| 
The Town Centre including Bury Street and the Old Fox Yard:
With a unique blend of national and independent retailers the
compact Town Centre of Stowmarket has much more to offer than you
might first think. There is a blend of family run specialist stores
and national chains that provide a wide range of products. Stowmarket
is not a ‘clone town’ and will continue to attract a
range of interesting and diverse shops. There are several public
car parks within the town centre allowing easy access to the flourishing
retail centre.
 Street
Markets:
Stowmarket hosts a popular street market in the Town Centre every
Thursday and Saturday featuring a wide range of stalls selling a
variety of products. The market has grown in recent years and the
Thursday market in particular is a lively and vibrant place, full
of stalls and customers. A Farmers’ Market is held on the
first Friday of every month selling locally sourced quality produce.
Museum of East Anglian Life:
Stowmarket is home to the Museum of East Anglian Life where you
can discover the history and natural world of East Anglia, learn
about fascinating East Anglian crafts and traditional Gypsy culture,
get steamed up with powerful engines. You can also meet the friendly
animals including ‘Major’ the Suffolk Punch Horse as
well as rare breeds of cattle and sheep.  There
are nearly 3km of woodland and riverside nature trails and 15 splendidly
restored historic buildings on the beautiful 75 acre site. You can
also discover some delicious food and local produce in the new museum
cafe.
Also in 2011 work starts on the £2.8 million restoration project
of Abbot’s Hall, a Queen Anne house set within the 75-acre
museum site and is expected to finish in time for the Olympic Games
and Queen’s diamond jubilee next year. It will include the
construction of a nine-room exhibition centre, a working walled
garden and the restoration of two derelict cottages. This main building
is to be fully renovated, complete with new museum and exhibition
spaces, with the surrounding cottage buildings restored as examples
of rural workers dwellings.
|
