St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds is not likely to be a church that you will stop by and go in as although it is in Bury St Edmunds it is at the end of the same street the Cathedral and Abbey Gate are on. It is worth walking down the street to see this cchurch.
St Mary's Church is the third largest parish in England. It has the second longest aisle and the largest west window. It was built 1120-1148. It has a Hammer-Beam Angel Roof. This is very beautiful and I was told by a member of the parish that they light them up only once a year in the Advent service so its worth going then. I wasn't able to get a very good picture of the beans but they are very impressive.
Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's favourite and younger sister is buried in this church. Mary was told by Henry VIII that she would be able to marry whom ever she like but he made her marry to the king of France but he died 2 months later. Then she was able to marry her true love, the 1st Duke of Suffolk. Although she did this before she came back from France. It is an act of treason to get married without the king's approval and so they had to plead with Henry VIII to allow them to be married. He took all the money and presents she was given when she was married to the King of France.
Queen Victoria donated a stained glass window to commemorate that a member of her family is buried here.
Their choir is one of the oldest in the country. It is an all male robed choirs dating back 500 years. They often hold Evening Songs and concerts, so check out what they have planned here.
If you are in Bury St Edmunds, I recommend popping in to see this hidden gem.
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