St Albans
For other places named similarly, see St. Albans (disambiguation). |
The Old Town Hall and Market Place, viewed from St Peter's Street |
The St Albans area has a long history of settlement. The Celtic
Catuvellauni tribe had a settlement at Prae Hill a mile or so to the west. The Roman town of
Verulamium, second-largest town in Roman Britain after
Londinium, was built alongside this in the valley of the
River Ver a little nearer to the present town centre.
The mediaeval town grew up on the hill to the east of this around
Benedictine St Albans Abbey. This at the spot where tradition has it that
St Alban, the first British
Christian martyr, was beheaded sometime before AD
324. It was, at one time, the principal
abbey in England and the first draft of
Magna Carta was drawn up there, reflecting its political importance. The Abbey Church (formally
the Cathedral & Abbey Church of St Alban but still known locally as
The Abbey) became the parish church when it was bought by the local people at the
dissolution of the monasteries. It was made a cathedral in 1877 when the City Charter was granted. There is evidence that the original site was somewhat higher up the hill than the present building and there had certainly been successive abbeys before the current building was started in 1077.
St Albans School, which occupies a site to the West of the Abbey and includes the former Norman Abbey Gateway, was founded in AD 948 and is the only school in the English-speaking world to have educated a
Pope. It included in its buildings until comparatively recently a converted former hat factory, a link with the town's industrial past. Nearby
Luton was also a notable centre for the hat making industry.
The road between the abbey and the school, running down to Verulamium, is called Abbey Mill Lane. On this road are the palaces of the Bishops of St Albans and Hertford.
The Fighting Cocks public house is at the Verulamium end of this road.
The growth of St Albans was generally slow before the 20th century, reflecting its status as a
rural market town, a pilgrimage site, and the first overnight coaching stop of the route to and from
London - a fact which also accounts for its many inns, many dating from Tudor times. In the inter-war years it became a popular centre for the
electronics industry. In the post-
World War II years it was expanded significantly as part of the post-War redistribution of population out of
Greater London that also saw the creation of
new towns.
The city today shows evidence of building and excavation from all periods of its history and it is a tourist destination. Notable buildings include the Abbey and the early 15th century Clock Tower (pictured). The clock tower is one of only two similar towers in England; it is also the site of an
Eleanor cross, which was pulled down in 1703 due to neglect, replaced by the town pump. A fountain was erected in its place in 1874, now relocated to Victoria Place.
One of the roads that runs into the city of St Albans is Holywell Hill, which takes its name from the story of St Alban: legend has it that his severed head rolled down the hill from the execution site and into a well at the bottom (some versions have a well springing from the site at which the head stopped).
The mixed character of St Albans has made it a popular filming location. The Abbey and Fishpool Street areas were used for the pilot episode of the ecclesiastical TV comedy
All Gas and Gaiters. The area of Romeland, directly north of the Abbey Gateway and the walls of the Abbey and school grounds, can be seen masquerading as an Oxford college in some episodes of
Inspector Morse (as can several local pubs). Fishpool Street, running from Romeland to St Michael's village, stood in for Hastings in some episodes of
Foyle's War.
Life Begins was filmed largely in and around St Albans. The Lady Chapel in the Abbey itself was used as a location for at least one scene in
Sean Connery's 1995 film
First Knight, whilst the nave of the Abbey was used during a coronation scene as a substitute for Westminster Abbey in
Johnny English starring
Rowan Atkinson.
St Albans is
twinned with:
*
Fano,
Italy*
Nyíregyháza,
Hungary*
Nevers,
France*
Odense,
Denmark*
Worms, GermanyIn addition, there are
friendship links with:
*
Sylhet,
Bangladesh*
HMS St Albans (F83)*The
Royal Navy has used six vessels with the name
HMS St Albans.
*The first meeting of the
Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was held in St Albans. Although long thought to have taken place in the Farriers Arms in Lower Dagnall Street (which has a blue plaque commemorating the event), a number of those present insist that the meeting was actually held in the Lower Red Lion in Fishpool Street. The latter was certainly the first pub to revert to selling
real ale (
Young's Bitter) as a result of the Campaign. However, the local CAMRA website specifically states that its first meeting took place in the Farriers Arms on 20th November 1972. The organisation still has its head office in Hatfield Road. The local branch holds an annual
beer festival in St Albans. In recent years this has been a four day event starting on a Wednesday near the end of September.
*An experimental water tank was built alongside London Road, St Albans for the
Vickers shipbuilding company in
1912 on a site measuring 680 by 100 feet. Three years later in
1915, the first private
wind tunnel was also built here, but moved to their
Weybridge works shortly after
the First World War. From December 1918 the test tank was used in developing fuselage profiles for
amphibious aircraft, such as the
Vickers Type 54 Viking, completed during
1919.
*St Albans is home to one of the country's oldest and finest indoor
skateparks at the Pioneer Youth Club, in Heathlands Drive, next to the fire station. Its ramps are available to all
skateboarders and
inliners. A new outside mini ramp was built in March 2005. As well as being available to skateboarders, the Pioneer Club hosts regular gigs for local bands.
*The local football team is
St Albans City FC: its stadium is on the edge of Clarence Park and won promotion from the
Conference South League in 2005-2006 and now play in the Nationwide Conference League. There is also the Old Albanian Rugby Club, which has a large facility known as the Old Albanian sports complex or the Woollam Playing Fields to the north of the city centre and which is also the home of the
Saracens A team and Zurich A League.
