The modern town of St Albans lies to the east of one of the most important sites of Roman Britain. As the third largest Romano-British city in the country, Verulamium remains largely undisturbed by later building work and, with less than 40% of its 200 acre area having been excavated, much still remains undiscovered. The first occupation of St Albans Roman City appears to have been a small military outpost set up to protect a crossing on the River Ver. This soon developed into a municipium, or a self-governing community, and is the only known British example. A rebellion led by Queen Boadicea in AD60 brought the community to a swift end when it was savagely raised to the ground.

It was almost two decades before St Albans Roman City recovered, with a new forum and basilica being dedicated in AD79. Misfortune again hit St Albans Roman City in AD115 when a serious fire destroyed a large part of Verulamium. After the fire the majority of buildings were re-erected in stone, many of which were floored with fine mosaics. The theatre was built at this time, together with an adjacent temple and two monumental archways on Watling Street, one facing London and the other facing Chester. Town walls, still in evidence at various points around St Albans today, were constructed in the 3rd century, and the projecting bastions were added early in the 4th century. St Albans Roman City appears to have prospered well into the 5th century before finally being abandoned.

Exploring the remains involves a leisurely stroll around part of the modern town, a public park, and the museum. Beginning at the museum gives the visitor a good understanding of the St Albans Roman City's history, as well as having the opportunity to view the considerable artefacts displayed that have been found during excavations. On the opposite side of the road from the museum is the Roman Theatre (not to be confused with an amphitheatre), which is the only visible example in Britain. Constructed in the middle of the 2nd century it underwent several phases of re-building before being finally abandoned in cAD380, when it was used as a communal rubbish tip. Marked in concrete adjacent to the theatre is the site of some shops from the original town destroyed by Boadicea, these shops constituting the earliest known Roman ground plan in the country.

From the museum car park, there are signs showing the way to the hypocaust. A modern bungalow now covers the remains of the bath house, the hypocaust of which has been exposed. Following the Roman trail towards St Albans cathedral, several isolated fragments of the city walls can be seen. One stretch, now tree-lined, is very substantial and the defensive ditch is still clearly visible to some depth to the left of the wall. The foundations of the massive London Gate can also be seen at the beginning of this section of wall, a model of which is displayed in the museum. Discovering the remains of the Roman city of Verulamium, now preserved within a public park among lakes and wildfowl, makes for a very pleasant and educational way to spend a couple of hours.

Courtesy of St Albans Museums.
Visit the St Albans Museums website.

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St Albans Cathedral and Abbey Church

The cathedral is built on what is believed to be the site of the martyrdom of St Alban. The hill upon which it stands overlooks the valley of the river Ver, beyond which lie the buried ruins of the Roman city of Verulamium. The shrine of St Alban is documented from early times, and it is recorded that St Germanus of Auxerre visited the site in 429. Early in the 8th century, Bede wrote of the 'beautiful Church worthy of all Alban's martyrdom where miracles of healing took place.' The monastic structure of this church was re-ordered by King Offa of Mercia in 793 and a new order and discipline introduced by St Oswald in the 960s. The availability of huge amounts of building material from the ruins of nearby Roman Verulamium was put to good use in the Norman era, from which time many of the features of the building date.

The shrine of St Alban

Restoration was completed in 1993 and the shrine was rededicated in the presence of HM The Queen Mother in that year. The shrine is a site of national pilgrimage and is used as a place of prayer and meditation by visitors every day. Like many of England's shrines, it was demolished at the dissolution of the monasteries. The Purbeck marble pedestal was relocated in various locations in the Abbey in more than 2000 fragments. The niches in the shrine may well be healing holes. The altar and iron-work around the shrine, designed by Mr George Pace, a former Cathedral Architect, were dedicated in 1967 as memorial gifts. Photograph used with the kind permission of The Fraternity of The Friends of St Albans Abbey.

Coutesty of St Albans Cathedral and Abbey Church.
Visit the Cathedral website.