St Albans

St Albans (Lat. Villa Sancti Albani or Villa Albani) is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around 22 mi north of central London; it forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans.

It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt. Property prices are notoriously high within the district, which is one of the most expensive in the UK.

St Albans has two official demonyms: Verulamian and Albanian. St Albans was a settlement of pre-Roman origin named Verlamion (or Verulam) by the Ancient British, Catuvellauni tribe. It became the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the Roman city of Verulamium.

Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr, was possibly beheaded in AD 308 by Maximian on the orders of Emperor Diocletian, who denounced Christianity and had ordered the deaths of all subjects and allies of the Roman Empire who refused to give up the faith. Saint Alban consequently gave the town its modern name.

History
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 city 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 city centre.

After the Roman withdrawal, and prior to becoming known as St Albans, the town was called Verlamchester or Wæclingacaester by the Mercian Angles.

The mediaeval town grew up on the hill to the east of this around the Benedictine foundation of St Albans Abbey. This is the spot where tradition has it that St Alban, the first British Christian martyr, was beheaded some time 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, now St Albans Cathedral (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 in 1553, soon after the priory was dissolved in 1539. 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, a public school which occupies a site to the west of the Abbey and which includes the 14th century Abbey Gateway, was founded in AD 948 and is the only school in the English-speaking world to have educated a Pope (Adrian IV). It numbered amongst its buildings until comparatively recently a converted former hat factory, a link with the city'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 the River Ver and Verulamium Park (on part of the site of Roman Verulamium), is called Abbey Mill Lane. On this road are the palaces of the Bishops of St Albans and Hertford. The Fighting Cocks, one of the oldest public houses in England, is at the Verulamium Park end of this road. Also on the River Ver, at the St Michael's Village end of the park, is Kingsbury Watermill, which is now maintained as a museum with a waffle house attached.

Two battles of the Wars of the Roses took place in or near the town. The First Battle of St Albans was fought on 22 May 1455 within the town of St Albans itself, and the Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461, just to the north.

The growth of St Albans was generally slow before the 20th century, reflecting its status as a rural market town, a Christian pilgrimage site, and the first coaching stop of the route to and from London - a fact which also accounts for its numerous 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 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, it had suffered years of neglect, and had been struck and badly damaged by a carriage, it was replaced by the town pump. A fountain was erected in its place in 1874, now relocated to Victoria Place.

Running into St Albans from the south is Holywell Hill (generally pronounced "holly-well hill"), its name taken from the story of St Alban. Legend has it that the Romans were looking for a traitor that had been injured and Alban found the traitor and helped him to recover; somehow, after the traitor had recovered and left, the Romans found out that Alban had helped the traitor to escape and had him beheaded. The severed head rolled down the hill from the execution site and into a well at the bottom, thus Holy-well Hill.

The mixed character of St Albans and proximity to London has made it a popular filming location. The Abbey and Fishpool Street areas were used for the pilot episode of the 1960s' 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 part of an Oxford college in some episodes of Inspector Morse (and several local pubs also appear). 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. The 19th century gatehouse of the former prison near the mainline station appeared in the title sequence of the TV series Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker. The 2001 film Birthday Girl starring Ben Chaplin and Nicole Kidman was also partly filmed in St Albans.

More recently, several scenes from the film Incendiary, starring Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor and Matthew Macfadyen, were filmed in St Albans, focusing in particular on the Abbey and the Abbey Gateway.

The Clock Tower
Between 1403 and 1412 Thomas Wolvey, formerly the Royal Mason, was engaged to build "Le Clokkehouse" in the Market Place. It is the only extant mediaeval town belfry in England. The tower's design was based on the Clock House at Westminster Palace that the architect Henry Yevele (Wolvey's master) built in 1365. The Clock Tower was used to sound the curfew until 1863. The Tower was also used as a semaphore station from 1808 to 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars. The architect George Gilbert Scott restored the structure of the tower in 1865-6; he also added the gothic spire and parapets.

The original bell, named for the Archangel Gabriel (cast round the bell is the Latin rhyme "From Heaven I come/Gabriel my name"), is still in use, though chimed rather than rung; it last rang out for Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901. It sounds F-natural and weighs one ton.

