Ruins to the North of the Cloister is a Grade I listed building in the West Suffolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 August 1952. A Medieval Ruins.

Ruins to the North of the Cloister

WRENN ID
gentle-niche-bittern
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
West Suffolk
Constituency
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket MP: Dr Peter Prinsley (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
7 August 1952
Type
Ruins
Period
Medieval
OS grid reference
TL 857 642
Coordinates
52.24499, 0.71875
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The ruins to the north of the Cloister in Bury St Edmunds are the remains of the Refectory, along with the Kitchen and Cellarer's range to the north, and the larder and wardrobe located below the Queen's Chamber to the north of the former Dorter. These structures date back to the 12th century and are constructed from flint with stone fragments. Three walls of the Refectory are made of coursed flint and stand approximately 3 metres high. The east and west walls feature blocked pointed arched doorways made of Barnack stone. The lower part of the Queen's Chamber building is the most intact part of the complex, with all four walls still standing. It includes stone-faced pilasters in the corners and fragments of others along the walls that divided the interior into two vaulted bays. The west wall contains the stone backing for a fireplace, and in the north-west corner, there is the base of a small circular stair turret. This building was part of the range that included the Abbot's Palace. The site is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Local climate

Ruins to the North of the Cloister sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 710 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 85% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 87% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 36 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 62% of listed buildings. Of these, 19 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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