St Albans

For other places with the same name, see St. Albans.

St Albans is an English cathedral city to the north of London, in the county of Hertfordshire. Its rich Roman and Medieval history means it is much more worth a visit than the typical commuter suburb.



Understand
St Albans began in the Iron Age as the Catuvellauni settlement of Verlamio, renamed and developed by the Romans as Verulamium. Burned to the ground by the rebellious Iceni princess Boudicca during her rebellion, it was soon rebuilt. Ruins of portions of the Roman wall, the theatre and a hypocaust can be visited today. A resident of Verulamium named Alban became the first British martyr of Christianity, and thus St Albans became an important abbey and monastic centre in the Middle Ages. The cathedral, founded as the Abbey Church of the monastery on the site, was built partially of stones taken from the old Roman town. After the Reformation, St Albans faded from prominence, becoming a typical Home Counties market town. Yet its historical importance was recognised by the state in 1877, when Queen Victoria bestowed city status on the town and cathedral status on the Abbey Church. Today, St Albans is a well-off suburb, with many residents commuting into London.

By car
There are several major routes into the St Albans area:

There are car parks throughout St Albans, which are signposted from major routes. The, is close to Hatfield Road and  St Peter's Street (for the shops). is off London Road, direct from the  and, close to The Maltings shopping centre.
 * From London, exit at junction 6 for /St Albans. Follow signs for /St Albans into the city centre.
 * From Hatfield (Galleria) follow St Albans Road West direct into Fleetville and the city centre.
 * From Hemel Hempstead follow, which runs along the southern rim of St Albans. Follow signs for /St Albans into the city centre.
 * From Luton and The North, exit at junction 9 and follow  for St Albans (North). Exit at junction 7 for  and follow signs for southern St Albans.
 * From The South West and Heathrow Airport, exit at junction 21A for /St Albans. Follow signs for /St Albans into the city centre.
 * From Stevenage, Peterborough and Yorkshire, leave UK-Motorway-A1(M).svg at junction 3. Join and follow signs for southern St Albans.
 * From Waltham Cross, Essex and Kent, exit at junction 22 and follow /St Albans into the city centre
 * From Watford, join (via  from the town centre) and follow signs to St Albans.

By train
There are two railway stations in St Albans.

is just over 900m from St Peter's Street, the main shopping drag. It is served by Thameslink trains. There are direct connections from various destinations in London, including:


 * London St Pancras International - change from and Eurostar from mainland Europe. Around 25-45 minutes to St Albans
 * Farringdon - change from
 * London Bridge - change from and  from South London and Kent
 * Elephant and Castle - change from
 * West Hampstead Thameslink - change from
 * Wimbledon - change from from Surrey and Hampshire
 * Sutton

There are also direct connections to St Albans from major destinations such as Luton, Bedford and Brighton, and direct rail links from London Luton and London Gatwick airports.

Passengers from London and the airports can travel to and from St Albans by "touching in" and "touching out" with their Contactless cards, without the need for a paper ticket.

Thameslink trains through St Albans City run overnight into London and Luton Airport Parkway.

is around 700m from St Albans Cathedral. Direct trains from the villages of Park Street and Bricket Wood, as well as stations in Watford including Watford Junction . At Watford Junction, there are connections from London Euston , Milton Keynes, Northampton and Birmingham New Street .

By bus
Local routes from locations throughout Hertfordshire, including:


 * Sullivan 84 from Potters Bar;
 * Arriva 301 from Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield;
 * Arriva 302 from Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield;
 * Arriva 321 from Luton, Harpenden, Rickmansworth and Watford;
 * Red Rose 357 from Borehamwood and Harpenden;
 * Uno 601 from Borehamwood, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield;
 * Uno 602 from Hatfield, Watford and Bushey;
 * Uno 653 from Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield.

A longer distance route GreenLine 724 connects St Albans with Harlow (Essex), Ware, Hertford, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Watford, Rickmansworth, Uxbridge (London), London Heathrow Airport.

For journeys across Hertfordshire using multiple bus operators, ask for the "Intalink Explorer" ticket.

By air
London Luton Airport is less than 10 miles north of St Albans city centre. Luton has plenty of routes from mainland Europe, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Ibiza, Tel Aviv, Tenerife and Zürich. There are also flights from UK destinations such as Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is a major base for the easyJet and Wizz Air.

From Luton Airport Parkway to St Albans, take any Thameslink southbound into St Albans City. You don't need to buy a paper ticket if you can "touch in" and "touch out" with your contactless card.

By road, follow through Harpenden into St Albans City.