Gabriel sounded at 4 am for the Angelus and at 8 or 9 pm for the curfew. A small bell, dated 1729, was moved in the Clock Tower from the market place nearby, where it opened business until 1855.

The ground floor of the tower was a shop until the 20th century. The first- and second-floor rooms were designed as living chambers. The shop and the first floor were connected by a flight of spiral stairs. Another flight rises the whole height of the tower by 93 narrow steps and gave access to the living chamber, the clock and the bell without disturbing the tenant of the shop.

The old clock may have been removed in the 18th century and replaced by a pendulum clock. The present clock incorporates a four-legged gravity escapement invented by Lord Grimthorpe, the local horologist and restorer of the Abbey who designed Big Ben's mechanism.

Local government
The local authority is St Albans City Council, which also calls itself St Albans City and District Council and St Albans District Council. The irregular sounding name reflects the diverse nature of the area covered, with two main urban areas and several villages; typically districts with the status of cities are known simply as Cities, for example the City of Peterborough or the City of York.

The district was created on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the City of St Albans, the Harpenden Urban District and most of St Albans Rural District. City status had been granted to the municipal borough of St Albans in 1877, following the elevation of St Albans Abbey to cathedral. The status was granted to the entire district by letters patent dated 9 July 1974.

UK Parliament
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Climate
St Albans experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.

Districts within St Albans
Jersey Farm, Marshalswick, Sopwell, St Stephens

Nearby towns and villages

 * Other nearby towns: Borehamwood, Luton
 * Nearby villages: Abbots Langley, Kings Langley, Bricket Wood, Colney Heath, Elstree, Frogmore, Lemsford, London Colney, Markyate, Park Street, Radlett, Redbourn, Sandridge, Wheathampstead, Shenley
 * Nearby hamlets: Chiswell Green, Colney Street

Twin Towns
St Albans is twinned with:
 * 🇮🇹 Fano, Italy
 * 🇭🇺 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
 * 🇫🇷 Nevers, France
 * 🇩🇰 Odense, Denmark
 * 🇩🇪 Worms, Germany
 * 🇳🇱 Nieuwleusen, Netherlands
 * 🇧🇩 Sylhet, Bangladesh

In addition, there are friendship links with:
 * 🇬🇧 HMS St Albans (F83)

Demography
The 2001 census showed a population of 129,005 with a split of 50.84% to 49.16% female to male. The Office for National Statistics mid-2012 estimates the population at 138,800. The age split in the 2001 census recorded 20.5% children, 64,5% of working age (16-64) and 14.9% older people (65+).

86.9% of St Albans residents are White British, with 4.3% identified as Other White, 2% Irish, and 1.3% Bangladeshi. The majoriy of St Albans residents identify themselves as Christians (71%), followed by no religion or religion not stated (24.1%), Muslim (2.6%) and Jewish (0.9%).

In terms of employment, St Albans has a highly skilled workforce, having the 4th highest proportion of managers, senior officials and professional occupations in the country. It has lower than the national average unemployment figures, and the lowest level in Hertfordshire.

St Albans has a very low proportion of people reporting they are permanently sick or disabled (2.8%) compared with the proportion nationally (5-6%).

In 2001 nearly 50% of residents (aged 16–64) hold a degree or equivalent and the average weekly earnings of £724.40 is 44% higher than the national average.

Economy
The City and District of St Albans has a strong local economy, a highly skilled workforce, an excellent location for rail, road and airports and is seen by many employers as a desirable place to be. The District also benefits from the proximity of the University of Hertfordshire, based close by at Hatfield, which is one of the country’s leading business orientated universities.

Well-known firms such as Deloitte, Spreadex, AECOM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Premier Foods and Aon Hewitt all have large office bases in the area. It also has many distributive industries such as the Sainsbury's Retail Distribution Centre at London Colney which employs over 600 staff.

Transport
Two railway stations serve the town, the St Albans City station which is situated 0.5 miles east of the city centre, and the St Albans Abbey station, which is situated approximately 0.6 miles south of the city station.

The City station is part of the main Bedford to Brighton line, and the Abbey station is a single track line to Watford Junction station.

