Town Plan No. 1—St. Albans.
ST. ALBANS
A walk through the cloisters opposite the Great Red Lion Hotel affords a striking view of a considerable part of the vast Abbey Church, the most ancient of the great churches in England. It stands upon higher ground than any other cathedral in the British Isles, and is the longest next to Winchester. It possesses, moreover, the longest Gothic nave in the world. The Norman tower, dating from 1077, is composed of Roman bricks from the neighbouring Verulamium, and flints, bricks, and stone from the same site may be detected in the walls. The walk leads round to the southern part of the church, through the ancient sumpter-yard, with its fine old cedar, and thence to the west front, the site of the demolished monastery showing in irregular heaps upon the left.
The nave is open to the public free of charge. Sixpence is charged for entrance to the eastern portions (threepence each for a party of ten). Open from—
| November 1 to February 28 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| March 1 to April 30 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| September 16 to October 31 | |
| May 1 to September 15 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
Building Dates.
Roman Period.—St. Alban was executed upon this spot, presumably in the amphitheatre, in 303, and a church was erected to his memory by the Christians of Verulam in 313, which was still standing in Bede's time.
793. Offa the Great, King of Mercia, founded the monastery, and either repaired and enlarged the Romano-British church or built a new one.
1077. Shortly after the Conquest, Paul de Caen, a relative of Lanfranc, was appointed the first Norman abbot, and proceeded to demolish the church, subsequently erecting a great Norman building in its place, the remains of which—viz., the tower, transepts, parts of the nave and the presbytery—still remain.