A great place to live and to visit (St Albans in General)

Member Name: dee778

Product:	St Albans in General
Date:	11/06/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to see, many fantastic places to eat and drink

Disadvantages: Poor shopping centre

I have lived in St Albans for 20 years. At the moment it remains a lovely Cathedral city, surrounded by green belt countryside, but it is under considerable threat from developers and has lost many amenities in recent years.

St Albans is built on the site of Roman Verulamium, and a nice quirk is that the remains of the city are said to exist under Verulamium Park- untouched and undiscovered. Many Roman remains can still be seen around the city, including the Roman Theatre, the Roman Wall and the Roman Hypocaust (located in a controversial modern white building in the middle of Verulamium Park and often mistaken for public toilets). The Roman Museum is also located in the park and houses one of the largest and most complete Roman Mosaics in the country - the Shell Mosaic, AD 150.
The museum is open every day of the week (but only from 2pm on Sundays). The costs are:
Adults - £3.50 , Children, Senior Citizens & Concessions - £2.00, Family (2 adults + 2 children) - £9.00.The Roman museum is very good for young families, with hands-on Roman coin handling, interactive videos, Roman bodies in coffins, and exciting re-creations of Roman life.

In addition there is an excellent Museum in the centre of town. The Museum of St Albans charts the history of the city and has free entry, although visits must be booked in advance.

St Albans Cathedral is another tourist attraction - beautifully situated in Verulamium park, it is of average interest and boast the longest nave in England as well as the remains of the first Christian Martyr (St Alban).
It may be more fun to climb up the famous Clock Tower in the market place. Built around 1400, entry is 80p for adults and 40p for children and open Sat, Sun and Bank holidays. The view from the top is great, and sometimes they let children ring the bell at the top to traditionally open the market.

St Albans is full of cafes, restaurants and fantastic old pubs. Visit the small roads around the cathedral for lovely pubs. The shopping centre has deteriorated in recent years, the hospital has disappeared as has the cinema, and the swimming pool is becoming more and more derelict. On the M1 and M25 and only a 20 minute train journey from London many people commute to work.

Having said this, St Albans is still a very popular although expensive place to live.

Summary: If you haven't been here, give it a try!