London Heathrow Airport, London's busiest airport, is just over 20 miles from St Albans. By bus, take GreenLine 724 into St Albans City, which leaves roughly once per hour during the daytime. Board at Heathrow Central Bus Station Stand 20 or Heathrow Terminal 5 Stand 8. By road, follow clockwise to junction 21A for /St Albans.

London Gatwick Airport, with international flights from destinations in Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America, is a direct train ride away. From Gatwick Airport, take a Thameslink train towards Luton or Bedford and alight at St Albans City.

Get around
St Albans has a fairly large city centre set on a hill, with large residential areas to the north, east and south. If you are walking from the railway station or visiting the ancient ruins in Verulamium Park, expect to walk at least two miles on your visit.

On foot
From the railway stations:


 * From St Albans City train station, the walk into the city centre is around 15 minutes with a moderate slope.
 * From St Albans Abbey train station, the walk is around 10-15 minutes up the steep Holywell Hill.

Most buses stop in St Peter's Street, the main shopping area, with a short walk to some shops.

The Civic Centre car park is around two minutes walk to the main road.

There are signposts dotted throughout the city, pointing to key destinations.

Most footpaths are well paved and wide. Market Place is pedestrianised on market days, and is not a through route for general traffic at other times, with plenty of space to walk.

St Albans Cathedral and St Peter's Street is on top of a steep hill, with St Albans Abbey railway station, Westminster Lodge leisure centre and Verulamium Park at the bottom.

By Shopmobility
Borrow a scooter or wheelchair from St Albans Shopmobility. The charity is based at Drovers Way Car Park, AL1 3JE. It is open during the mornings and into early afternoons on Monday - Saturday. You must show two forms of ID, such as a blue badge and bus pass, to sign up, with full details on the website: https://www.stalbansshopmobility.com/

By bike
Beware, the St Stephen's Hill, Holywell Hill and Verulam Road are very steep. The St Peter's Street can become congested, particularly at peak times and daytimes, with lots of bus traffic.

There is cycle parking in and around St Peter's Street.

National Cycle Route 61 (Maidenhead - Hoddesdon) follows The Alban Way between the city and Hatfield. Join The Alban Way opposite The Galleria in Hatfield, Smallford Road south of Smallford, and at London Road west of the railway bridge. National Cycle Route 6 (London - Keswick) is signposted through the city, including along St Peter's Street.

By bus
Most buses call at St Peter's Street. There are bus routes to most neighbourhoods in St Albans. Plan your journey on the Intalink website: https://www.intalink.org.uk/services

There are all day tickets for travel within St Albans, the St Albans BUSnet: https://www.intalink.org.uk/st-albans-busnet

The seven-day Colney 7 ticket allows travel on Sullivan 84, Red Rose 357 and Uno 602 between London Colney and St Albans: https://www.intalink.org.uk/colney-7-5623

Buses between St Albans City railway station and St Peter's Street include: 34, 84, 230, 301, 302, 304, 305, 357, 601, 602, 653 and 724.

By taxi
Most bus routes end in the late-evening. Be prepared to pay for a taxi if you need to travel between St Albans and Bushey, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Potters Bar or Watford.

Firms include:


 * A1 Taxis -
 * Abbey Star Taxi Hire -
 * Gold Line Taxis -

Uber is available in St Albans.

History
St Albans is packed with a rich history with something around nearly every corner.

Roman
The Romans left their mark on St Albans (Verulamium as they knew it). There are Roman Remains that you can still see:



Medieval
Medieval times shaped the look of St Albans to the picturesque town you can see now. St Albans city centre was the site of two battles during the Wars of the Roses 1455 & 1461.



Sights and Explore
It is worth taking time to explore and discover St Albans.


 * The St Albans Festival runs for two weeks in late June, and features a series of events in and around St Albans.

As seen on screen
St Albans has appeared as the backdrop in many films and TV shows. As you explore the city you may recognise some places.

Films

 * Birthday Girl with Nicole Kidman as a St Albans bank clerk was set entirely in St Albans and the surrounding area
 * First Knight with Richard Gere and Sean Connery used St Albans Cathedral for a wedding scene
 * Incendiary with Ewan McGregor used St Albans Cathedral and the city station
 * Johnny English with Rowan Atkinson used St Albans Cathedral as a double for Westminster Abbey
 * Mike Bassett England Manager with Ricky Tomlinson used St Albans to double as Norwich (locations included the town hall)

TV

 * Foyles War with Michael Kitchen filmed scenes in Fishpool Street
 * Holby City has filmed at St Albans City Station
 * Inbetweeners with Joe Thomas, Blake Harrison and James Buckley the field trip episode was filmed by the town hall
 * Inspector Morse with John Thaw and Kevin Whatley scenes where shot at Ye Old Fighting Cocks and St Albans Cathedral
 * Life Begins with Caroline Quentin & Alexander Armstrong filmed at various places around St Albans including Market Place & French Row
 * Midsummer Murders with John Nettles filmed a scene at St Albans School
 * Porridge with Ronnie Barker. The opening titles used the
 * The Apprentice with Lord Sugar had the introduction and ‘walk of shame’ exit sequences (series four onwards) filmed at the Viglen HQ building in St Albans.

