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95-473: In the nineteenth century, the company established a division selling printing equipment. This section of the company continues to operate as of 2021, and is now branded Caslon Ltd. and based in St. Albans . The type foundry section of the company was bought by Stephenson Blake in 1937. From 1793 to 1819 a separate Caslon foundry was operated by William Caslon III and then his son William Caslon IV, who split off from

190-501: A Pope ( Adrian IV ). Now a public school it has, since 1871, occupied a site to the west of the Abbey and includes the 14th-century Abbey Gateway . One of its buildings was a hat factory, a link with the city's industrial past. On Abbey Mill Lane, the road between the Abbey and the school, are the palaces of the Bishops of St Albans and Hertford and Ye Olde Fighting Cocks , claimed to be

285-490: A forum , basilica and a theatre , much of which were damaged during two fires, one in 155 and the other in around 250. These were repaired and continued in use in the 4th century. The theatre was disused by the end of the 4th century. One of the few extant Roman inscriptions in Britain is found on the remnants of the forum (see Verulamium Forum inscription ). The town was rebuilt in stone rather than timber at least twice over

380-421: A new sans-serif typeface , the first ever, which was branded as "Egyptian". In 1819, Caslon sold the foundry and it was bought by Blake, Garnett & Co., which became Stephenson Blake of Sheffield . Both Elizabeth Caslon (now Elizabeth Strong, since her remarriage) and Nathaniel Catherwood died in 1809, and the business was taken over by her son Henry Caslon and Catherwood's brother, John Hames Catherwood. In

475-508: A Gucci advert featuring Harry Styles was filmed at a Fish and Chips shop in Fleetville, St Albans. It has also been used in the setting for the fictional town Waltringham , in the TV show Humans . In early 2022 Verulamium Park was used as a filming location for Wonka starring Timothée Chalamet . In December 2007, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of St Albans were

570-811: A community radio station. Local newspaper in the town is the St Albans Observer. 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 for Hastings in some episodes of Foyle's War . Life Begins

665-553: A hundred years earlier". Stanley Morison described Caslon's type as "a happy archaism". His other types were also close copies of earlier designs: his blackletter types on textura designs, originally French and long standard in British printing, his Greek types on the sixteenth century Grecs du roi model and his Armenian type on types cut in the Netherlands by Miklós Kis . Caslon trained his son William Caslon II (1720–1778) to also be

760-546: A manual of how type was made. However, London was seemingly not a hub of skill in typefounding and many of the types available in London were of poor quality. In the second half of the seventeenth century the Dutch Republic was one of the largest centres of printing expertise, and both Oxford University Press in 1670–2 and the London typefounder John James in 1710 imported matrices from it. William Caslon (1692 – 23 January 1766)

855-773: A new civic centre in 1989 adjoining the 1960s City Hall complex, which became known instead as the Alban Arena. St Albans is part of the homonymous 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. St Albans has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) similar to most of

950-483: A period of stagnation, with "little augmentation" to its stock of punches. Hansard wrote in Typographia , his 1825 textbook on printing: It will not appear extraordinary that a property so divided and under the management of two ladies, though both superior and indeed extraordinary women, should be unable to maintain its ground triumphantly against the active competition which had for some time existed against it. In fact,

1045-417: A privately printed autobiography: Feeling, naturally, regret that the honoured and historical name of "Caslon" should die out...my sons, at my request and recommendation, took the necessary legal steps to add the prefix Caslon to their own, and are now known as Caslon-Smiths. For myself I retain my own name and still subscribe myself Thos. W. Smith. The Caslon-Smith family (now named Caslon) continued to own

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1140-564: A punch he had made to William Caslon II, Caslon II hit him and threatened him with gaol. Jackson had in fact secretly drilled a hole through a wall to observe Caslon I teaching his son how to cut punches. Nichols wrote that after a dispute over the price of labour, Caslon II dismissed Cottrell and Jackson on suspicion of organising a deputation of workmen appealing to his retired father. They later set up as type founders themselves, first jointly before Jackson established his own foundry. According to Edward Rowe Mores , Caslon's brother Samuel worked at

