Bury St. Edmunds is a beautiful market town in Suffolk (Image: Getty)
A pretty little town in the UK has one of the country’s best high streets, with 300 independent businesses operating. Bury St Edmunds is a cathedral and market town in west Suffolk
The high street was included in The Telegraph’s round-up of the 20 best in the country, with a “healthy selection of quirky and independent businesses”. Some of the main shopping streets include Abbeygate Street, Cornhill, Butter Market and the Arc Shopping Centre. It has also been dubbed Suffolk’s foodie capital for its range of highly-rated restaurants, cafes and takeaways.
“We have approaching 300 independent businesses in our town centre, which represents over 60% of our total businesses,” Mark Cordell, CEO for the local BID, known as Our Bury St Edmunds, said.
He added: “We are fortunate that the local community is so supportive of our businesses and so far only a couple have had to close. The town centre is continuing to thrive.”
READ MORE: The iconic UK clothes giant with 160 stores that disappeared from high streets
READ MORE: Panic as crumbling market in middle of UK town ‘set to deteriorate further’
Bury St Edmunds is home to 300 independent businesses (Image: Getty)
Local retiree Matthew Abercrombie told the Express that the markets and festivals draw people “from across the region and beyond”, with a twice-weekly market, a maker’s market, a farmer’s market, a food festival, a May Bank Holiday festival, and a Christmas event.
The former Theatre Royal employee added that Bury is an amazing place to live for culture, with a “fabulous theatre”, two cinemas (“one fully independent, one kind of niche”), and The Apex gallery and events space.
Lionel Robinson, who is also a retiree from the area, said: “My sister lives near Chester. On a recent visit to us, she said: ‘I’m in awe. Such a lovely array of some of my favourite shops, and such a diversity.’
“She said Chester and Northwich had nothing compared to Bury, and even said it would be worth the 3-hour journey just to come and shop. So whingers and moaners don’t know what they’ve got compared to many other market towns.”
A visitor was struck by the range of independent shops across the centre. They said: “I was really impressed by how much there is to do in Bury St Edmunds. But what stood out most to me was all the independent shops.
“You have places like Abbeygate Street and Butter Market where you can tell just how much care has gone into keeping the town lovely. I loved browsing places like Clear to Sea, and smaller boutiques such as Luna House Boutique and Pocket Watch and Petticoats. You can easily spend hours wandering from shop to shop and still not see everything.”
Another visitor said the town “absolutely deserves its reputation as Suffolk’s foodie capital”, with the food scene being “the best part” of their visit. Others commented on the number of nice cafes and restaurants, with a variety of offerings, including Michelin-starred Pea Porridge.
It is also home to four breweries, including UK pub giant Greene King, Bartrums Brewery, Brewshed Brewery, and Old Cannon Brewery.
Visit Bury St Edmunds says the town’s history stretches back more than 1,000 years, with the Abbey of St Edmund once being one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England.
Today, the Abbey Gardens, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, St Mary’s Church and Moyse’s Hall Museum are among the main attractions.