Saturday, August 7, 2021

St Albans


I did finally motivate myself to take a day trip yesterday. I caught a train up to St Albans, a city just outside London to the north. I've long had it on my radar as a place to visit, with its medieval cathedral and Roman ruins. Weirdly, it always makes me think of the actress Maggie Smith. When I came to London for the first time back in 2000, I saw "The Lady in the Van" on stage in the West End, and there's a line in the play in which Smith's character says of her beloved van: "I came down from St Albans in it and plan to go back there eventually. I’m just pedaling water at the moment." At the time I had no idea where St Albans was, but that always stuck in my memory.

Anyway, it's about the easiest thing in the world to catch the Thameslink train in West Hampstead and make the 20-minute journey to St Albans, where a short walk leads to the city center and the cathedral. Most of St Albans appears quite prosperous but of course my camera lens was attracted to the lonely-looking closed shop above.

I got caught in a downpour and darted into a coffee shop for a quick cup while the rain stopped. Then I made my way...


...to the cathedral. Much of the building is said to be Norman architecture of the 11th century, with Gothic additions from the Victorian era.


Here's the inside, with its ornate tiled floors and intricately carved altar. The ceiling is quite colorful, too.


These medieval oak doors (there are two of them, though my picture only shows one) used to stand at the church's main entrance. They're from the 1400s.

After exploring the cathedral, I went looking for lunch.


I did not go to this pub, which was back toward the train station and thus out of my way, but I liked the name (Robin Hood) and the sign. Instead, I went to a pub called The Peahen, where I had a yummy CBLT (a BLT with chicken added), some excellent sweet potato fries and a pint of local brew. I also learned via the sound system that Morrissey did a cover version of "Wedding Bell Blues," and it was entertaining to hear him pleading with Bill to marry him.


From there, I walked to Verulamium Park, named for the Roman city that stood at the site of modern St Albans back in AD 50 or thereabouts. It was the second-largest Roman settlement in Britain, after Londinium, and in fact Saint Alban himself was martyred by the Romans there.

Today the park contains fragments of Roman walls and an excavated Roman villa with an impressive mosaic floor:


It dates from about AD 180 and contains 220,000 tiles cut from natural stone.

I also visited the Verulamium Museum, which contains a lot of Roman artifacts such as pottery, coins and other objects of everyday life in Roman Britain, and explains something of the lives of the people who lived at this site.


And I visited the old Roman theater, which included some funny informational panels: "Welcome to the Roman town of Verulamium: Queen Boudicca gave it the thumbs down." (Boudicca, a Celtic queen, famously sacked and burned Verulamium back in the day.)

At this point, there were scary-looking storm clouds blowing in, so I high-tailed it back to the train station and caught the train back to West Hampstead, where Olga was patiently waiting, no doubt wondering where I'd gone. (Her dog walker visited while I was out so she got some entertainment, too.)

59 comments:

Frances said...

Good to hear that you enjoyed St. Albans. I am up early today and heading there in about 10 minutes to look after the grandkids for a hour or 2. (Not " babysat" for nearly 18 months!).

David said...

I lived in St Albans for 8 years from 1967 to 1975 when I was a teenager. I have used the train station there more times than I can count. When we had visitors (friends and relatives from Australia usually) we often took them around the Cathedral and the Roman ruins (there wasn't much of the latter to see back then - they have done a LOT of excavation over the years I believe). Of course, St Peter's St, the main street of St Albans, was where we did our shopping and caught buses etc. I used to haunt a bookshop there when I was in Form 6. In 1975, after I finished university, I returned to Australia where I have lived ever since. I did get back to St Albans very briefly in 1985. You certainly have brought back memories. Did you see the pub that claims to be the oldest in England - Ye Olde Fighting Cocks? It is located down near the duck pond where we used to go ice skating in winter.

David said...

I should add that your accounts of your travels around England, and especially your experiences in and around London, are one reason why I continue to enjoy your blog.

Moving with Mitchell said...

That looks like an excellent day. I’m off to hear Morrissey do “Wedding Bell Blues.”

Anonymous said...