1235-426: A punchcutter. He was cutting his own types at the latest by 1738 and by 1746 the firm was styled as "W. Caslon & Son". William Caslon I retired from the business in 1758 and moved out of the city to Bethnal Green . The firm's labour history was not always harmonious. The firm had two apprentices, Thomas Cottrell and Joseph Jackson . According to Jackson's later client and friend John Nichols , when Jackson showed

1330-454: A strike. A later article wrote that "during one of these disagreements...Caslon was so apprehensive of personal violence that, to avoid a bombardment of rotten eggs and other objectionable missiles, he took the prudent course of leaving the foundry by a window which opened on to the parade ground at the rear of the premises ." On 14 July 1874, Henry William Caslon died at home in Medmenham ; he

1425-407: A traditional style. However, in 1846 the foundry was put up for auction because of Henry Caslon's declining health. The sale catalogue offered "to capitalists...a most valuable property for investment...containing the original works of its founder, William Caslon, which have been recently much in request for reprints, also a most extensive modern foundry". The sale did not reach the reserve price and

1520-654: Is The Tangerines . St Albans Centurions Rugby league Club have their ground at Toulmin Drive, St Albans. They play in the London Premier League. In 2007 and again in 2010 'The Cents', as they are known, won 'the triple' – topping the league, and becoming the Regional and National Champions of the Rugby League Conference Premier Divisions. Old Albanian RFC is a rugby union club that plays at

1615-418: Is also home to Trestle Theatre Company, who have been creating professional, physical storytelling theatre since 1981. Originally known for their work with masks, Trestle collaborates with UK and international artists to unify movement, music and text into a theatrical experience. The Sandpit Theatre is a theatre attached to Sandringham School which hosts plays throughout the year, mainly performances put on by

1710-647: Is home to one of the country's oldest indoor skateparks , the Pioneer Skatepark in Heathlands Drive, next to the former fire station. Its ramps are available to all skateboarders and inliners . A new outside mini ramp was built in March 2005. A second outdoor mini ramp was opened at Easter 2009. Joseph Jackson (typefounder) Joseph Jackson (1733 – 14 January 1792) was a British engraver and typefounder who cut, cast and sold metal type. His foundry

1805-469: Is really new", with only two new typefaces compared to 1766, a script and an extra size of Syriac, although new flowers had been added. It attacked imitators of the Caslon foundry's types, writing that "the acknowledged excellence of this foundry...has excited the jealousy of the envious". William Caslon III decided to leave the family business in 1792, buying up the foundry of Joseph Jackson (see below). In 1793,

1900-476: Is the name now given to designs based on his work. Caslon's premises as a gun engraver were based in Vine Street, Minories . He later moved to Helmet Row, then Ironmonger Row from 1727 to 1736, and in 1737 had moved to Chiswell Street, where it would remain for the next two hundred years. The foundry was successful by 1730 and issued a first specimen around that time. Its first dated specimen appeared in 1734 and

1995-575: Is uncertain. 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

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2090-580: The Catuvellauni from about 20 BC until shortly after the Roman invasion of AD 43. The name "Verlamion" is Celtic, meaning "settlement over or by the marsh". The town was on Prae Hill, 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west of modern St Albans, now covered by the village of St Michael's, Verulamium Park and the Gorhambury Estate. Although excavations done in 1996 produced finds which include silver coins from

2185-463: The Cheltenham typeface from American Type Founders and issuing a specimen designed by the leading printer George W. Jones . The old house that had been the foundry's base for over 170 years was demolished in 1910 and replaced by modern premises. During the 1920s and 1930s it manufactured several types designed by Eric Gill for fine presses . The Caslon foundry ceased trading at the end of 1936 and

2280-525: 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 125 acres (51 ha), behind a deep ditch and wall. Verulamium contained

2375-697: The 10th most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 30.8% of the population participate at least 3 times a week for 90 minutes. 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

2470-429: The 20th century St Albans was a rural market town , a Christian pilgrimage site, and the first coaching stop of the route to and from London , accounting for its numerous old inns. Victorian St Albans was small and had little industry. Its population grew more slowly than London, 8–9% per decade between 1801 and 1861, compared to the 31% per decade growth of London in the same period. The railway arrived in 1858. In 1869

