Norman Tower

The Norman Tower stands detached beside the cathedral ruins in Bury St Edmunds. Built early in the 12th century as the Abbey’s main gateway, it is one of only two surviving Abbey buildings. The tower is a Grade I listed structure and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is regarded as one of the finest Norman examples in East Anglia. The massive Romanesque walls are 2.4 metres thick and rise 26 metres high. Two large arches pierce the west and east faces, the western one forming a gabled porch. The tower’s survival has depended on repeated repairs and restorations. After the Abbey was dissolved in 1539, the tower became the bell tower for the nearby Church of St James. In 1818 part of the eastern arch collapsed after bell ringing, and cracks ran the full height of the tower. Architect William Ranger warned in 1840 that ringing would worsen the damage. Restoration between 1845 and 1848 included iron ties, rebuilding the eastern arch and replacing battlements. Inside, a stair turret in the south-west buttress leads to the ringing chamber and belfry. The tower contains a ring of ten bells cast in 1785 by Thomas Osborn. The walls are built almost entirely of Barnack stone. The plain parapet hides a sound lantern at the top. From the street the tower sits below pavement level after ground was raised to prevent flooding. The Abbey ruins lie 200 metres to the east, and the surviving Abbey Gate is 150 metres north.