If you are planning a trip to the Salisbury area to see Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral, why not drop into nearby Wilton and see this very interesting church?
Italianate Church – First Impressions
Your first impression will be a bit of cognitive dissonance: in the midst of an undistinguished Wiltshire market town is a very elegant Italian church complete with a free-standing campanile (bell tower). The church is set back from the street and has the rounded arches typical of Romanesque buildings. The rose window is a bit unusual for a Romanesque church and adds a bit of lightness to offset the solid, bulky look.
History
By the 1800s the medieval church of St Mary on this site had fallen into disrepair. The Hon. Sidney Herbert, a younger son of the 11th Earl of Pembroke, provided a large portion of the funds needed to build a new church. Herbert was apparently a fan of the Italianate architecture that was in vogue in the first half of the 19th Century contributed and commissioned Thomas Henry Wyatt to design a church in that style. The church was completed in 1845.
Amiens is a large and imposing building constructed on a low hill in the centre of Amiens. The shape is typical of medieval Gothic cathedrals in France with a long nave and two large, squarish towers. Above the roof at the junction of nave and transepts a tall, narrow spire rises. Similar to the 19th Century spire of Notre Dame de Paris, this one is somewhat more authentic, having been completed in 1533 after the original spire was destroyed by fire, and then shortened in 1627 after a wind storm.
The West Facade is decorated by a large collection of statuary as well as three decorated portals. There is also a fine entrance – the Portal of the Golden Virgin – in the south transept.
St Albans Cathedral was built on the site of a Saxon abbey. Construction started in 1077 CE and finished in 1089.
For most of its history it was known as St Alban’s Abbey before it became a cathedral in 1877.
General Layout
Formal name: The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban
First Impressions: St Albans is a rather squat building. It does not soar above the skyline, but hunkers down giving an impression of solidity and permanence, as though it rises directly from the bedrock.
It is hemmed in by the city and cathedral outbuildings on one side but a wide field on the Southwest side provides a good view.
Style: A melange. Started out as a Norman (Romanesque) abbey. The Norman arches are visible under the central tower and on the north side of the nave. The remainder of the construction is Gothic, mainly in the decorated and perpendicular styles. There is a chapter house but no cloister
Patron Saint: The first Christian martyr in Britain, Alban of Verulamium was a Roman citizen who was beheaded for professing his faith (c. 250 CE).
Key Features
Materials. Most of the fabric of the St Albans Cathedral including the tower is constructed from bricks salvaged from the Roman town of Verulamium
Size. At 84 metres (276 ft), its nave is the longest of any cathedral in England
Massive Norman tower
Medieval wooden ceilings in the nave
Shrine and reliquary of St Alban
Replica of the medieval clock designed by Richard of Wallingford
Planning your visit to St Albans Cathedral
The Cathedral is open all year round and entry is free
Photography is permitted
The Abbot’s Kitchen tearoom provides good food at a reasonable price. We found it welcoming and cozy on a chilly day.
St Alban’s is about a 30 minute train ride from Blackfriars railway station, so it makes a very easy day trip from London. The city itself has an medieval downtown with some interesting shops and decent looking pubs.
The tower, built of bricks scavenged from Roman Verulamium.Looking up the nave. Note wooden ceilings. Norman architecture on the left; Gothic on the right.Changing styles: Old English Gothic windows on the right; Decorated Gothic on the left.
St Alban’s reliquary and shrine
Looking up at the Norman tower.
Astronomical clock (replica)Vaulting in a chantry chapel