2565-405: 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

2660-680: The Bessemer foundry, and the company foreman Martin William Livermore became a partner. In 1841, the Caslon foundry issued a specimen book showing its large range of typefaces, including fat face , slab-serif and sans-serif display typefaces, besides its range of text faces. Example pages are shown below: In the mid-1840s, the Chiswick Press began using the original Caslon types again for book printing, and they gradually returned to popularity with fine book printers for high-class printing in

2755-484: The Caslon type foundry for the rest of its existence, and as of 2021 continue to own Caslon Ltd. In the late nineteenth century, the foundry's historic materials and building remained largely intact, retaining an eighteenth-century sales ledger and a letter from the eccentric Philip Thicknesse , a Caslon family friend. However, the foundry switched from casting some of Caslon's original types, now branded as Caslon Old Face, with facsimiles that could be cast by machine. By

2850-773: The Grover type foundry in 1728 with John James of the James Foundry, although ultimately he did not buy it, and he did buy part of the foundry of Robert Mitchell in 1739. Some older types were sold by the foundry, including a display typeface cut by Moxon. By the end of Caslon's life his types were quite conservative in design, although very popular. They therefore did not follow the more delicate, stylised and experimental "transitional" styles gaining ground in Europe taking inspiration from calligraphy and copperplate engraving. Alfred F. Johnson notes that his 1764 specimen "might have been produced

2945-771: The Intalink Partnership [1] St Albans has a cultural life, with regular concerts and theatre productions held at venues including Trestle Arts Base , St Albans Abbey, The Horn, The Pioneer Club, Maltings Arts Theatre, the Alban Arena , the Abbey Theatre, St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church, given by organisations including St Albans Bach Choir, St Albans Cathedral Choir , St Albans Cathedral Girls' Choir, St Albans Symphony Orchestra, St Albans Chamber Choir, St Albans Chamber Opera, The Company of Ten, St Albans Choral Society, and St Albans Organ Theatre. St Albans

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3040-451: The Jackson foundry and sold his shares in the family business. He moved the foundry to Finsbury Square . Caslon apparently became bankrupt on January 5, 1793, but later rebuilt the business, moving it back to Salisbury Square. (Jackson's apprentice Vincent Figgins , who had hoped to take the foundry over, received support to set his own foundry up from his old client John Nichols.) He apparently

3135-542: The James foundry, which through purchasing the Grover and other foundries took over almost all the other London foundries which preceded Caslon, but gradually declined; on John James' death in 1772 it was purchased by the antiquarian and insurance pioneer Edward Rowe Mores for historical value. Alexander Wilson set up a Scottish type foundry in the 1740s and the low cost of labour in Scotland allowed it to undercut London prices. By

3230-792: The Old Albanian sports complex. They play in National League 1 the third tier of the English rugby union system . Saracens A team and OA Saints Women's Rugby team also play here. This complex hosts the offices of the Premiership Rugby club Saracens (and have recently moved their home ground to Barnet ). St Albans RFC play at Boggymead Spring in Smallford. Verulamians RFC (formerly Old Verulamians) play at Cotlandswick in London Colney . St Albans

3325-486: The Roman Republic era dating from 90/80 BC. There was evidence of trade with the republic and that a settlement already existed on the site 50 years before Julius Caesar attempted to invade Britain. However, it is believed that the tribal capital was moved to the site by Tasciovanus (around 25 to 5 BC). Cunobelinus may have constructed Beech Bottom Dyke , a defensive earthwork near the settlement whose significance

3420-852: The St Bride Library, while Stephenson Blake's materials passed to the Type Archive collection when it ceased to cast metal type. The printing equipment division and the French branch of the company became separate companies after the takeover. Materials of the Paris branch of the company, the Fonderie Caslon, are now held by the Musée de l'imprimerie , Nantes , while as of 2022 the printing equipment division, Caslon Ltd., continues in business, now based in St. Albans. Besides