What a pleasant diversion. The cathedral floor seems very unusual to me. Old English churches are normally so gloomy, the ones I've seen at least. The Roman floor is stunning. Quite a few years ago now we visited Vindolanda in the north. It was fascinating and I thought to myself wow, I am looking at what is 2,000 years old. 2,000 years ago a woman wore this slipper now in a display case. Since I have seen Hadrian's Wall, Roman ruins at the London Museum and in Cologne and probably others I can't remember but none had the effect on me of seeing Vindolanda.

Moving with Mitchell said...

Just watched a live performance of Wedding Bell Blues, but then remembered why I had stopped being interested in Morrissey. A shame.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Well. That was a grand day out wasn't it Steve? Did you see the ghost of wall paintings inside that magnificent cathedral?

Tasker Dunham said...

I know it well as my wife is from St Albans. Sunday morning constitutional walks around the abbey lake. No family there now but we stayed a few days in a hotel 3 years ago. A great place to live - little independent cinema and so on - but no way could we afford a house there now.

e said...

Why pray tell was the Celtic queen so annoyed??

Bob said...

I am not a religious man but I have always loved churches, though I can't help but think that all the money used to build and decorate them so lavishly could have been put to better use.

Sidenote: at first I thought you were comparing Maggie Smith to medieval cathedral and Roman ruins. I'm glad you explained it ...for her sake.

Jeanie said...

One often reads about St. Albans. It's nice to have a visual for it. It looks like a charming and fascinating area loaded with history. The abbey, and your photos, are glorious.

ellen abbott said...

that was a nice little day trip. giant ornate cathedrals like that piss me off. if anything is antithesis of Jesus' teachings, they are. love the mosaic.

Mary said...

Good to hear you summoned up enough energy for a day trip (not easy these days). A good one, by all accounts (not including downpours). The architecture of the cathedrals is always a draw for me. You might try a day trip up to York. I did it from London a few years ago to meet up with a friend. Only a two hour train ride each way. The Minster is very impressive. The town is just as interesting.

Anonymous said...

What a great journey you had there. Thank you for taking the trip, exploring that cathedral, and sharing it all with us. Beautiful!

Ms. Moon said...

I knew NOTHING about St. Albans, the protomartyr! "Soldier with a very large cross and a sword; decapitated, with his head in a holly bush and the eyes of his executioner dropping out." And so all of the decades and eons of the building of that church were in tribute to him? Humans are so crazy! However, at least many, many artists and artesians were employed for many years, weren't they? And what beauty they created.
I'm glad you got out for a nice day trip. Twenty minutes away by train- it takes me longer to drive to Jessie's house than that!

John Going Gently said...

Visited a friend there once , we spent the time in the pub x

Red said...

You had an awesome day to see all these sites.

Sharon said...

Am I crazy or are there some similarities between the cathedral floor and the Roman floor. I think I see some matching patterns.
I had not heard of this place and it sounds fascinating. Thanks for the quick tour.

Ellen D. said...

Fancy cathedrals bother me too. Lovely to look at but such a waste of money.
That bothered me a lot when I visited Italy in 2019.
Glad you got out and about for a day of fun and exploring!

Linda Sue said...

The beauty of Britain! 20 minutes can take one out of one's head ,banging with ricochet thoughts in a confined space, to an entire other world. 20 minutes takes me across town to more of the same. Awesome photos! Great little day trip!

Allison said...

What Linda Sue said!

Catalyst said...

You are very fortunate to have such an old town with actual Roman ruins so close to you.

The bike shed said...

I rather like St Albans - not really a city in the modern sense, but it has some charms. In France at the moment with crap internet so difficult to keep up with blogs - but isolation lifted for my return so I'm VERY happy

jenny_o said...

Oo, I'd be really interested in the Verulamium Park. Ancient ruins have always interested me. There was a time when I was growing up that I wanted to be an archeologist, and, although I came to my senses when I realized how poorly I tolerate extreme temperatures, I still like LOOKING at stuff that other people (better people than I) have uncovered :D Thanks for the pictures. The cathedral is also beautiful, although I have mixed feelings about religious buildings similar to what other readers have mentioned.

