Layers of history

There was a church here around AD948, about which time the abandoned crypts of the old city were the hiding places for "robbers, bodysnatchers and evil women".

Sir Francis Bacon, the English philosopher and statesman, left the sum of £50 to the church, and today his statue can be seen in the chancel. An even more famous son of the city is Alban, a Christian Roman soldier who declared that "those whom you call gods are idols", and spurned the offer of his life for a retraction. He was tried at the basilica and condemned to death, England's first Christian martyr.

My visit to St Michael's was longer than expected, due to a violent thunderstorm. When at last I ventured forth into Verulamium Park there seemed a fair chance that I might be struck by lightning, but I reached the hypocaust unscathed. Inside, the mosaic floor dates back to the second century AD. You can see the ducts running underneath, and you can see the Romans too, if you use just a little imagination.

The sun greeted my arrival at the lake, constructed in the 1930s to provide work for the unemployed. They made a good job of it. Canada geese and the usual assortment of ducks watched my passing, their sole interest centred on whether or not I carried a morsel or two. Sadly, I did not. This area formed part of the Roman city, and here you walk in the footsteps of the Romans.

I duly arrived at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, more recent but laying claim, nonetheless, to being the oldest public house in Britain (other hostelries challenge this). It was a medieval pigeon house, and later served as a venue for cockfighting. Opposite, at the abbey mill, monks ground barley for their brewery. I climbed the slope to the abbey, which was bathed in sunshine, as though awaiting my arrival.

What can one say of this magnificent building, built on the site of Alban's execution? There is not space enough to fit in sufficient accolades, except to say that by tradition the abbey was founded in 793 by King Offa of Mercia; that after the Dissolution in 1539 ownership passed to the Crown, and by 1832 much of it was dilapidated. Restoration was completed in 1871. It has, reputedly, the longest nave in the world, a believable statistic.

The Abbey Gateway (1362) is all that remains of a medieval monastery. It was "seized by insurgents" during the Peasants' Revolt (some paid with their lives) and for 300 years it was the local prison. Now it's a school.

Passing through the gateway, across the cobbles, you almost step back in time. Beyond is Romeland, once a place of fairs and where, during the reign of Queen Mary, George Tankerfield was burned at the stake as a warning to local Protestants.

The city centre is sadly blighted by through-traffic, but time can be taken below a clock tower that has seen its fair share of history. It was erected between 1403 and 1412, and during the first battle of St Albans, the tower's bell sounded the alarm. The tower was a signalling station during the French wars, and John, King of France, was detained in a house on the site of the nearby Fleur de Lys after his capture in 1356.

On now to Fishpool Street, with its 16th and 17th century cottages, once the main route into town. It was known as the Blockers after the wooden blocks used in the process of shaping straw hats, manufactured locally until 1973. Some of the houses have filled-in windows, dating from the days of window-tax, others with bow-shaped windows were shops.

St Michael's Street crosses the oldest bridge in Hertfordshire, and leads to the former Roman theatre. After the Romans left it was used as a rubbish dump. Restoration work and the reconstruction of one of the pillars have saved it for posterity.

Much has been saved at St Albans. Walks in history don't come better than this.

Approximate distance: 3 miles

Start and Finish: Car park, Verulamium Museum

Route

Car park, St Michael's Church, Verulamium Park, hypocaust, lake, St Albans Abbey, Town Clock and French Row, Fishpool Street, Verulamium Theatre. (There are three museums on or near the route)

Directions

From the car park go to nearby St Michael's Church and then on to Verulamium Park, with its lake. Head for the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks and then across to the Abbey and Monastery Gatehouse. Then visit Romeland, the Town Clock and French Row, St Michael's Street and the Roman Theatre.

Pubs

St Albans is famous for its many pubs, and is home to the Campaign for Real Ale.

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

For a printable map of the walk, please click the image below.