3515-773: The United Kingdom. St Albans is north-east of the intersection between the M1 and M25 motorways. On the M1, its northern, central and southern junctions are 9, 7 and 6, respectively; on the M25, its western and eastern junctions are 21A and 22 respectively. Notable A-roads serving the city include: Two railway stations serve the city: St Albans is well served by local buses, with frequent services to local villages and major towns including Watford, Harpenden and Luton. Routes are operated predominantly run by Arriva Herts & Essex , Uno , Red Eagle and Sullivan Buses . Buses in Hertfordshire are run under

3610-408: The abbey's powers in the town. Following the dissolution of the abbey in 1539, the rights previously held by it passed to the crown. On 12 May 1553 the town was granted a charter by Edward VI , incorporating it as a borough with a mayor. The borough consisted of the ancient parish of St Albans (also known as the Abbey parish) and parts of the parishes of St Michael and St Peter . The borough

3705-428: The acquisitions of types from Wilson led to expansion in the foundry's stock; Johnson notes that "very few types are the same" in the 1857 specimen as in 1841. Henry William Caslon was not successful as an owner of the company; its manager Thomas White Smith later wrote that Caslon was a man "of generous impulse, but of little wisdom in business matters" and losses led to an attempt to cut the wages of workers, leading to

3800-553: The area that was St Albans Borough prior to 1974 is an unparished area. Within this area, (the Ashley, Batchwood, Clarence, Cunningham, Marshalswick South, St Peters, Sopwell and Verulam wards) a City Neighbourhood Committee of the district council was set up in June 2013 with comparable responsibilities to parish councils for small parks, playgrounds, open spaces, war memorials, allotments and public conveniences. The City and District Council built

3895-428: The arrangements of the foundry; so that when the entire care devolved upon her, she manifested powers of mind beyond expectation from a female not then in very early life. In a few years her son, the present Mr. William Caslon, became an active co-partner with his mother, but a misunderstanding between them caused a secession, and they separated their concerns...the urbanity of her manners, and her diligence and activity in

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3990-616: The associated Anglo-Saxon settlement were founded on the hill outside the Roman city where it was believed St Alban was buried. An archaeological excavation in 1978, directed by Martin Biddle , failed to find Roman remains on the site of the medieval chapter house . As late as the eighth century the Saxon inhabitants of St Albans nearby were aware of their ancient neighbour, which they knew alternatively as Verulamacæstir or, under what H. R. Loyn terms "their own hybrid", Vaeclingscæstir, "the fortress of

4085-404: The borough became the new parishes of St Michael Urban, St Peter Urban and Sandridge Urban. The part of St Stephen within the borough was absorbed by the parish of St Albans. The parishes that were formed outside the borough, that is St Michael Rural , St Peter Rural , Sandridge Rural and the reduced St Stephen, became part of St Albans Rural District on 28 December 1894. St Albans Town Hall

4180-571: The church and subsequently promoted the cult of St Alban. A few traces of the Roman city remain visible, such as parts of the city walls , a hypocaust – still in situ under a mosaic floor, and the theatre, which is on land belonging to the Earl of Verulam , as well as items in the museum. Further remains beneath nearby agricultural land have only had a few exploratory trenches, which have never been fully excavated and were seriously threatened by deep ploughing , which ceased in 2005 after compensation

4275-491: The completion of it." James Mosley describes the Fry Foundry imitation of the Caslon types as "a very close copy that is not easy to tell from the original." Since William Caslon II died intestate in 1778, ownership of the foundry was divided between his widow, Elizabeth (née Cartlitch) , (1730–1795) and their two sons: William Caslon III (1754–1833), and his younger brother Henry until his death in 1788. Henry Caslon's widow

4370-416: The conduct of so extensive a concern, attached to her interest all who had dealings with her, and the steadiness of her friendship rendered her death highly lamented by all who had the happiness of being in the extensive circle of her acquaintance. The London printer Thomas Curson Hansard saw the fifteen years of the foundry's history after William Caslon II died in 1778 (the period of Hansard's childhood) as

4465-633: The encouraging approbation of the Printers, whose offices generally, throughout the kingdom, were stored from the London and Glasgow Founderies with types of the form introduced by the celebrated William Caslon...By the recommendation, therefore, of several of the most respectable printers of the Metropolis, Doctor Fry, the proprietor, commenced his imitation of the Chiswell Street Foundery...at vast expense, and with very satisfactory encouragement, during

