The Roman Theatre at St Albans, Hertfordshire, England is an excavated site within the Roman walled city of

Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...

. Although there are other Roman theatres in Britain (for example at

Camulodunum Camulodunum (; la, ), the Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex, was an important castrum and city in Roman Britain, and the first capital of the province. A temporary "strapline" in the 1960s identifying it as the "oldest re ...

), the one at Verulamium is claimed to be the only example of its kind, being a theatre with a stage rather than an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

. The theatre differs from the typical Roman theatre in being built on a site that is only slightly sloping, and in its plan (although there are theatres with similar plans in Northern Gaul). The theatre was built in about 140AD. Urban life continued in Verulamium into the 5th century. However, by that time the theatre had fallen into disuse. It was used as a rubbish dump in the 4th century. It was excavated in the 19th century, and again in the 1930s by

Kathleen Kenyon Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978) was a British archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She led excavations of Tell es-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho, from 1952 to 1958, and has been called ...

Access and use

The theatre is on land belonging to the

Earl of Verulam Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at the same time. Verulam had previously ...

and is regularly opened to the public. It is sometimes used for theatrical performances.

References

{{reflist, 30em 2nd-century establishments in Roman Britain Outdoor theatres Roman St Albans Theatres in Hertfordshire Theatres in Roman Britain Roman sites in Hertfordshire

Access and use

See also

References