Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in St Albans (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: St Albans Cathedral, St Albans Museums, and Clock Tower. Also, be sure to include Verulamium Park in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in St Albans (England).
Table of Contents
St Albans Cathedral
Prominent building in contrasting styles. St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be an abbey following its dissolution in the 16th century and became a cathedral in 1877. Although legally a cathedral church, it differs in certain particulars from most other cathedrals in England, being also used as a parish church, of which the dean is rector with the same powers, responsibilities and duties as that of any other parish. At 85 metres long, it has the longest nave of any cathedral in England.
Probably founded in the 8th century, the present building is Norman or Romanesque architecture of the 11th century, with Gothic and 19th-century additions.[1]
Address: Sumpter Yd, AL1 1BY St Albans
St Albans Museums
St Albans Museums is a collection of museums and historic buildings in the city of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England that is run by St Albans City and District Council. It oversees St Albans Museum + Gallery and the Verulamium Museum, and also the Hypocaust at Verulamium, St Albans' medieval Clock Tower, and the ruins of Sopwell Priory.[2]
Clock Tower
The Clock Tower is a Grade I listed belfry in St Albans, England which was constructed between 1403 and 1412, believed to have been completed in 1405. It has been claimed to be the only remaining medieval town belfry in England. Its construction has been seen as a protest against the power of the local abbey to regulate time-keeping in the town.[3]
Address: High Street, AL3 4EL St Albans
Verulamium Park
Park in St Albans, England. Verulamium Park is a park in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Set in over 100 acres of parkland, Verulamium Park was purchased from the Earl of Verulam in 1929 by the then City Corporation. Today the park is owned and operated by St Albans City and District Council.
The park is named after the Roman city of Verulamium on which it stands. The city walls and outline of the main London Gate can still be seen. Archaeological excavations were undertaken in the park during the 1930s by Sir Mortimer Wheeler and his wife Tessa, during which the 1800-year-old hypocaust and its covering mosaic floor were discovered. The Hypocaust Mosaic is on view to the public and currently protected from the elements by a purpose-built building in the park. On the outskirts of the park is Verulamium Museum, which contains hundreds of archaeological objects relating to everyday Roman life in what was a major Roman city. A pub, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, is also located on the edge of the park. This pub has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest such establishment in England.
A main feature of the park is the ornamental lake. Construction started on this project during 1929, giving much needed work to the unemployed of St Albans during the depression. The lake is fed by the River Ver. The lake is home to a wealth of waterbirds, including mallards, swans, Canada geese, herons, great crested grebes, coots, pochards and tufted ducks.
In the southeastern part of the park, the Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre and Abbey View 9-hole golf course provide a number of sports facilities, including a pool, gym, tennis, fitness classes, running track and football pitch. The park also hosts St Albans parkrun, a free weekly timed 5k event every Saturday morning at 9am.
The northeastern edge of the park abuts St Albans Cathedral and St Albans School, the northwestern edge abuts St Michael's Church, and the southeastern edge abuts St Columba's College. St Albans Abbey railway station is situated just to the east of the park.
The park also hosts a small children's funfair which has been coming there for 46 years. That comes around Easter with the Sun and the summer holidays. It is situated near the hypocaust.[4]
Address: Westminster Lodge Holywell Hill, AL1 2DL St Albans
Sopwell Priory
Abbey. Sopwell Priory was built c. 1140 in Hertfordshire, England by the Benedictine abbot of St Albans Abbey, Geoffrey de Gorham. It was founded as the Priory of St Mary of Sopwell and was a cell of St Albans Abbey.
Juliana Berners, a prioress during the 15th century, is believed to be the author of the Boke of St Albans published in 1486.