4560-439: The exertions required in conducting so extensive a concern, she resolved, after the purchase of the foundry, to take as an active partner Mr. Nathaniel Catherwood, who by his energy and knowledge of business fully equalled her expectations. Much of Drury's work survives intact in the collection of St Bride Library . From 1807 the foundry was paid to cast a new " Porson typeface " for Greek for Cambridge University Press based on

4655-481: The extension of the city boundaries was opposed by the Earl of Verulam and many of the townsfolk, but there was rapid expansion and much building at the end of the century, and between 1891 and 1901 the population grew by 37%. In 1877, in response to a public petition, Queen Victoria issued the second royal charter, which granted city status to the borough and Cathedral status to the former Abbey Church. The new diocese

4750-409: The fame of the first William Caslon was peculiarly disadvantageous to Mrs. Caslon, as she never could be persuaded that any attempt to rival him could possibly be successful. The foundry issued a new specimen book in 1785 and separate specimen of its large capitals, showcasing a range of complex printers' flowers and interlocking designs. James Mosley felt that the specimen of 1785 contained "little that

4845-428: The family business. This was also bought by a predecessor company of Stephenson Blake. Metal type was traditionally made by punchcutting , carefully cutting punches in steel used to stamp matrices , the moulds used to cast metal type. Type foundries operated in London from the early days of printing. Some punchcutters worked in London in the seventeenth century, including Arthur Nicholls and Joseph Moxon , who wrote

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4940-568: The first floor were connected by a flight of spiral stairs. Another flight rises the whole height of the tower by 93 narrow steps and gave access to the living chamber, the clock and the bell without disturbing the tenant of the shop. Two battles of the Wars of the Roses took place in or near the town. The First Battle of St Albans was fought on 22 May 1455 within the town, and the Second Battle of St Albans

5035-460: The followers of Wæcla", possibly a pocket of British-speakers remaining separate in an increasingly Saxonised area. The medieval town grew on the hill to the east of Wæclingacaester where the Benedictine Abbey of St Albans was founded by Ulsinus in 793. There is some evidence that the original site was higher up the hill than the present building, which was begun in 1077. St Albans Abbey

5130-492: The foundry continued under the ownership of the Caslon family. The sale catalogue which survives is however historically notable, as it lists the punchcutters of each of the foundry's more modern types from about 1795. On Henry Caslon's death in 1850, the foundry was taken over by his son, Henry William Caslon. In the same year, the Caslon foundry bought up the London branch of the Wilson foundry. Yet again, changing tastes and probably

5225-471: The foundry for a time as a mould maker before quitting following a dispute and moving back to Birmingham to work for another type founder, Anderton. William Caslon II continued the business with success until his death in 1778. In c. 1774 – 1778, he introduced some very large poster-size types, likely intended for stagecoach services. The firm's competitors evolved over its existence. At the start of its existence, its main competitors were in London, especially

5320-431: The foundry was commissioned to make Rusher's Patent Type , an attempt to create a new paper-saving typeface with no descenders . The type did not become popular. William Caslon III decided to move out of the family business. William Caslon I's apprentice Joseph Jackson had established a successful foundry at Dorset Street, Salisbury Square , near Fleet Street . When he died childless in 1792, William Caslon III bought up

5415-491: The handwriting of classicist Richard Porson , which had been cut by punchcutter Richard Austin . The design became successful and was widely imitated. The foundry seemingly had no input into the design of the punches (it did strike the matrices) and the Porson types were apparently exclusive to Cambridge, but the Caslon foundry later issued types from its own punchcutters in similar design (see below). Less successfully, around 1802–4,

5510-652: The important Roman Town; and, the St Albans Museum + Gallery , located in the old St Albans Town Hall , which focuses on the history of the town and of Saint Alban. Because of its proximity to London, television signals are received from the Crystal Palace TV transmitter, placing St Albans in the BBC London and ITV London areas. The local radio stations are served by BBC Three Counties Radio on 92.1 FM, Heart Hertfordshire on 96.6 FM and Mix 92.6 on 92.6FM,

