Moyses Hall

Bury St. Edmonds,

Sussex, UK

Moyses Hall Museum is the oldest complete house in Bury St. Edmonds, built as early as 1180 A.D., it is made of flint and stone, has two floors, and is located conveniently next to the marketplace. Some historians believe the abbot of Bury St. Edmonds may have constructed it as lodgings for abbey staff or as a hostel for pilgrims. The body of Edmond, King and Martyr, had been brought to the town in 903, and from then on throughout medieval times Bury was a holy place attracting large numbers of visitors. It is also thought to have been at one time the home of a merchant named Moyse, who must have been very wealthy to afford a house like this at a time when most homes were made of timber.

Having passed through the front door, you are in a large room called the undercross, which has an impressive arched ceiling. The floor has ancient feel to it, as it is slightly undulating. Its surface is covered with yellow bricks about three hundred years old. And they were laid straight on top of the compacted earth below. It is not certain exactly what this room was used for when it was first constructed. But as the house is so close to the marketplace, it may have had some commercial function, for example for the collection of local taxes, or for the storage of wool and other market produce.

The museum's reception desk is in the middle of this ancient space. The vaulted ceiling of the undercross is supported by chunky Norman columns made out of large blocks of stone and topped with capitals in the shape of flat cushions. You are very welcome to touch the column closest to the desk as it gives a good sense of the solidity and splendor of the building. As you reach over to feel it, be careful of its rectangular base which juts out below.