Name
St Albans takes its name from the first British saint, Alban. The most elaborate version of his story, Bede's '' Ecclesiastical History of the English People'', relates that he lived in Verulamium, sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, when Christians were suffering persecution. Alban met a Christian priest fleeing from his persecutors and sheltered him in his house, where he became so impressed with the priest's piety that he converted to Christianity. When the authorities searched Alban's house, he put on the priest's cloak and presented himself in place of his guest. Consequently, he was sentenced to endure the punishments that were to be inflicted upon the priest, unless he renounced Christianity. Alban refused and was taken for execution. In later legends, his head rolled downhill after execution and a well sprang up where it stopped.History
Iron Age
There was anRoman
The Roman city of Verulamium, the second-largest town in Roman Britain after Londinium, developed from the Iron Age settlement and was granted the rank of ''municipium'' around AD 50, meaning that its citizens had what were known as "Latin Rights", a lesser citizenship status than a '' 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. Excavations preceding the museum's new entrance done in 1996–97 within the centre of the Roman town gave archaeologists the chance to date a black ash layer to 60–65 AD, thus confirming the Roman written record. It grew steadily; by the early 3rd century, it covered an area of about , behind a deep ditch and wall. Verulamium contained a forum,Anglo-Saxon
After the Roman withdrawal the town became the centre of the territory or '' regio'' of the Anglo-Saxon ''Medieval
The medieval town grew on the hill to the east of Wæclingacaester where theModern
Before the 20th century St Albans was a rural market town, a Christian pilgrimage site, and the first coaching stop of the route to and fromGovernance
St Albans has two tiers of local government, at district and county level: St Albans City and District Council and Hertfordshire County Council. The main part of the urban area of St Albans (the pre-1974 borough) is an unparished area, directly administered by St Albans City and District Council.Past
The early administrative history of the town of St Albans is closely tied to St Albans Abbey. The town was effectively controlled by the abbey through thePresent
The borough was abolished on 1 April 1974 and St Albans became part of the new, largerParliamentary representation
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.Geography
Climate
St Albans has an oceanic climate (Neighbourhoods
* Batchwood * Bernards Heath * Chiswell Green * Cell Barnes * Cottonmill * Fleetville * Hill End *Nearby towns and villages
* Other nearby towns: Borehamwood,Transport
Road
The north–south M1 motorway runs west of St Albans and the M25 motorway is slightly further south. The A414 road runs directly south of St Albans betweenRail
Two railway stations serve the city: St Albans City, which is situated east of the city centre, and St Albans Abbey, which is situated approximately south-west of the city station. St Albans City on the Midland Main Line is served by Thameslink services, on a frequent and fast rail link to centralBuses
St Albans is well served by local buses, with links to local villages and major towns run by Arriva, Uno, Red Eagle, Sullivan Buses and several small operators. Buses in Hertfordshire are run under the Intalink PartnershiCulture and media
St Albans has a cultural life, with regular concerts and theatre productions held at venues including Trestle Theatre, Trestle Arts Base, St Albans Abbey, The Horn, The Pioneer Club, Maltings Arts Theatre, theFilming location
The mixed character of St Albans and its proximity to London have made it a popular filming location. The Abbey and Fishpool Street areas were used for the pilot episode of the 1960s ecclesiastical TV comedy '' All Gas and Gaiters''. The area of Romeland, directly north of the Abbey Gateway and the walls of the Abbey and school grounds, can be seen masquerading as part of an Oxford college in some episodes of '' Inspector Morse'' (and several local pubs also appear). Fishpool Street, running from Romeland to St Michael's village, stood in forSport
In December 2007,Cricket
Clarence Park plays host to St Albans Cricket Club. The club currently runs four Saturday sides, playing in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League and also two Sunday sides in the Chess Valley Cricket League. In 2008 the club's 1st XI won the Hertfordshire League Title. In the previous two seasons, the first XI came 5th (2011) and 4th (2012) in division one.Football
The local football team is St Albans City FC: its stadium is on the edge of Clarence Park and the team won promotion from the Conference South League in 2005–06. It played in the Nationwide Conference Division of the Football Conference for the 2006–07 season, but finished at the bottom of the table and was relegated.Gymnastics
St Albans Gymnastics Club, founded in 2005, provides the St Albans area with recreational classes as well as a professionally managed competitive squad.Hockey
St Albans is also home to St Albans Hockey Club, based in Oaklands, St Albans. The club is represented at National league level by both women's and men's teams, as well as other local league competitions. The club's nickname is ''The Tangerines''.Rugby league
St Albans CenturionsRugby union
Skateboarding
St Albans is home to one of the country's oldest indoorLinks with other sports
St Albans is additionally home to a community of traceurs from around Hertfordshire. St Albans was once home to the then most prestigiousEducation
St Albans has many state primary and secondary schools, and a number of independent schools. The law school of the University of Hertfordshire used to be based in Hatfield Road in St Albans until it moved to the university's De Havilland campus in Hatfield in 2011. Hertfordshire County Council purchased the site. The interior of the former law school building has since been refurbished and now forms part of Alban City School, a state-funded Free School for primary aged children, which started taking reception class children in September 2012. A campus of Oaklands College, a further education college, is also located in Smallford in St Albans.International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
* Odense, Syddanmark, Denmark *Notable people
See also
* Kingsbury Watermill Museum *References
External links
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