Culture
St Albans has a thriving cultural life, with regular concerts and theatre productions held at venues including Trestle Arts Base, St Albans Abbey, Maltings Arts Theatre, the Alban Arena, the Abbey Theatre, St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church, given by numerous organisations including St Albans Bach Choir, St Albans Cathedral Choir, St Albans Abbey Girls' Choir, St Albans Symphony Orchestra, St Albans Chamber Choir, St Albans Chamber Opera, The Company of Ten, St Albans Choral Society, and St Albans Organ Theatre. St Albans is also home to Trestle Theatre Company, who have been creating professional, innovative and inspirational physical storytelling theatre since 1981. Originally known for their work with masks, Trestle collaborates with UK and international artists to unify movement, music and text into a compelling theatrical experience. The Sandpit Theatre is a theatre attached to Sandringham School which hosts a wide variety of plays throughout the year, mainly performances put on by the pupils of Sandringham School. The school also hosts Best Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school for children aged 4 to 16. The St Albans Museum service runs two museums: Verulamium Museum, which tells the story of everyday life in Roman Britain using objects from the excavations of the important Roman Town; and the Museum of St Albans, which focuses on the history of the town and of Saint Alban. The Watercress nature reserve is by the River Ver and is run by the Watercress Wildlife Association.

Sport
In December 2007, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of St Albans were the 10th most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 30.8% of the population participate at least 3 times a week for 90 minutes.

Cricket
Clarence Park also plays host to St Albans Cricket Club. The club currently runs four Saturday sides, playing in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League and also two Sunday sides in the Chess Valley Cricket League. In 2008 the club's 1st XI won the Hertfordshire League Title. In the previous two seasons, the first XI came 5th (2011) and 4th (2012) in division one.

Football
The local football team is St Albans City F.C.: its stadium is on the edge of Clarence Park and the team won promotion from the Conference South League in 2005-06. It played in the Nationwide Conference Division of the Football Conference for the 2006-07 season, but finished at the bottom of the table and was relegated.

Gymnastics
St Albans Gymnastics Club, founded in 2005, provides the St Albans area with fun and effectively structured recreational classes as well as a professionally managed competitive squad.

Hockey
St Albans is also home to St Albans Hockey Club, based in Clarence Park. The club is represented at National league level by both women's and men's teams, as well as other local league competitions. The club's nickname is The Tangerines.

Rugby League
St Albans Centurions rugby league club have their ground at Toulmin Drive, St Albans. They play in the National Conference League 3 division. In 2007 and again in 2010 'The Cents', as they are known, became National Champions of the RLC Premier Divisions.

Rugby Union
Old Albanian RFC is a rugby union club that plays at the Old Albanian sports complex to the north of the city centre. They play in National League 1 the third tier of the English rugby union system. Saracens A team and OA Saints Women's Rugby team also play here. This complex hosts the main offices of the Aviva Premiership club Saracens (however, Saracens train in Hatfield, and will soon move their home ground to Barnet). St Albans RFC play at Boggymead Spring in Smallford, and Verulamians RFC (formerly Old Verulamians) play at Cotlandswick in London Colney.

Skateboarding
St Albans is home to one of the country's oldest and finest indoor skateparks, the Pioneer Skatepark in Heathlands Drive, next to the former fire station. Its ramps are available to all skateboarders and inliners. A new outside mini ramp was built in March 2005. A second outdoor mini ramp was opened at Easter 2009.

Links with other sports
St Albans is additionally home to a community of traceurs from around Hertfordshire.

St Albans was once home to the then most prestigious steeplechase in England. The Great St Albans chase attracted the best horses and riders from across Britain and Ireland in the 1830s and was held in such high esteem that when it clashed with the 1837 Grand National the top horses and riders chose to bypass Aintree. Without warning the race was discontinued in 1839 and was quickly forgotten.

St Albans was once home to Samuel Ryder, the founder of the Ryder cup. He ran a very successful packet seeds business in the 1890s which at one time he ran from a packing warehouse on Holywell Hill (now Café Rouge). His interest in golf and sponsorship led to his donation of the now famous Ryder Cup. He is buried in Hatfield Road Cemetery, where in July 2012 the Olympic Torch Relay passed by to honour him.

