History of St Albans: Difference between revisions

[[St Albans]] is a city located in [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Saint Albans {{!}} England, United Kingdom {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Albans-England|access-date=2021-11-29|website=www.britannica.com|language=en}}</ref> It was originally founded as [[Verlamion]] a settlement belonging to the Catuvellauni (a Celtic tribe or state of southeastern Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century). It was subsequently transformed into the Roman settlement of [[Verulamium]] from where it grew into a ''[[municipium]]'' around AD 50.

The Roman city of [[Verulamium]], the third largest town in Roman Britain after [[Londinium]] and [[Camulodunum|Colchester]],<ref name="Raddato">{{Cite web |title=Exploring Verulamium, the Roman city of St Albans (UK) |url=https://followinghadrian.com/2015/02/01/exploring-verulamium-the-roman-city-of-st-albans-uk/#:~:text=In%20its%20heyday%2C%20Verulamium%20was,centre%20of%20the%20Catuvellauni%20tribe.}}</ref> was built alongside the Celtic settlement in the valley of the [[River Ver]] nearer to the present city centre. The settlement was granted the rank of ''[[municipium]]'' around AD&nbsp;50, meaning that its citizens had what were known as "Latin Rights", a lesser citizenship status than a ''[[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]]'' possessed. It grew to a significant town, and as such received the attentions of [[Boudica]] of the [[Iceni]] in 61, when Verulamium was sacked and burnt on her orders:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/boudicca.shtml|title = BBC - History - Boudicca}}</ref> a black ash layer has been recorded by archaeologists, thus confirming the Roman written record. It grew steadily; by the early 3rd century, it covered an area of about {{convert|125|acre|km2}}, behind a deep ditch and wall. It was encircled by gated walls in AD 275. Verulamium contained a [[forum (Roman)|forum]], [[basilica]] and a [[Roman theatre (structure)|theatre]], much of which were damaged during two fires, one in 155 and the other in around 250. One of the few extant Roman inscriptions in Britain is found on the remnants of the forum (see [[Verulamium Forum inscription]]). The town was rebuilt in [[Rock (geology)|stone]] rather than [[timber]] at least twice over the next 150 years.

There were three railway stations in the town, two of which are still active: {{rws|St Albans Abbey}} and {{rws|St Albans City}}. The first, St Albans Abbey, was opened by the [[London and North Western Railway]] on 5 May 1858 as the terminus of the [[Abbey Line]], a branch line from {{rws|Watford Junction}}. This was followed by the [[Midland Railway]] Company's station, now known as St Albans City, which opened on 1 October 1868 on the [[Midland Main Line|main line from Bedford to London]]. There was also a third railway station in the city centre, {{rws|St Albans (London Road)}}, which was opened on 16 October 1865 by the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] on its [[Hatfield and St Albans Railway|Hatfield and St Albans branch]]. This branch line closed to passengers in 1951.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol2/pp469-477 British History Online]</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Butt|first1=R.V.J.|title=The directory of railway stations : details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present|date=1995|publisher=Stephens|location=Sparkford|isbn=978-1-85260-508-7}}</ref>

In 1877, in response to a public petition, Queen [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]] issued the second royal charter, which granted [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] to the borough and [[Cathedral city#1836.E2.80.931888|Cathedral status]] to the former Abbey Church. The new [[Diocese of St Albans|diocese]] was established in the main from parts of the large [[Diocese of Rochester]]. The Abbey Church of St Alban had fallen into disrepair, despite work done on it under Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]] in 1860–1877, and some thought it ought to be allowed to decline into romantic ruin, but in the latter year, under the chairmanship of the [[James Grimston, 3rd Earl of Verulam|Earl of Verulam]], a restoration committee was formed, of which [[Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe|Edmund Beckett]] (later Lord Grimthorpe) became the dominant member. Grimthorpe put up £130,000 of his own money and by sheer force of personality brought about a restoration of the church (1880–1883) in [[Gothic Revival architecture|Neo-Gothic]] style, sparking the ire of the [[Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings]]. [[Nicholas Pevsner]] said that the Abbey "is the only one of the major churches of England that has a West Front completely, or almost completely, Victorian."<ref name=briggs/> However, it seems reasonable to assume that, without Grimthorpe's money the Abbey Church would now be a ruin like many other former monastic churches.