IT'S not exactly what you would expect to find amongst the beautiful blooms and ancient ruins - but crazy golf has come to the Abbey Gardens.

Laurence Cawley

IT'S not exactly what you would expect to find amongst the beautiful blooms and ancient ruins - but crazy golf has come to the Abbey Gardens.

The nine-hole course, normally the perserve of caravan parks and coastal resorts, has been installed on the top two lanes of the bowling green in the cherished park in Bury St Edmunds.

It is the latest attraction to pull in visitors to the historic gardens, which already boast tennis courts, a children's play area, a putting green and an aviary.

Despite being an unusual attraction amid the ruins of a medieval Benedictine abbey, preservation groups in the town have welcomed the introduction of crazy golf - as long as the course is only there for the summer holidays.

Sarah Green, chairman of the Bury St Edmunds Society, said: “The Abbey Gardens is a premier attraction and the gardens look absolutely wonderful at the moment.

“Bearing in mind it is the height of the school holidays I have no problem about crazy golf being there. We just want everybody to have fun and enjoy themselves in this fine weather.

“It is fine to be there for the summer holidays and for families I think it is a lovely idea - as long as it is temporary.”

St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which runs the Abbey Gardens, said the crazy golf course will be on the bowling green until Autumn.

Lynsey Alexander, portfolio holder for culture and sport, said: “The traditional games of tennis, bowls and putting have always been well used in the Abbey Gardens, particularly in the summer holidays, so we hope the extra attraction of crazy golf will be just as popular.

“This course will be there until the autumn and we hope as many residents as possible take the chance to enjoy this new attraction.”

Julia Rackowe, campaign manager for Bury in Bloom, welcomed the course saying the more people who experienced the gardens, the better.

“It is not just a show place for wonderful floral displays, it is our only green park area in the centre of town so it must also be a lovely area that people can enjoy.

“The more people that can go in and enjoy it and have fun there the better. When I went to the Abbey Gardens (yesterday) I did notice the number of children in the gardens - it was really uplifting.”

The course, supplied by the Thurston-based firm Connected Shopping, features nine “greens” each with two obstacles and a hole at the end.

The cost is £2.15 for adults and £1.45 for children, with a £1 deposit for the putter.