St Albans Cathedral
[St Albans Abbey became a cathedral in 1877]
Many books have been published on this subject and a few from the later half of the 20th century are described below.
The Hill of the Martyr
An Architectural History of St Albans Abbey
by Eileen Roberts
The Book Castle, 300 pages, 1993
A detailed account of the history of the building, including information on the individuals involved in the changes.
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Historical Monuments
Saint Albans Cathedral
Royal Commission of Historical Monuments
HMSO, 1952
Booklet, 21 * 17 cm, 28 pages, 12 plates, fold out plan and section
Drawings and Illustrations
King Offa supervising the building of the Abbey (cover)
Shrine of St Alban (frontispiece)
Aerial View of the Cathedral from the South West
The second edition was published in 1982 and contains some minor changes, plus some extra information about the Chapter House |
Interior of Lady Chapel
The Watching Chamber
Abbot Ramryge's Chantry Chapel
The Central Tower, Exterior from the South West
Duke Humphrey's Chantry Chapel
Painted Crucifixion on pier of North Arcade
Lady Chapel, detail of window-splay
Saint Alban's Shrine, detail
Duke Humphrey's Chantry Chapel, detail of frieze
North Side of Nave
Choir Screen
North Arcade of Nave, showing painting
Crossing from the North
Roof of Presbytery
Roof of Nave
Triforium of South Trancept
Triforium of Nave
Plan of Cathedral
Longitudinal Section, after J E Neale, 1878
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Cathedral & City
St Albans ancient and modern
edited by Robert Runcie
Martyn Associates, 150 pages, 1977
This book contains a series of lectures to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Norman Abbey, and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of St Albans.
Verulamium by Sheppard Frere
Alban and the Anglo-Saxon Church by Martin Biddle
St Albans: The Great Abbey, by Christopher Brooke
The Victorian Diocese of St Albans by Owen Chadwick
The Victorian City by Asa Briggs
The Future of the Diocese by Robert Runcie
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St Albans Cathedral
1970 Pitkin Guides 1992
Pitkin produce a series of excellent pictorial guides that are available in most, if not all, of the cathedrals in England. These are updated as needed and the 1970 edition contains mainly black and white photographs while the 1992 edition makes full use of colour.
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by William Page
and the
Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban
by C. R. Peers & William Page
A reprint of the sections in The Victoria History of the County of Hertfordshire (1908) by The Fraternity of the Friends of St Albans Abbey, 1984.
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Chapter House Excavations 1978
by Martin Biddle
The Fraternity of the Friends of St Albans Abbey, 1979
Booklet, 21 * 15 cm, 24 pages, with some pictures and plans
An interesting insight into the Norman and Early Medieval history of this important Hertfordshire religious site.
History of the Abbey
Importance of the chapter house
The nineteenth century
Site of the excavation
Excavation
Damage
First Findings
Dating the Chapter House
Slype
Decoration
Tiles
Burials
Excavations proceed
The Dorter
Robert of the Chamber
Paul of Caen's chapter house
Beneath the chapter house
The Anglo-Saxon Monastery
Discussion
Further Reading
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The Saint William of York
Mural and
The Altar of the Relics
in St Albans Abbey
by Eileen Roberts
Phillimore, 1979
Booklet, 25 * 18 cm, 24 pages, 7 plates, 2 figures
An interesting insight into early medieval religious practice in Hertfordshire
Half hidden in a dark corner of the Saint's Chapel in St Albans Abbey, St Albans, Hertfordshire, is an exquisite Gothic painting in bright hues of pink, gold and blue, quite unlike the other faded murals in the church. An inscription refers to St William of York; who is he and why is he here? What do those strange patches of red paint signify, scattered with roses of gold and green? In a fascinating piece of detective work, the author examines documents, ranging from the sumptuous 'Book of Benefactors' which lay on the High Altar, through the private note-book of an antiquarian monk, and the correspondence of a 19th century Rector. Apparently meaningless holes, iron loops and faults in the walling are pieced together to tell the story of the Altar of the Relics and to give it shape through diagrams, plans and pictures.
St Alban's history as a holy place is unique in Western Europe. The martyrdom of Alban in AD 209 had given rise to a cult of national significance by 429. It has been a place of pilgrimage ever since, and never more than today, when scores of thousands yearly from many countries are drawn to this ancient abbey. Pilgrims then and pilgrims now meet in this reconstruction of one intriguing facet of St Albans Abbey history.
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A Celebration in the hundredth year of the Cathedral City and Diocese of St Albans
1977
Glossy Magazine style, 27.5 * 21 cm, 40 pages, many b/w photographs
This is a combined history and events calendar for the FESTALBAN 77 celebrations - celebrating the fact that St Albans became a cathedral city in 1877.
The diocese covers the old counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire
Contents
Introduction, by Robert St Albans (Robert Runcie, later Archbishop of Canterbury)
The Story of St Albans Abbey, by Eileen Roberts (4 pages with 9 pictures)
St Albans in the Past, by Elsie Toms (5 pages with 11 pictures)
The Foundation of the diocese, by J M Richardson (1 page, 1 picture)
The diocese after the war
The diocese after 1970
Programme of Events (5½ pages)
The city of St Albans (map)
A rose for St Alban
The Diocese and its environs, by Stuart Harrison (3 pages with 12 pictures)
The St Albans organ festival, by Ian Fulton (1 page, 1 picture)
St Albans: the beginning, by D. Gareth Davies (Verulamium - the Roman city - 3 pages with 11 pictures)
Notable churches in Hertfordshire (pictures of the Abbey and churches in Bengeo, Little Hormead, Hemel Hempstead, St Paul's Walden, Ashwell, Ayot St Lawrence, Kings Langley, Hitchin, Stevenage, Flamstead, and Hunsden.)
Notable Churches in Bedfordshire (pictures of Ampthill, Colmworth, Eaton Bray, Elstow, Felmersham, Luton, Shillington, Toddington, Odell, Old Warden, Shelton, and Woburn.)
See Also: Books relating to Religion in Hertfordshire
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See also: St Albans Abbey: Early 20th century Post Cards
Web Site: St Albans Catherdal
There is a web page for St Albans
Page updated December 2005
St Albans Abbey