5605-654: The inclusion of a specimen of its types in Chambers' Encyclopaedia made it well-known. By 1763 its stock had expanded to be shown in book form. Caslon's type designs were based closely on the seventeenth-century Dutch types popular in London at the time, cut by punchcutters including Nicolaes Briot and the Voskens family. In James Mosley 's view, they were intended as "unobtrusive substitutes" for specific types his clients already used, and closely resembled them. Besides this, some types he sold came from other founders. He jointly valued

5700-565: The late nineteenth century it was clear that for large-run printing of body text the future was hot metal typesetting , which cast fresh new type for each printing job, and in the case of the Linotype machine cast each line in rigid blocks. In 1897 James Figgins of the Figgins foundry commented "the Lino is ruining us entirely". The Caslon foundry continued to be prosperous for some more decades, licensing

5795-444: The major type founders in London formed a society or association, with the goal of functioning as a cartel for price fixing . Both Elizabeth Caslons attended for the Caslon foundry. William Caslon, now running his own foundry, also joined for his company. Elizabeth Caslon, the wife of William Caslon II, died in 1795. According to Hansard "the foundry was put up for auction in March 1799 and was bought by Mrs. Henry Caslon for £520. Such

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5890-626: The many digitisations of William Caslon I's original types , several digital fonts based on the Caslon Foundry's later types have been published. St. Albans The Clock Tower , St Albans ( / s ən t ˈ ɔː l b ən z / ) is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire , England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield , 20 miles (32 km) north-west of London , 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Welwyn Garden City and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Luton . St Albans

5985-456: The next 150 years. Roman occupation ended between 400 and 450 AD. The body of St Alban was probably buried outside the city walls in a Roman cemetery near the present cathedral . His hillside grave became a place of pilgrimage. Recent investigation has uncovered a basilica there, indicating the oldest continuous site of Christian worship in Great Britain. In 429 Germanus of Auxerre visited

6080-650: The oldest pub in England. Between 1403 and 1412 Thomas Wolvey was engaged to build a clock tower in the Market Place. It is the only extant medieval town belfry in England. The original bell, named for the Archangel Gabriel sounds F-natural and weighs one ton. Gabriel sounded at 4 am for the Angelus and at 8 or 9 pm for the curfew. The ground floor of the tower was a shop until the 20th century. The first- and second-floor rooms were designed as living chambers. The shop and

6175-442: The population of the enlarged borough was 25,593, growing to 28,624 in 1931. It expanded again in 1935 as part of a county review order gaining more of St Michael Rural (890 acres), St Peter Rural (436 acres) and St Stephen (712 acres). The population of the borough was 44,098 in 1951 and 50,293 in 1961. The borough was abolished on 1 April 1974 and St Albans became part of the new, larger St Albans City and District . City status

6270-401: The previous two seasons, the first XI came 5th (2011) and 4th (2012) in division one. 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

6365-400: 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. There was an Iron Age settlement known as, Verlamion , or Verlamio, near the site of the present city, the centre of Tasciovanus ' power and a major centre of

6460-462: The pupils of Sandringham School. The school also hosts Best Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school for children aged 4 to 16. Furthermore, St Albans is home to many music acts such as Enter Shikari , Friendly Fires , Maximum Love , The Zombies , Trash Boat and Your Demise . The Odyssey Cinema (formerly the Odeon) on London Road is an independent, arthouse cinema that was restored and re-opened in 2014. Originally opened in 1931, it stands on

6555-434: The sale of his types, she resolved to have new fonts cut. She commenced the work of renovation with a new canon, double pica, and pica, having the good fortune to secure the services of John Isaac Drury, a very able engraver, since deceased. The Pica, an improvement on the style of Bodoni , was particularly admired, and had a most extensive sale. Finding herself, however, from the impaired state of her health...unable to sustain

6650-430: The same style. Despite this, the Caslon style continued to be popular with printers. The Fry foundry of Bristol first entered the market in 1764 with copies of Baskerville's types, but finding them not commercially successful, proceeded to then produce copies of Caslon's, to the outrage of the Caslon family. The anonymous introduction to a 1787 Fry foundry specimen frankly admitted "The plan on which they first sat out,

