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Cathedrals, Travel

St Albans Cathedral

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St Alban's Cathedral. Photo by Rob Hinkley
St Albans
Photo by Rob Hinkley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History

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 cathedral website is at this link
Tower - St Albans Cathedral
The tower, built of bricks scavenged from Roman Verulamium.
Architectural styles - St Albans Cathedral
Looking up the nave. Note wooden ceilings. Norman architecture on the left; Gothic on the right.
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Changing styles: Old English Gothic windows on the right; Decorated Gothic on the left.

 

Image of the reliquary and shrine - St Alban's Cathedral
St Alban’s reliquary and shrine

 

St Alban's Cathedral
Looking up at the Norman tower.

 

 

Astronomical clock - St Alban's Cathedral
Astronomical clock (replica)

Chapel vaulting - St Albans Cathedral
Vaulting in a chantry chapel

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Albans_Cathedral
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_the_medieval_cathedrals_of_England
  3. Herbert, Ailsa, Pam Martin and Gail Thomas editors (2008) St Albans: Cathedral and Abbey (Scala Publishers: London)