Adverts

 * Morethan: In 2013 Morethan dedicated a whole advert to St Albans

Do
There is lots to do in St Albans whether its just for: a short few hours, day trip or longer holiday.

Cinema and theatre




Buy
The main shopping street in St Albans is St Peter’s Street which has a selection of usual high street stores. Market Place with its more oldie worldly feel is often used in pictures to depict St Albans with the Cathedral tower in the background.

Markets
St Albans is home to three markets. The Charter/Traditional market which is the world’s longest running street market, the monthly farmers market for locally produced products, and the monthly antiques market:

Eat
St Albans has a wide variety of restaurants and pubs serving food, though nothing of particular excellence. The Hot Cross Bun (the Alban Bun) originates from St Albans, where Brother Thomas Rocliffe, a 14th Century monk at St Albans Abbey, distributed the bun to the local poor on Good Friday, starting in 1361. The Alban bun is available from the Abbots Kitchen (St Albans Cathedral) during the run up to Easter. There are lots of places around St Albans suitable for a picnic when the weather is fine. A good alternative to bringing a picnic and carrying it round with you is buying a supermarket meal deal (Tesco/Boots in the town centre & Sainsburys/Waitrose to the south of Verulamium Park).

Restaurants


As with most UK cities, there are plenty of curry houses:
 * Cafe Rouge, chain restaurant on Holywell Hill; the building is a former seed hall used by Samuel Ryder who donated the Ryder Cup, a golf trophy played for between the United States and Europe.

Drink
St Albans has the largest number of pubs in one square mile in England (and the UK). On Friday and Saturday nights, most bars and pubs are full, and may have bouncers on the door checking ID. Closing times vary between 11PM and 2AM, so ask when you're at the bar what time 'last orders' is. There are plenty of very nice country pubs near St Albans, although you'll need your own transport to get there. On sunny days, plenty of people drink in Verulamium Park. This is allowed in certain areas. There are signs where alcohol is prohibited. Tesco on St Peter's Street is generally cheaper than off-licences.

Pubs and bars
St Albans has a large range of pubs and bars given its relative size, most of which offer a selection of food.

Historic

 * St Michael's Village is one of the oldest areas of St. Albans, and features some lovely old pubs including the,  and.
 * St Michael's Village is one of the oldest areas of St. Albans, and features some lovely old pubs including the,  and.

Other recommended pubs:



Traditional local



 * Near the Odyssey Cinema in London Road are and

In the Sopwell Lane area east of Holywell Hill there are several good back-street pubs:


 * ,, and
 * On the Hatfield Road A1057 going towards Clarence Park are:, , and much closer to Hatfield  then the
 * On the B561 towards Sandridge are: and

Village pubs
In Tyttenhanger south east of St Albans:



In Sandridge north of St Albans:



Campaign for Real Ale
St Albans is home of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) head office. The



Sleep
St Albans has a range of hotels and B&Bs, although no youth hostels. If visiting from London on a day trip, there is no need to stay in the city overnight, although there are some nice options if you want to stay out of London.







Cope
City Centre:



In Verulamium Park



Go next

 * London, with its famous West End, is less than an hour away by train. Brent Cross is an out-of-town shopping destination with easy access from St Albans by train or from the M1 motorway. Or in the centre, catch a show in the theatre, visit the galleries, shop in Oxford Street or enjoy a night out on the town (with overnight trains back into Hertfordshire).
 * Berkhamsted, flanking the Grand Union Canal, boasts a range of independent shops and restaurants, and walks in the Chilterns open countryside.
 * Hatfield is a short drive or bus ride from the city. Visit the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I at Hatfield Old Palace - part of the famous Hatfield Estate, or shop at The Galleria Outlet.
 * Hertford the county town is a short drive away, with riverside walks in the daytime and pubs which come alive in the evenings.
 * Watford boasts town centre shops, a museum, The Colosseum world-renowned music venue, Warner Bros Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter, and a series of restaurants, pubs and clubs.
 * Whipsnade Zoo near Hemel Hempstead is the largest conservation zoo in the country.