Pixie said...

That looks like an interesting day. I love ruins and old churches.

Kelly said...

I would have loved this day trip, so going along with you in this post was the next best thing. I'm partial to Roman history AND cathedral architecture.

Steve Reed said...

Hope you got some good time with the grands!

Steve Reed said...

I'm glad I could rekindle some old memories! I walked right past "Ye Olde Fighting Cocks" but I didn't stop there. I bet that pond doesn't freeze hard enough to ice skate these days.

Steve Reed said...

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I should try to get around more!

Steve Reed said...

See my comment below. :)

Steve Reed said...

Oh no! Was it not good? Or simply too Morrissey-like and dramatic? I like the recorded version. Apparently he has said some scary things politically in recent years, though.

Steve Reed said...

It is quite mind-blowing to see everyday objects from that era, and think that someone made them and used them so long ago. I'm always impressed by the glass vessels that survive -- to think that something so fragile is still around.

Steve Reed said...

Yes, I saw the wall paintings and several other historic elements. I have more pictures but I couldn't blog them all!

Steve Reed said...

It's a beautiful little city. I could live there, I think, but like you I probably couldn't afford to buy anything there.

Steve Reed said...

Because the Romans were invaders! She was protecting her homeland! (The Celtic version of Brexit.)

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Well, Maggie IS a bit of an institution these days, isn't she?

Steve Reed said...

It was very pretty. I'd go back for more exploring. There are other churches and parks I didn't get to.

Steve Reed said...

Yes, they could have spent the money on more direct assistance for the poor -- but the construction of cathedrals did help elevate European art and craftsmanship to incredible levels during an otherwise dark period. There's something to be said for that.

Steve Reed said...

We actually went to York several years ago and spent a few days there. (You can find the posts by searching the blog.) We even took Olga with us! Yes, the Minster is amazing.

Steve Reed said...

It was a good day out! Glad you enjoyed it too.

Steve Reed said...

I'd never heard of him either! Some people certainly met a bad end in those days, didn't they?!

Steve Reed said...

It was fun, and it worked out well despite the intermittent rain.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Well, you achieved more of a cultural connection than I did. :)

Steve Reed said...

Hmmmmmm...maybe, on the floors. I wouldn't be surprised if the cathedral floors were somehow inspired by the Roman ones. Next time you come to England, put this on your list!

Steve Reed said...

I think we have to consider that they served a cultural purpose, though, not only in elevating the arts but in offering people a vision of human achievement. (Granted, with God's help!) Life was so grim back then. Creating some beauty surely gave people a boost.

Steve Reed said...

But you have better thrift stores!

Steve Reed said...

It IS amazing to be so close to so much history, and to have it be accessible via public transportation.

Steve Reed said...

We have Roman ruins within London, too. They're all over the place here.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, what a relief that must be! I was struggling with whether to call St Albans a city or a town. It has about 150,000 people, I think, so I guess city it is.

Steve Reed said...

I agree about archaeology. It seems like a lot of fun until you actually watch people doing the work -- the dirty, hot, dusty, painstaking work. Ugh!

Steve Reed said...

It was a good day out, for sure!

Steve Reed said...

Glad you got to travel with me! :)

David said...

I believe that "city" in England is defined by whether it has a cathedral (and ipso facto, a bishop) or not. Size does not matter. The City of London, in the 2011 census only had 7375 people in it. St Asaph only has 3355 people. (Source Wikipedia).

Moving with Mitchell said...

Had it not been Morrissey, I definitely would have enjoyed this macho guy singing that song. But, as he sang, I was reminded of those scary things he’s said and the awful people and groups he’s supported, and it went south.

Ms. Moon said...

I suppose you could say that being an influencer in those days was a bit more painful than it is now.

Edna B said...

The cathedral is interesting, but I love those trees! Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

gz said...

Two beautiful floors

37paddington said...

This post makes me feel as if I've gone back in time. You live with so much history.

Debby said...

That is one thing I love about bloggers there. You share such history. I read and I look at your photographs and I am in awe. Thanks.