St. Albans Tourist Information

St Albans has been welcoming visitors from far afield for 2000 years. First built as Verulamium by the Romans, the city was renamed St. Albans after the first British Christian martyr. Today, the Roman heritage and imposing cathedral attract many visitors throughout the year. A visit to St. Albans offers so much; excellent shopping, a range of evening entertainment, an annual events programme, and a multitude of pubs and restaurants as well as many hotels and guesthouses. Within easy access from the motorway network and just half an hour from London, come and discover St. Albans for yourself.

St. Albans is Hertfordshire's oldest town, a modern city shaped by over 2,000 years of human occupation and activity. The city is named after St. Alban, Britain's first Christian martyr, a citizen of the Roman town of Verulamium, who was executed for his beliefs in the third century AD. After the Roman conquest of Britain in AD43, the town became one of the largest towns in Roman Britain. After the departure of the Romans, St. Albans grew up around the precincts of the Monastery founded in AD 900 - 950 by the Abbot Ulsinus, the acknowledged founder of St. Albans. Today you can still see in the fine Norman Abbey tower the Roman bricks removed from Verulamium.

The magnificent Abbey Church dominates the city's skyline on every main approach. A blend of many periods, the bricks used by the Romans in the building of Verulamium are included in the tower. The Abbey Gateway built in 1365, used for many years as a prison, it now forms part of St. Albans School. The Clock tower was built between 1403 and 1412 and is now one of only two medieval town belfries in England. Giving fine views of the Abbey, Roman Verulamium and the city, the tower with its fine bell has survived almost 600 years of use.

Museums and Attractions.

Out and About

Further afield, just a few miles away from St. Albans, are other attractions and stately homes, including Hatfield House, Knebworth and Shaws Corner at Ayot St. Lawrence, once home of George Bernard Shaw.