St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Edmundsbury Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund
Cathedral from the East
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Location	Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Liberal Catholic
Website	[1]
History
Status	Cathedral
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	7 August 1952
Architectural type	Church
Style	Romanesque, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Years built	11th–16th centuries, 18th–19th centuries, 21st century
Groundbreaking	11th century
Completed	2007
Specifications
Number of towers	1
Bells	12+1
Tenor bell weight	27 long cwt 2 qr 5 lb (3,085 lb or 1,399 kg)
Administration
Diocese	St Edmundsbury & Ipswich (since 1914)
Province	Canterbury

The choir, looking east towards the high altar

St Edmundsbury Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund, is a special church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It's the main church for the Church of England in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. This means it's where the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich has his official seat. The cathedral started as a church way back in the 11th century. It was rebuilt several times, becoming a cathedral in 1914. In recent years, it has been made much bigger.

History of the Cathedral
Inside the Cathedral
- Art and Features
- Visitor Information
Cathedral Leaders
Organ and Music Directors
- The Cathedral Organ
- Directors of Music
Cathedral Bells
Ancient Library
Gallery
See also

History of the Cathedral

Early Beginnings (11th-12th Centuries)

A church has stood on this spot since at least 1065. Back then, it was called St Denis's Church. It was built inside the area of Bury St Edmunds Abbey.

In the early 1100s, the leader of the Abbey, Abbot Anselm, wanted to go on a special trip called a pilgrimage. He wanted to follow the Way of St James to a place called Santiago de Compostela. He couldn't go, so instead, he rebuilt St Denis's Church. He named the new church after Saint James. This church then became the local church for the northern part of Bury St Edmunds.

Abbot Anselm also built the abbey's gate tower, which is now known as the Norman Tower. This tower was built next to St James's Church and was used as its belfry. It still holds the church bells today! The church is quite close to St Mary's Church, which is about the same size.

Becoming a Cathedral (16th-20th Centuries)

The church was mostly rebuilt starting in 1503. This work was done in the Perpendicular style by John Wastell. He was a very skilled master mason who also worked on King's College, Cambridge.

More changes were made to the building in the 1700s and 1800s. A new chancel (the area around the altar) and a special hammerbeam roof were added by George Gilbert Scott.

In 1914, the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich was created. This is a special area that a bishop looks after. When this happened, St James's Church was made into a cathedral. In 1959, the famous composer Benjamin Britten wrote a piece of music called Fanfare for St Edmundsbury. He wrote it for a special event held at the cathedral.

Modern Additions (1959-Present)

From 1959 onwards, a lot of new building work began. The goal was to turn the old local church into a proper cathedral. Between 1959 and 1970, the Victorian chancel was taken down. A new quire (the area where the choir sits) was built. A cloister (a covered walkway) was added on the west side. Also, transepts (parts of the church that stick out like arms), a Lady chapel, and a small side chapel dedicated to St Edmund were built.

The architect for the cathedral from 1943 to 1988 was Stephen Dykes Bower. He even left £2 million in his will to help finish the cathedral! His successor, Alan Rome, built a new choir school and visitor's centre in the cathedral grounds, which opened in 1990.

Work on a new Gothic revival style tower began in 2000. This tower was paid for by the Millennium Commission and the Stephen Dykes Bower Trust, among others. The Millennium Tower was designed by Hugh Mathew. This tower is 150 feet (46 metres) tall. It was built using 600,000 bricks and covered with Barnack and Clipsham stone. The completion of the tower was celebrated on 22 July 2005. More additions followed, including the Chapel of the Transfiguration and the East Cloister, both finished in 2009. The Crypt Treasury was completed in 2012.

Inside the Cathedral

Art and Features

The font (where baptisms happen) was designed in 1870 by George Gilbert Scott. It sits on an old medieval base. The cover for the font was made by Frank Ernest Howard. The decorations on the font were added in 1960.

A painting called "The Martyrdom of St Edmund" by Brian Whelan hangs in the Lady Chapel. You can also see a sculpture by Elisabeth Frink called Crucifixion near the Treasury steps.

The cathedral has beautiful Stained glass windows. One is the medieval Susanna Window. It has glass from Flanders (a region in Europe) at the bottom and English glass at the top. The large west window shows the Last Judgement and was made around 1900.

Visitor Information

Besides guided tours of the cathedral, visitors can see different art shows in the Edmund Gallery. There's also a display of old religious items and treasures in the Cathedral Treasures exhibit.

Cathedral Leaders

The Dean of St Edmundsbury is the main leader of the cathedral. This person is in charge of the group of canons, who help run the cathedral. Before 2000, this role was called a provost. The first provost was John Orpen.

As of January 31, 2023, the main clergy (church leaders) are:

Dean — Joe Hawes (started July 14, 2018)
Sub-Dean & Canon Pastor — Matthew Vernon
Canon Precentor — Philip Banks
Archdeacon for Rural Mission and Diocesan Canon — Sally Gaze
Canon Theologian and Bishops' Chaplain (Diocesan Canon) — Michael Robinson
Assistant Priest — Sarah Geileskey
Curate — Anita Rooney

The cathedral is also a local church, but it has not had a Vicar (a specific type of priest) since at least 2005.

Organ and Music Directors

The Cathedral Organ

The two organ cases, in the north transept and north choir

The large organ in the cathedral was rebuilt in 2010 by a company called Harrison & Harrison. You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Directors of Music

These are the people who have been in charge of music at the cathedral:

1896 Charles John Harold Shane
1937 Edwin Percy Hallam
1958 Harrison Oxley
1985 Paul Trepte
1990 Mark Blatchly
1993 Mervyn Cousins
1997 James Thomas
2020 Richard Cook (acting)
2020 Timothy Parsons

Cathedral Bells

A set of 12 bells is located in the old Norman Tower next to the cathedral. The first ten bells were made in 1785 by Thomas Osborn. In 1973, the bells were rehung lower down in the tower. After people raised money, two more bells were added in 2012. A thirteenth bell was added in 2013. This extra bell helps beginners practice ringing a full set of notes without needing to use the three heaviest bells. The bells are rung on Sundays before church services. They are also rung for weddings and other special events.

Ancient Library

The Ancient Library is a special room located above the north-west porch of the cathedral. It was started by Miles Mosse, who was a preacher at St James Church in Bury St Edmunds.