Bury St Edmunds mini monks trail helps mark 1,000 years of abbey

The ceramic figures at Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, depict the life of monks in the Benedictine Abbey

A trail of quirky "mini monks" has been installed within the grounds of an ancient ruined abbey.

The 27 mini ceramic figures at Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, depict the life of monks in the Benedictine Abbey.

They have been created by ceramic artist Deborah Pipe and form part of the 1,000th anniversary celebrations.

Melanie Lesser, from the project, said they gave families a "fun way" of learning about the medieval monks.

The sculptures have been placed into spaces in the Dovecote walls by stonemason Jonathan Presley using a specially prepared lime mortar.

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Families can follow the trail by picking up a leaflet that features some facts about the monks and the Abbey of St Edmund.

They will be in the walls of the abbey until November.

The sculptures have placed into the walls of the Abbey by stonemason Jonathan Presley

There are 27 of the ceramic figures as part of the trail

The project has been funded by Bury St Edmunds Town Council and Suffolk County councillors' locality budgets and The Bury Society.

Other events being held by Abbey 1000 CIC, which is made up of different organisations in the town and coordinating the celebrations, include an exhibition at the Moyse's Hall Museum and a "St Edmund's Day weekend spectacular" that will run from 17 to 20 November.

They have been created by Deborah Piper

They can be found within the abbey walls until November

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