6745-402: The site of the Alpha Picture House, Hertfordshire's first cinema, which was opened in 1908 by film-making pioneer Arthur Melbourne-Cooper . The Watercress nature reserve is by the River Ver and is run by the Watercress Wildlife Association. St Albans Museums runs two museums: Verulamium Museum , which tells the story of everyday life in Roman Britain using objects from the excavations of

6840-496: The time of William Caslon I's death, and certainly by the death of William Caslon II, aesthetic tastes were on the verge of changing. John Baskerville 's 1757 edition of Virgil, printed in new types taking inspiration from calligraphy, attracted considerable attention. Baskerville's types were proprietary to him and only used by him and some printers he was connected with in Birmingham, but other founders rapidly began to create types in

6935-466: The title sequence of the TV series Porridge , starring Ronnie Barker . The 2001 film Birthday Girl starring Ben Chaplin and Nicole Kidman was also partly filmed in St Albans. More recently, several scenes from the film Incendiary , starring Michelle Williams , Ewan McGregor and Matthew Macfadyen , were filmed in St Albans, focusing in particular on the Abbey and the Abbey Gateway. In 2018,

7030-414: The types of William Caslon I which were going out of fashion. According to Hansard: The management of the foundry devolved on Mrs. Henry Caslon, who, possessing an excellent understanding, and being seconded by servants of zeal and ability, was enabled, though suffering severely under ill health, in a great measure to retrieve its credit. Finding the renown of William Caslon no longer efficacious in securing

7125-453: The urban area of St Albans (the pre-1974 borough) is an unparished area , directly administered by the city/district and county councils. 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 the Middle Ages , but there were frequent disputes between the abbot and townspeople about the extent of

7220-418: The view of James Mosley, they renewed the foundry's material "completely, making the firm a credible competitor in the sale of modern-face text types and the big new commercial letters which had been developed during the first two decades of the century." During the early nineteenth century, the foundry employed as punchcutter Anthony Bessemer , the father of the industrialist Sir Henry Bessemer . Henry Caslon

7315-462: Was Elizabeth, née Rowe. An obituary of William Caslon II's widow Elizabeth Caslon in the Freemason's Magazine of March 1796 felt that: An arduous task now devolved on Mrs. Elizabeth Caslon...the entire management of a very large concern did not, however, come with that weight which it would have borne upon one unaccustomed to the habits of business. Mrs Caslon...had for many years habituated herself to

7410-468: Was Henry Bessemer's godfather and namesake. Bessemer later set up his own foundry. In 1821, a Caslon & Catherwood specimen introduced a reverse-contrast typeface design, the first known, which it named 'Italian'. It had also issued new Greek typefaces by 1821 influenced by the Porson style; in Bowman's view they are "largely Porsonic, but never entirely so". Catherwood left the firm in 1821 and later joined

7505-493: Was able to take matrices for non-Latin and textura types from his family foundry on leaving the business, and these appear in his specimens. In 1807 William Caslon III's son, William Caslon IV took over the business. In 1810 he introduced a new kind of matrix, which he called Sans-pareil. These were made by cutting out the letter form in sheet metal and riveting it to a backing plate. This allowed very large letters to be cast more easily. Some time before 1816, Caslon IV introduced

7600-494: Was agreed. Test trenches in 2003 confirmed that serious damage had occurred to buildings on the northern side of Old Watling Street by deep ploughing. Permission needs to be granted to enable the full extent of the damage to the western half of Verulamium to be investigated. After the Roman withdrawal the town became the centre of the territory or regio of the Anglo-Saxon Waeclingas tribe. St Albans Abbey and

7695-599: Was an engraver who had come to London from Cradley , Worcestershire . He began a career in London with work like cutting the royal coat of arms into government firearms and tooling for bookbinders. The quality of his work came to the attention of printers, who engaged him to cut first Arabic and then roman type . Specimens of the Caslon foundry published under the management of William Caslon II but in William Caslon I's lifetime wrote that he established his type foundry in 1720. His first roman type appeared around 1725; Caslon

7790-483: Was an improvement of the Types of the late Mr Baskerville of Birmingham...but the shape of Mr. Caslon's Type has since been copied by them with such accuracy as not to be distinguished from those of that celebrated Founder." Decades later, Dr. Edmund Fry , the foundry's last owner, commented that the foundry began operations "about the year 1764, commencing with improved imitations of Baskerville's fonts...but they did not meet

