st albans cathedral

St Albans is a great market city right in the heart of Hertfordshire, there market is on each and every Wednesday and Saturday. The cathedral is a short walk from the centre passing some very nice shops and eating places. The cathedral is free to enter and its just so lovely inside the windows the ceilings the alter every thing in this cathedral is just magnificent. They also have a great little eating place very good drinks and food plus a great shop to and not over priced.

The Abbey is a great place to visit. It's not far from the city centre and it is timeless. Sitting inside is a very peaceful experience, particularly if you've just walked around the market! Even if you haven't and you just want to go somewhere quiet and reflect, the abbey is a place of calm. There is a really nice restaurant attached to the building. The grounds are lovely. I will go back here again and again.

This review is specific to the Abbey by Night Tours, perfomed during the autumn/winter months.These tours occur approx. once a month, two sessions by evenings, and are very popular due to their excellent execution. It lasts one hour.They start with a welcone drink, which is always appreciated.The group goes out to enjoy the view of the cathedral south side with illuminations, and re-enter the cathedral by the main entrance.Once inside, you have a spectacular and rare view of the nave lit only by candles (actually the other parts of the church are also lit by candles).Add frankincense smell and Benedictine Monk's music and you are transported a few centuries back.People personifying Abbots will present the Abbey and some selected features like:-the wall painting, dating from the 12th century-life of two ladies from the 3rd crusade times (French people beware, you will hear Philippe Augustus was not a brave warrior, the same who trounced the Germano-British at Bouvines later on)-life of the Benedictine monks-Life of Christina of Markyate and finally,-what the pilgrims were doing at the Shrine.The tour ends at this last step.

After a pleasant luncheon at 'The Abbot's Kitchen' in the modern Chapter House, our group of Royal Academy Friends were given an outstandingly good 90 minute tour of this huge, astonishing building by our excellent guide Joan Freeman.The original abbey was reputedly founded on the site of the martyrdom of the eponymous saint and although almost all the abbey buildings disappeared after the Reformation, what is now both the cathedral and the parish church remained.It became a cathedral only in 1877 when the new diocese of St. Albans was created and the former town received its Royal Charter.There is far too much wonderment here for me to be able to even begin to describe it.The heart of the cathedral is the shrine of St. Alban but it has been extensively restored twice and probably very little is original. Nearby is a vault with the coffin of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester who was a brother of Henry V and fought at Agincourt before, among other things, founding Greenwich Palace (the birthplace of Henry VIII and his daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I).There is so much here of ecclesiastical, architectural and artistic importance that any lover of these things could spend a whole day here. Surprisingly there is no admission charge but it would be quite wrong to not contribute generously.Highly recommended to anyone, and 'The Abbot's Kitchen' serves good luncheons and teas.Very good wheelchair access with many ramps.

A fascinating large cathedral with a long history and a must to visit in St Albans. The stained glass windows and the paintings around the walls are lovely and so pleasing they have survived. Visited when there was a service on and this is obviously a local church for the population, which was lovely. The history is interesting, joining up the life and times of St Albans since Roman Times. Accessible for wheelchair users as has ramps throughout

A very interesting place to visit. Could just have done with a little more info being available about it. I felt that I only learned a small fraction of its potential.

All the basics you'd expect from a big Church, with a Cafe thrown in. Plenty of little shrines and stained glass windows to look at, good place to visit.

A cathedral which does not charge you to visit. Great news, I probably paid them more as a contribution then if they had a fixed charge to go into.Great things on display, with the clock being the highlight for me.The cafe is particularly good value. Nice food and nice people serving there. Well worth a visit.

St Albans's biggest attraction, lives up to its reputation! A homage to centuries of history - a summary of the city's rich past.

Unique atmosphere and beauty inside and out the Cathedral which has a mixture of architectural styles that bear witness to the many centuries of its life. In the past it used to be a monastic Abbey. It is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. The first martyr was buried here after giving his life for his faith over 1700 years ago.

What a fantastic and inspiring building we would suggest anyone who is in the area to visit steeped in history, with some unique and historic artefacts a place for all to come and admire and learn. enjoy !!!!!

Historic St Albans has many points of interest for visitors to enjoy, taking you literally from Roman times to the Ryder Cup via the English Civil War. Of all the sights, St Albans Cathedral is the finest. It is known affectionately to locals as "The Abbey", because of its ancient monastic background, and also because of the peace and warmth of the welcome you feel there. The friendly, well-informed guides will happily tell you about the diverse architecture on view, and the foundation of the abbey on the site of the martyrdom of Alban, Britain's first Christian martyr, whose shrine you can visit. All this and, unlike other major Cathedrals, no entry fee! There is also a good book and gift shop, and a refectory serving fresh food, snacks and drinks.

Wow I was not expecting to find this large and beautiful of a church in St Albans. It is rather massive! Walking up to the cathedral you feel like you are going back in time and feel like you are in a completely secluded area. Inside there are amazing stain glass windows, sculptures and a very intricate ceiling. Make sure you look up...way up! If you can take advantage of one of the free tours they give. There is so much history there.

I visited today and it's an amazing cathedral with so many different areas - you can really see how it's grown and evolved. I thought the wood ceiling was really different from so many other cathedrals and great to see a place that honors the first English martyr. We were lucky as a choir was warming up for even song that afternoon and the acoustics were fantastic and a gorgeous backdrop for our visit.

Although living local to St Albans, I have never actually visited the Cathedral. Now I understand why so many people come to see this wonderful place of worship. With its various "zones", fantastic stonework and spectacular ceilings, this really is a place to visit. On top of that there is a coffee shop in which to relax with a light meal of just a cup of tea. I really do need to visit this more often.