St Alban’s Cathedral

St Alban’s Cathedral is properly known as the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban. Having ceased to be an abbey following its dissolution in the 16th century, it became a cathedral in 1877 and is the home to the shrines of two saints.

The Cathedral has Britain’s longest nave and there is a stunning collection of medieval wall paintings to marvel at as you walk its length. ‘The Museum of the Moon’ by artist, Luke Jerram, currently takes pride of place in the nave, and whilst I was visiting, a music and movement session for little children was taking place beneath it, bringing the whole church to life. I found myself singing along to ‘Reach for the Stars’ as I wandered around…

There is a fascinating exhibition space on the left hand side of the Cathedral which shares details of the building’s history, including a short narrated video telling the story of Alban and Amphibalus. As with all buildings of this kind, there are things to notice everywhere.

The cathedral is unique for housing two medieval pedestal shrines. Saint Alban is known as Britain’s first saint and was buried on this site 1700 years ago and it is believed that there has been a shrine here since that time. In 1308, a new shrine was built, but this was destroyed when the Abbey was shut down in 1539. However, pieces from this shrine were used to restore the shrine in 1872 and then again in 1993. This area of the Cathedral offers a wonderful sense of calm and I found myself wondering about all the pilgrims who have made their way to this spot over the centuries to pray here.

Just behind the shrine in the picture above, you can see The Watching Loft. This was constructed about 1400 and it is the only surviving Medieval wooden watching loft in England. Monastic officials would use it to keep an eye on pilgrims visiting the Shrine.

Also in this area is a small memorial chapel for Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. The fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of England, I learned about him through the novels of Jean Plaidy when I was (much!) younger and would love to find a really good factual book about him!

The second shrine of the Cathedral is that of St Amphibalus, the Christian priest that St Alban sheltered from persecution. Like St Alban’s, this shrine was destroyed during the Reformation; however, its pieces were rediscovered in 1872 and in 2020, it was cleaned and restored with new carvings to replace some of its lost stones. Once again, this corner of the Cathedral exudes a great sense of peace, a perfect spot for forgetting all your worries for a little while at least!

By the time I left, the little ones had finished their session, but no one was in any hurry to leave and many people were enjoying the sights of this awe-inspiring space. Despite the fact that it is the only one still standing, and built using Roman bricks, in England, I’m afraid I didn’t explore the 11th century great crossing tower. Something for another day!

Helpful, polite guides were on hand to answer questions and share their enthusiasm for the building and much had been done to make the space as accessible as possible for those with mobility issues. A great place to visit!

St Albans Cathedral,

Sumpter Yard,

St Albans

AL1 1BY

You can read about the Brilliant Bookshop in St Albans, Books on the Hill, here.