Education
St Albans has many state primary and secondary schools, and number of independent schools. The Law School of the University of Hertfordshire used to be based in Hatfield Road in St Albans until it moved to the university's De Havilland campus in Hatfield in 2011. Hertfordshire County Council purchased the site. The interior of the former Law School building has since been refurbished and now forms part of Alban City School, a state-funded Free School for primary aged children, which started taking reception class children in September 2012.

State Schools

 * Primary Schools


 * Secondary Schools

Independent Schools

 * Verulam School takes girls 16-18
 * St Albans School takes girls 16-18

Notable people

 * The St Albans printer, an anonymous printer who produced eight works, the first six in Latin, the last two in English between 1480 and 1486. The most important and last of these was the famous 'Boke of St Albans'
 * Kate Allan (b. 1975), author, lived in St Albans
 * Olivia Allison (b. 1990), GB synchronised swimmer, attended St Albans Girls' School
 * Rod Argent (b. 1945), musician and songwriter with the group The Zombies, formed while the members were at school in St Albans
 * Francis Bacon (1561–1626), 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
 * John Ball (c. 1338-1381), Lollard priest, played prominent part in the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381
 * 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
 * William Henry Bell (1873–1946), musician, composer and first director of the South African College of Music
 * Steve Blinkhorn (b. 1949), occupational psychologist, has lived in St Albans for many years
 * Nicholas Breakspear (c.1100-1159), later Pope Adrian IV, born in Abbots Langley, attended school in St Albans
 * Cheryl Campbell (b. 1949), actor
 * Paul Cattermole (b. 1977), former member of S Club 7, was born in St Albans
 * Ralph Chubb (1892–1960), lithographer
 * Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660–1744), wife of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and close friend of Queen Anne, was born in St Albans
 * Chris Clark, electronic musician, attended school in St Albans
 * Steve Collins (b. 1964), former boxer
 * William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (c. 1665-1723), Lord Chancellor of England
 * Donovan, (b. 1946), Songwriter and folk singer lived in St. Albans during the 1960s
 * Stacey Dooley (b. 1987), television presenter, lives in St Albans
 * Enter Shikari, post-hardcore band, all members born and raised in 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
 * Robert Fayrfax (1464–1521), composer and musician, worked in St Albans Abbey where he is buried
 * Friendly Fires, indie pop band from St Albans
 * Nigel Gibbs (b. 1965), former Watford footballer, was born in St Albans
 * Russell Green (b. 1959), cricketer
 * Willis Hall (1929–2005), playwright and TV scriptwriter, lived in St Albans for many years and was for a while president of St Albans City F.C.
 * Tommy Hampson (1907–1965), athlete, Olympic gold medal winner and world record holder, taught at St Albans School
 * Tim Hart (1948–2009), musician and former guitarist in Steeleye Span, lived in St Albans and attended St Albans School
 * John Hartson (b. 1975), footballer, used to live in St Albans
 * Stephen Hawking (b. 1942), theoretical physicist, educated at St Albans School
 * Christopher Herbert (b. 1944), 9th Bishop of St Albans 1995-2009
 * Benny Hill (1924–1992), TV comic, lived in St Albans
 * Jimmy Hill (b. 1928), TV presenter and football personality, used to live in St Albans
 * Ian Holloway (b. 1963), Crystal Palace F.C. manager, used to live in St Albans
 * Matthew Holness, comedian, better known as Garth Marenghi, lives in St Albans
 * Kurt Jackson, artist, lived in St Albans and attended Francis Bacon School as a teenager
 * Jeffrey John (b. 1953), Dean of St Albans since 2004
 * Minhyong Kim, mathematician, lives in St Albans
 * Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999), film auteur, resided in Childwickbury Manor, from 1978 until his death
 * Adam Lallana (b. 1988), footballer, born in St Albans
 * Stephen Lander (b. 1947), former head of MI5, has lived in St Albans for many years
 * Mark Lawson (b. 1962), broadcaster and columnist for The Guardian, attended St Columba's College
 * Christopher Lewis (b. 1944), Dean of St Albans 1994-2003
