-65-8
- Paperback: 190 x 220mm
- Extent: 40 pages
| GTIN | 9781910907658 |
|---|---|
| Return period | 30 days |
