Eastgate- Bury St Edmunds

12.30pm 7.6 miles in 1 hour 1 minutes 36 seconds

Week to date mileage 7.6

Month to date mileage 7.6

Average weekly rate 31.7

Average Monthly rate 138

Year to Date 547

Life time 8325

I decided on another run around Eastgate Street. On Ancestory. co.uk
we have been researching my mothers side of the family. We have managed to trace back to about 1780 and there is a lot more to do but it appears this side of the family were fish hawkers and dealers running back generations from father to son. They were based in Eastgate Street so this side of the family were all from Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds.

I ran up and down much of this area looking at the buildings but realise much has changed. For instance Eastgate Street was once home to one of Bury's first workhouses in the early 1700's. I have no idea at present where this stood. At one of Eastgate stood the Hospital of St Nicholas which dates back to 1215 see photo of the ruins. Eastgate Street apparently has its own ghost in this area dating back to the 1870's and the Crimean War. A wounded soldier based at St Nicholas Hospital fell in love with a nurse, and both tried to elope. The nurse's father found out and tried to stop them, killing the soldier in the process.

There are two pubs which remain in Eastgate Street. The Fox dates back I believe to the 17th century and the Greyhound to about 1840. However there used to be 6 pubs including the Ram, The Unicorn , The Ship and the Suffolk Hunt. The latter ran into trouble for harbouring disreputable women.

More on the history of Eastgate Street , Bury St Edmunds another time.