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"St Albans - an Historic City" a St Albans Travel Page by St_Vincent

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"St Albans - an Historic City" a St Albans Travel Page by St_Vincent
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St_Vincent    
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Real Name: Clive Thompson
Lives In: Watford, UK
Member Since: Oct 27, 2005
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Page Views: 3,450            Last Visit to St Albans: May, 2008      I Visit Here Frequently

St Albans - an Historic City

by St_Vincent - last update: Jun 22, 2008

Verulamium Park Lake
St. Albans is the oldest city in Hertfordshire, located about 20 miles north of London and close to my home town of Watford. I often visit on a Sunday morning for a walk around the beautiful Verulamium Park and the surrounding areas. As an introduction I thought I would provide some details of its history.
The beheading of Alban
It is thought that it first appeared as a Celtic Iron Age settlement called Verlamion at the end of the first century BC, probably taking its name from the nearby River Ver. Around AD 50 after the Roman conquest of Britain, it became Verulamium and eventually developed into the third largest town in Roman Britain despite being largely destroyed during the revolt of Boudicca in AD 60.

At some stage during the 3rd Century an event occurred that would eventually give St Albans its name and provide England's first Christian Martyr. A resident of Verulamium named Alban sheltered a Christian priest, thought to be named Amphibalus, in his home, and was converted to Christianity by him. When the Roman soldiers came looking for the priest Alban exchanged cloaks with him and was arrested in his stead. The priest escaped and when he was found out Alban refused to denounce his new Christian faith and was beheaded on the spot where St Albans Cathedral now stands.

Several legends are associated with Alban's beheading. One of these is that on his way to the execution, Alban had to cross a river, but as the bridge was blocked, he parted the waters and walked through. His executioner was so impressed with this feat that he converted to Christianity on the spot, and refused to kill Alban. Another executioner was however found and it is said that his eyes dropped out of his head when he beheaded Alban.
The Great Gateway of the Monastery
During the 5th Century when the Roman army departed, Verulamium declined and eventually fell into decay. It wasn't until 793 AD that an Abbey appeared on the spot of Alban's execution and over the ensuing years a Saxon settlement grew up around it, much of which was built using the remains of the Roman Verulamium. By the time of the Doomsday Book in 1086 St Albans was recorded as having a population of 500.

It soon became a town of great significance and was one of the five chosen by the barons and clergy in 1213 for the drafting of Magna Carta. St. Albans also played its part in the Peasant's revolt of 1381. The townspeople had been in dispute with the Abbot over milling rights and a desire to have more control of their affairs. The still present Monastery Gateway and Clock Tower symbolise the conflict between monastery and town at the time. The Monastery & Abbey were surrounded by walls to keep out the townspeople and stop them stealing the livestock, and the Clock Tower was built between 1403 and 1412 by the townspeople as a symbol of their independence from the church. This conflict continued until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1529.

In 1455 the First Battle of St Albans was said to be what started the War of the Roses. The Lancastrian army led by King Henry VI occupied the town but the Duke of Warwick and his Yorkists invaded and a great battle took place in the town.

St Albans sided with parliament during the English Civil War and in 1643 the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was arrested by Cromwell after reading a royal proclamation from the steps of the Eleanor Cross outside the Clock Tower.

It wasn't until 1877 that St Albans received a royal charter allowing it to become a City and giving the Abbey Cathedral status. It's official name is now The Cathedral and Abbey Church of Saint Alban.

Present day St Albans has become a popular commuter town but also has great interest for the tourist with much of the area around the Abbey and Market Place retaining its medieval buildings dating from the 15th Century.

I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to St Albans, there will soon be many more photos and tips elsewhere on the page and I have also built a Travelogue if you want to follow one of my Sunday morning walks.

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St_Vincent's St Albans Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 2 - Photos: 4
 
Restaurants
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2
Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
 
NightlifeOff The Beaten Path
Tips: 2 - Photos: 8
 
Tourist TrapsWarnings Or Dangers
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
 
TransportationLocal Customs
 
Packing Lists
Tips: 1 - Photos: 2
Shopping
 
Sports Travel
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
General Tips

St_Vincent's St Albans Travelogues
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
The Great Intercontinental Pub Crawl May, 2008 7
Snow in Spring in St AlbansApril, 2008 8
A Sunday Morning Walk through St AlbansDecember, 2005 8

Comments for St_Vincent about St Albans
hunterV Fri Jul 11, 2008 09:34 UTC
 Hello, Clive, my friend! It must be a great place to visit! Your morning walk story is marvellous! Thanks a lot!
jivanne96 Sun Apr 20, 2008 19:05 UTC
 This is a lovely place!! wish I could go there and take a long walk
SLLiew Mon Mar 31, 2008 20:40 UTC
 Enjoyed reading your travel page of St. Albans. Well written.
SORHUS Mon May 28, 2007 22:13 UTC
 st albans brings back memories...we used to go to the nightclub and cinema when i lived in hertforshire
See More Comments

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