St. Albans Adventure

Our last full day in London was spent (as is our tradition) somewhere else! We decided on a last minute change from the Cliffs of Dover (we’ll see you next time, for sure!) to a closer, more low key adventure.

A 25-minute train ride brought us to the most adorable little town of St. Albans!

Named for Britain’s first saint, the beautiful city has a rich history as a former Roman settlement, a stunning medieval cathedral (built in the 11th century) and a street market that dates back to the 9th century!

We had the absolute best day exploring this town! We started with a climb to the top of the medieval clock tower (built in the early 1400s). This is one of the only remaining medieval town clock towers in England.

As always, I love a good resistance tale and the story of this clock tower caught my attention. Built on higher ground and intentionally standing face to face with the Abbey clock tower across town, this clock was originally built as a political statement. The townspeople decided they wanted control over their own time-keeping, alarms and long-distance communications rather than relying on the Abbey for these services.

It was 93 steep and narrow steps to the top! The spiral stairs were so narrow in some places we had to turn sideways and I’m pretty sure Josh was hunched over to avoid the low ceilings the entire time. M was very proud she was brave enough to climb to the top and said this was her favorite activity of the trip so far!

After making our way back DOWN the steep stairs, we made our way to St. Albans Cathedral. Built on the remains of the former (and previously mentioned Abbey which was founded in 793), the current cathedral was built in the 11th century.

It was one of the more beautiful Romanesque style cathedrals we’ve seen. Open fully to the public we explored every nook and cranny and found lots of interesting little things like the final resting place of the surgeon of Edward III (1327-1377).

The grounds surrounding the cathedral were gorgeous in their own right. We enjoyed a slow stroll through the gardens while M did gymnastics with some little girls she met in the orchard.

After that we walked across town to the Verulamium Park - a Celtic town from before the Roman conquest and then former Roman settlement dating back to 50 AD.

Though we missed the museum being open by about 10 minutes, we did get to explore some of the outdoor ruins (part of the original Roman walls) and discovered a Roman themed playground which M thoroughly enjoyed!

On the way back to the train, we wandered upon St. Michael’s Church. It was a creepy little campus surrounded by antique grave stones. The small but ornate stone church dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period of England. Built in the late 900s, it is one of the best remaining examples of Anglo-Saxon architecture in Britain.

The stones used to build the church were recycled from the nearby Roman ruins. It was also the home church and burial location of Francis Bacon - a British scientist and philosopher in the 1600s.

We ended the day with a quick stop at the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (which claims to be the oldest pub in England).