* The
1957 April Fool's Day spoof edition of BBC documentary series
Panorama, which dealt with the fictitious Swiss
spaghetti harvest, was filmed partly at the (now closed) Pasta Foods factory on London Road, St Albans.
Notable people
*
Rod Argent (b.
1945), musician and songwriter.
The Zombies (Argent with
Colin Blunstone,
Paul Atkinson and
Hugh Grundy) was formed at
St Albans School*
Francis Bacon (
1561-
1626), noted
philosopher, scientist and statesman, lived at Old Gorhambury House. Bacon was also styled "Viscount St Albans" from
1618*
Nicholas Bacon (
1509-
1579),
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under Queen
Elizabeth I, built Old Gorhambury House
*
Sacha Baron Cohen, (aka
Ali G), (b.
1971), attended school in St Albans before moving to
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree
*
Nicholas Breakspear (c.
1100-
1159), later became
Pope Adrian IV*
Cheryl Campbell (b. 1949), actor
*
Paul Cattermole (b.
1977), former member of
S Club 7 was born in St Albans
*
Ralph Chubb (
1892-
1960), eccentric lithographer
*
Chris Clark (electronic musician), attended school in St Albans, 2001 debut album named after Clarence Park in St Albans
*
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (c.
1665-
1723), Lord Chancellor of England
*The members of the rock band
Enter Shikari are all from St Albans
*
David Essex (b.
1947), singer, lives in St Albans
*
Siobhan Fahey (b.
1957), singer from
Bananarama and
Shakespear's Sister, attended Loreto College
*
Les Ferdinand (b.
1966), England footballer, lives in nearby
Bricket Wood*
John Gosling, former member of
The Kinks who now teaches music at a school in St Albans
*
Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe (Lord Grimthorpe) (
1816-
1905),
lawyer, amateur
horologist, and
architect; best-known locally for rebuilding the west front of
St Albans Cathedral in 1880-1885 at his own expense, but also designed
Big Ben. Lived at Batchwood Hall
*
Willis Hall (b.
1929), playwright and TV script writer, lived in St Albans for many years and was for a while president of
St Albans City F.C.*
Stephen Hawking (b.
1942), theoretical physicist, educated at
St Albans School*
Christopher Herbert (b.
1944), 9th Bishop of St Albans
1995-
*
Jimmy Hill (b.
1928), iconic TV presenter and football personality, used to live in St Albans
*
Ian Holloway (b.
1963),
QPR manager, lives in St Albans
*
Matthew Holness, English
comedian better known as
Garth Marenghi, lives in St Albans
*
Jeffrey John (b.
1953),
Dean of St Albans
2004-
*
Christopher Lewis (b.
1944),
Dean of St Albans
1994-
2003*
Stanley Kubrick (
1928-
1999), film
auteur, resided in
Childwickbury Manor, to the north-west of the town, from
1978 until his death
*
Stephen Lander (b.
1947), former head of MI5 has lived in St Albans for many years
*
Philip Madoc (b.
1934), actor, lives locally and is patron of two local organisations, The Abbey Theatre and St Albans Movie Makers
*
John Mandeville (14th century), compiler of a singular book of supposed travels, allegedly born in St Albans
*
John Motson (b.
1945), football commentator, lived in St Albans (now lives in
Harpenden)
*
Mike Newell (b.
1942), film director (incl.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), used to live in St Albans and attended
St Albans School*
Matthew Paris (c.
1200-
1259),
Benedictine monk,
chronicler of the history of
St Albans Abbey*Rupert Parkes (b.
1972) a.k.a.
Photek, record producer and dj, was born in St Albans
*
Allan Prior (
1922-
2006), TV script writer, co-creator of
Z Cars and writer of
The Charmer and father of
Maddy Prior (b.
1947), lived in St Albans (and Maddy grew up here)
*
Tim Rice (b.
1944), lyricist, attended
St Albans School*
Jim Rodford (b.
1941), musician, member of
Argent and
The Kinks and cousin of
Rod Argent*
Robert Runcie (
1921-
2000),
Bishop of St Albans
1970-
1980, later
Archbishop of Canterbury 1980-
1991*
Samuel Ryder (
1858-
1936), seed merchant, founder of the
Ryder Cup*
George Gilbert Scott (
1811-
1878), Gothic Revival architect, restored
St Albans Abbey 1856-
1877 *
John Sessions (b.
1953), actor and comedian, attended St Albans Boys' Grammar School (now Verulam School) and is a patron of St Albans Arts, along with
Maddy Prior*
Gilberto Silva (b.
1976), Brazilian footballer, plays for
Arsenal FC, lives in St Albans
*
Jonathan Stroud (b.
1967), author of the bestselling
Bartimaeus Trilogy, lives in St Albans
*
Cuthbert Thicknesse (
1887-
1971), 4th
Dean of
St Albans Cathedral 1936-
1955, objected to the use of
nuclear weapons in August
1945 by refusing to let the cathedral's bells be rung on
VJ Day*
Richard of Wallingford (
1292-
1336), Abbot of
St Albans Abbey,
mathematician,
horologist and
astronomer*
Charles Williams (
1886-
1945), writer and publisher, lived in St Albans
1894-
1917 and attended
St Albans School*
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)*
Herts Advertiser newspaper*
St Albans Observer newspaper*
Photos of St Albans*
The Cathedral & Abbey Church of St Alban *
St Albans Museums
