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All the United Kingdom England Bury Saint Edmunds The World's First Internet-Enabled Park Bench

The World's First Internet-Enabled Park Bench

Long before wi-fi, this public seat provided the wonder of being online while outdoors.

Bury Saint Edmunds, England

Added By
Retta Blackiston , Kate Burton
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World’s first internet bench   Retta / Atlas Obscura User
World’s first internet bench   Retta / Atlas Obscura User
The bench, August 2021   greggc80 / Atlas Obscura User
  kevinm13 / Atlas Obscura User
  OnThePier / Atlas Obscura User
plaque on bench, 2022   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  ariadnemaze / Atlas Obscura User
  ariadnemaze / Atlas Obscura User
  ariadnemaze / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The world's first internet-enabled park bench, also known as the "cyber seat," was installed on August 6, 2001, in the Abbey Gardens of Bury St Edmunds. Supported by MSN and the St. Edmundsbury Borough Council, it allowed seating for four people at a time who could plug their laptops into modem jacks for free internet access. The bench quickly gained popularity as a picture-taking location and attracted international television crews. Despite its deactivation with the advent of Wi-Fi, it holds a Guinness World Record for being the "oldest internet bench."

The history of the internet bench is as fascinating as its concept. The first user was Brian Bagnall, the mayor of Bury St Edmunds. Shortly after its installation, it was vandalized when someone tried to block one of the modem plugs. In an interesting turn of events, two teenagers discovered that the bench could be used to make free international calls and alerted the local council after attempting to reach Bill Gates. This led to engineers disabling the ability to make long-distance calls.

The bench was well-received, drawing media interest from around the world, including TV crews from Japan and Korea. To prevent further vandalism, the garden where the bench was located was locked at night. Today, the bench has a plaque stating that while it was innovative in 2001, it has been "superseded."

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Know Before You Go

Entry to the Abbey Gardens is free. The gardens and the bench are accessible to those with mobility issues, with well-maintained paths suitable for wheelchairs and strollers.

Community Contributors

Added By

Retta, ariadnemaze

Edited By

tylercole, kevinm13, Gavin, greggc80...

  • tylercole
  • kevinm13
  • Gavin
  • greggc80
  • OnThePier

Published

June 16, 2019

Updated

July 31, 2024

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Sources
  • https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/bury-st-edmunds-abbey/?utm_source=Google%20Business&utm_campaign=Local%20Listings&utm_medium=Google%20Business%20Profiles&utm_content=bury%20st%20edmunds%20abbey&utm_source=Google%20Business&utm_campaign=Local%20Listings&utm_medium=Google%20Business%20Profiles&utm_content=bury%20st%20edmunds%20abbey#beforeyougo
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1475654.stm
The World's First Internet-Enabled Park Bench
Angel Hill
Bury Saint Edmunds, England, IP33 1LS
United Kingdom
52.244407, 0.716263
Get Directions

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Bury Saint Edmunds, England

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bury Saint Edmunds

Bury Saint Edmunds

England

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Nutshell Pub

Bury Saint Edmunds, England

miles away

West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village

West Stow, England

miles away

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Lavenham, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bury Saint Edmunds

Bury Saint Edmunds

England

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