Following the dissolution of St Albans Abbey in 1539, Sopwell Priory was bought by Sir Richard Lee, a military engineer and commander of King Henry VIII. He tore the priory down and built a house on the site which he named Lee Hall. The house was later renamed Sopwell House, and its ruins, which are now managed by St Albans Museums, remain today on Cottonmill Lane, near the centre of St Albans.[5]
Address: Cottonmill Lane, AL1 St Albans
Verulamium
Town. Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon. The ancient Watling Street passed through the city. Much of the site and its environs is now classed as a scheduled monument.[6]
Address: Bluehouse Hill, AL3 6AE, St Albans
The Odyssey Cinema
Theatre. The Odyssey Cinema is a film theatre in the city of St Albans, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. It is a locally listed Art Deco building, located on London Road, around 0.7 kilometres east of St Albans Cathedral. Originally built in 1931 as the Capitol Cinema, the current building stands on the site of an earlier film theatre, the Alpha Picture Palace. This former cinema was of particular historical significance as it was opened in 1904 by the film-making pioneer Arthur Melbourne-Cooper and is considered to have been the first cinema in Hertfordshire.[7]
Address: 166 London Road, AL1 1PQ, St Albans
Royal National Rose Society Gardens
Botanical garden in England. The Royal National Rose Society Gardens, also known as The Gardens of The Rose, were the gardens and headquarters of The Royal National Rose Society at Bone Hill, Chiswell Green, St Albans, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. The Royal National Rose Society was established in 1876 and the gardens were opened over 50 years ago by Mary, Princess Royal who was a Patron of the society at the time. The Society's stated aim was to create a "living dictionary" of roses. The gardens contain 2,500 different rose cultivars among 15,000 rose bushes.
The Royal National Rose Society went into administration on 15 May 2017. The Gardens are permanently closed.[8]
Address: Chiswell Green, AL2 3NY St Albans
St Michael's Church
Parish in St Albans, England. St Michael's Church is a Church of England parish church in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Much of the building is late 10th or early 11th century, making it the most significant surviving Anglo-Saxon building in the county. It is located near the centre of Roman Verulamium to the west of the modern city.[9]
St. Stephen's Church
Parish church in St Albans, England. St Stephen's Church is a Church of England parish church in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It is located to the south of the town centre, at the top of St Stephen's Hill. It is a Grade II* listed building.[10]
Address: 1 Watling St, AL1 2PT St Albans
St Peter's Church
Church in St Albans, England. St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church. It is located in St Albans, England, at the northern end of the town centre.[11]
The Wick Local Nature Reserve
Nature preserve in St Albans, England. The Wick is a 3.4 hectare Local Nature Reserve in St Albans in Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by St Albans City Council. It is also designated a County Wildlife Site.
The land was transferred to the council by Sir Arthur Copson Peake in 1929 “to keep the land in its wild state, as nature made it”. It is ancient woodland which is semi-natural, and the main trees are oak and hornbeam. Other features are a seasonal pond and historic field boundaries of bank and ditch. The Friends of the Wick assists with maintenance.
There is access from Sandpit Lane and Marshal's Drive.[12]
Address: Marshal's Dr., St Albans
Alban Arena
Theatre in St Albans, England. Alban Arena is a theatre and music venue located in St Albans, England.
The venue opened in 1968 with a performance by blues singer John Mayall, and has staged concerts by bands such as Dire Straits in 1978 and Jethro Tull in 2010. Mayall returned to celebrate 40th anniversary in 2008.
Soon after opening in 1968 the City Hall began hosting regular "Civic Discos", on Mondays for teenagers and on Saturday nights (with occasional live music) for older patrons. The Monday night Disc Jockeys included the London impresario "Rocky Rivers" and Jeff Spencer, later DJs included Graham Kentsley who hosted a series of events celebrating 50 years of the Civic Disco in aid of the New St Albans Museum that opened in 2018.
Over the Christmas period of 2004, the pantomime Aladdin was staged at the venue with participation Michelle Bass, the December 2005 show was Peter Pan with Leslie Grantham and Dani Harmer, and in 2009 The Little Mermaid with Sarah-Jane Honeywell.
In 2007 the St Albans International Organ Festival took place at the arena.[13]
Address: St Albans, Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 3LD
Kingsbury Watermill
Historical landmark in St Albans, England. Kingsbury Watermill is a Grade II listed former watermill on the River Ver in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.[14]
Butterfly World
Tourist attraction in England. The Butterfly World Project was a visitor attraction in the village of Chiswell Green, on the outskirts of St Albans in Hertfordshire, UK, dedicated to showcasing and promoting learning about butterflies. It closed permanently in 2015.[15]
Address: Miriam Lane, AL2 3NY St Albans