 * John Mandeville (14th century), compiler of a singular book of supposed travels, reputedly born in St Albans
 * Rosie Marcel (b. 1977), actor, Jac Naylor in BBC One's Holby City, lives in St Albans
 * Nigel Marven, television wildlife presenter, was bought up in St Albans and attended Francis Bacon School
 * Arthur Melbourne-Cooper (1874–1961), pioneering film maker, born in St Albans
 * Peter Mensah (b. 1959), actor, Oenomaus in the TV series Spartacus, grew up in St Albans
 * Michael Morpurgo (b. 1943), author, born in St Albans
 * Albert Moses (b. 1937), actor, Mind Your Language, producer and director, lives in St Albans
 * John Motson (b. 1945), football commentator, lived in St Albans
 * Herbert Mundin (1898–1939), character actor, lived in St Albans from a young age and educated at St Albans School
 * Mike Newell (b. 1942), film director, used to live in St Albans and attended St Albans School
 * Ardal O'Hanlon (b. 1965), Father Ted star and stand up comedian, lives in St Albans
 * Eleanor Ormerod (1828–1901), entomologist, lived and died in St Albans
 * William Page (1861–1934), historian and editor, lived here 1896-1904 and took part in archaeological excavations in the city
 * Ayan Panja (b. 1973), doctor and presenter of BBC series Street Doctor and The Health Show, is based in St Albans
 * 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
 * Julian Perretta (b. 1989), singer-songwriter
 * Allan Prior (1922–2006), TV scriptwriter, co-creator of Z Cars, and father of Maddy Prior (b. 1947), lived in St Albans
 * Chris Read (b. 1978), England cricketer, lives in St Albans
 * Tim Rice (b. 1944), lyricist, attended St Albans School
 * Ben Richards (b. 1972), actor, singer, Footballers' Wives, The Bill, lives in St Albans
 * Luke Roberts, actor, Holby City, lives in St Albans
 * Jim Rodford (b. 1941), musician, member of Argent and The Kinks and cousin of Rod Argent
 * James Runcie, author and film maker, lives in St Albans
 * Robert Runcie (1921–2000), Bishop of St Albans 1970-1980, later Archbishop of Canterbury 1980-1991. Now buried in the grounds of St Albans Cathedral
 * Samuel Ryder (1858–1936), seed merchant, founder of the Ryder Cup
 * George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878), architect, restored St Albans Abbey 1856-1877
 * John Sessions (b. 1953), actor and comedian, attended St Albans Boys' Grammar School (now Verulam School), patron of St Albans Arts
 * Gilberto Silva (b. 1976), Brazilian footballer, played for Arsenal FC, used to live in St Albans
 * Alan Smith, (b. 1957), Bishop of St Albans since 2009
 * Justin Somper, author, born in St Albans
 * Jonathan Stroud (b. 1970), author, lived in St Albans
 * Ulsinus (fl. 10th century), Abbot of St Albans Abbey, reputed founder in 948 of St Albans School, and St Michael's, St Peter's and St Stephen's churches
 * Mike Walling (b. 1950), comedy actor and scriptwriter, lived in St Albans 1997-2010
 * Richard of Wallingford (1292–1336), Abbot of St Albans Abbey, mathematician, horologist and astronomer
 * Private Edward Warner VC (1883–1915), soldier in the Bedfordshire Regiment, awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Hill 60
 * Thomas Spencer Wells (1818–1897), surgeon to Queen Victoria and president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, born and educated in St Albans
 * Charles Williams (1886–1945), writer and publisher, lived in St Albans 1894-1917 and attended St Albans School
 * Helen Wyman (b. 1981), cyclist, five times British cyclo-cross champion, born in St Albans
 * Graham Frederick Young (1947–1990), the infamous "Teacup Poisoner", tried at St Albans Crown Court in 1972

In popular culture

 * 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.
 * The 2001 film Birthday Girl, featuring Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin, is set in St Albans.
 * A number of places across the world are named after the City of St Albans, most notably in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
 * St Albans was the name of a planet in the cult science-fiction television series Firefly.
 * In September 2007, St Albans replaced Mayfair as the most expensive square on a special UK Here and Now Edition Monopoly board, having won an internet vote.
 * Enter Shikari's song "All eyes on the Saint" (B-side of "Juggernauts" single) tells the story of St Alban.
 * The BBC used the Main Gate House of the former St Albans Prison in Victoria Street as the main gate of "Slade Prison" in the sitcom Porridge.