Bury St Edmunds murals unveiled for abbey's 1,000th anniversary

21 November 2022

News image — Artist Louise Gridley said she wanted to include local school children "as it will be their legacy"

Phil Morley Louise Gridley in front of one of the murals — Artist Louise Gridley said she wanted to include local school children "as it will be their legacy"

Two giant murals have been unveiled as part of celebrations of 1,000 years of the Abbey of St Edmund.

One depicts the story of St Edmund and the other showcases landmarks from the town as it is now.

Ms Gridley said including local children in the creation of the murals was important "as it will be their legacy gift to future generations".

St Edmund ruled the Anglo Saxon kingdom of East Anglia from AD855 until he was killed by invading Vikings in AD870.

King Canute founded an abbey at the site of the Christian martyr's tomb in 1020.

The town's celebrations of the 1,000th anniversary of that event in 2020 were postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

Phil Morley The 3d mural depicts the story of St Edmunds — The murals depict the story of St Edmund, the former king of East Anglia, and landmarks of the town from the present day

Chistopher Hilton/Geograph Remains of the abbey — The Abbey Gardens contain the ruins of the Benedictine Abbey, in the shadow of St Edmundsbury Cathedral

Local schools were invited to take part in creating the murals and Ms Gridley ran workshops for them.

Funding was sought from Arts Council England and the project also had contributions from the town's Moyse's Hall Museum and community interest company Abbey 1,000.

Ms Gridley said: "I wanted to make a legacy art piece for our town that celebrates our rich heritage.

"It was important to me that young people within our community were involved in the making of the work.

"There were a few scary moments when I worried that the installation deadline of 19 November may not be met, but [it] all worked out with St Edmund gaining his rightful place on the wall in time for his feast day."