St Edmund's Crown | Bury In Bloom

Not many people get to unveil a sculpture on their last day before retirement, but David Notley did just that when he lifted the cover off a new piece of Bury St Edmunds history.

The 64-year-old unveiled a new sculpture called St Edmunds Crown, which celebrates a key part of the town’s history, on one of its major roundabouts.

The statue has been paid for by Greene King and Bury in Bloom. The roundabout is also sponsored by the company and the crown sculpture mirrors their logo of a crown and arrows.

For 64-year-old David, March 15 marked his last day after 42 years working for the parks and landscapes team at St Edmundsbury Borough Council. “It’s been enjoyable which is the reason I’ve been here so long,” he said. “I’ve had more laughs here than tears.” He said it came as a complete surprise to be asked to unveil the sculpture.

It is positioned on the roundabout between Cullum Road and Nowton Road, meaning it will become a familiar site to visitors coming from Sudbury and Ipswich. “The crown is the emblem of the town but also the emblem of Greene King,” said Bury in Bloom’s Melanie Lesser.

Communications director Greg Sage from the brewery came to the opening and said while the company was now known across the country, it was keen to retain its community links in the town where it all began 218 years ago. “We’re very proud of our heritage in Bury St Edmunds,” he said. “The crown and arrows features in our logo along with the Bury St Edmunds name. We’re delighted to be part of this sculpture which is on the roundabout near our brewery. Many of our team members will drive past when they’re driving into work.”

The sculpture is made of steel and willow and was created by Chevington artist Liz Cooke. She said it was “very exciting” to see her creation unveiled for the public to see. “I’m very happy,” she said. “I knew I wanted to do it with steel and willow. I loved doing the steel bit. That’s the hard structure. You’ve got the shape with the steel and adding the willow is like colouring it in.” The willow was grown by Lark Valley Willow on the meadows near Greene King. Children from South Lee and Hardwick primary schools attended the unveiling.

East Anglian Daily Times – Thursday, March 16, 2017

Bury in Bloom and Greene King are delighted to be unveiling a new sculpture ‘St Edmund’s Crown’ on the Cullum Road/Nowton Road Roundabout on Wednesday March 15th at 10am.

The sculpture made from metal and willow has been created by local sculptor Elizabeth Cooke from Lark Valley Willow. Elizabeth has made the metal crown from steel and then woven the willow around the sculpture. The willow was grown by Lark Valley Willow on the meadows near Greene King.

The inspiration for the sculpture are the crests for both Greene King and the Bury St Edmunds Town Council. The crest for Bury St Edmunds Town Council shows the wolf guarding the head of St Edmund with three crowns beneath the wolf.

The crowns stood for the fact that Edmund was a King, a martyr and followed a path of chastity. Bury St Edmunds was granted its first charter in 1606, and the heraldic device of the three crowns was granted to the council by King James 1st. When Bury St Edmunds Borough Council was abolished in 1974 and became the District Council of St Edmundsbury, the Coat of Arms was conveyed back to the Bury Town Council by Royal Licence in 2006.

Greene King’s story goes back to 1799 when 19-year-old Benjamin Greene moved to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk to set up the Westgate Brewery. He was carrying on a proud tradition of brewing in the town that stretches all the way back to 1086.

“Bury St Edmunds has always been the home of Greene King, in fact we’ve been part of the town for 218 years, so our heritage is incredibly important to us. So much so that a few years ago, we transformed the Greene King logo to include St Edmund’s crown and arrows. We believe using his distinctive crest within our logo design is a symbol of our commitment to and pride of our hometown, Bury St Edmunds. We are thrilled with the willow crown and arrows on our sponsored roundabout.”
Rooney Anand | Greene King – Chief Executive