7885-514: Was based at Salisbury Square in London . He employed Vincent Figgins as an apprentice. He was in poor health towards the end of his life, but left a considerable fortune. He was also deacon of the Church of Christ, Barbican. He married first Elizabeth (d. 1783) and then Mary (d. 14 Sept 1792). As he was childless, on his death, his estate mostly left to his fourteen nephews and nieces and his type foundry

7980-617: Was built between 1829 and 1831 and served as the council's meeting place until the 1960s, when the council moved to new premises at the City Hall and adjoining buildings. In 1898 the parish of St Albans absorbed St Michael Urban, St Peter Urban and Sandridge Urban so the parish and borough occupied the same area. In 1901 the population of the borough was 16,019, growing to 18,133 in 1911. St Albans expanded in 1913 by gaining parts of Sandridge Rural (241 acres), St Michael Rural (138 acres), St Peter Rural (992 acres) and St Stephen (335 acres). In 1921

8075-509: Was established in the same year, in the main from parts of the large Diocese of Rochester . In the inter-war years it became a centre for the electronics industry. In the post- World War II years it expanded rapidly as part of the post-War redistribution of population out of Greater London . It is now a popular tourist destination. 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

8170-523: Was filmed largely in and around St Albans. The Lady Chapel in the Abbey itself was used as a location for at least one scene in Sean Connery 's 1995 film First Knight , whilst the nave of the Abbey was used during a coronation scene as a substitute for Westminster Abbey in Johnny English starring Rowan Atkinson . The 19th-century gatehouse of the former prison near the mainline station appeared in

8265-492: Was fought on 17 February 1461, just to the north. A street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, founded by Abbot Ulsinus , still flourishes. In 1553, Henry's son Edward VI sold the right to hold the market to a group of local merchants and landowners via letters patent which also incorporated St Albans as a borough . The old market hall, which dated from around 1596, was replaced by the Corn Exchange in 1857. Before

8360-537: Was liquidated the following year. The company name and many punches and matrices were bought up by Stephenson Blake, especially those of its best-selling types including the Caslon Old Face materials. The Monotype Corporation , meanwhile, bought up many of the other punches, including many nineteenth-century types and sets of decorated wood alphabets it had bought from the Pouchée foundry . These were later taken over by

8455-598: Was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to become a municipal borough , and the boundary was adjusted to additionally include part of the parish of St Stephen . On 28 August 1877 the borough gained city status , following the elevation of St Albans Abbey to become a cathedral. The boundary was also adjusted in 1877 to include part of the parish of Sandridge . The Local Government Act 1894 divided parishes that were partly within municipal boroughs. The parts of St Michael, St Peter and Sandridge within

8550-452: Was relegated. St Albans Gymnastics Club, founded in 2005, provides the St Albans area with recreational classes as well as a professionally managed competitive squad. 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

8645-402: Was the depreciation of the Caslon letter foundry, of which a third share, in 1792, sold for £3000." A. E. Musson felt that although the foundry had depreciated, this value exaggerated the situation and the price "was doubtless because she [Elizabeth Caslon, née Rowe] and her young son already had a large share in the firm." Elizabeth Caslon decided to renew the foundry's materials, moving on from

8740-663: Was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the city of Verulamium . It is within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area . St Albans takes its name from the first British saint, Alban . The most elaborate version of his story, in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People , relates that he lived in Verulamium , sometime during

8835-515: Was the last lineal male descendant of William Caslon. Despite the reports of labour unrest, his employees donated a memorial window to the local church commemorating him. The foundry was taken over by its manager, Thomas White Smith. He proved to be extremely successful as a promoter of the company, establishing a company magazine, Caslon's Circular , developing a French branch of the company based in Paris , and licensing display types from abroad. He wrote in

8930-569: Was the principal medieval abbey in England. The scribe Matthew Vickers lived there and the first draft of Magna Carta was drawn up there. It became a parish church after the dissolution of the Benedictine abbey in 1539 and was made a cathedral in 1877. St Albans School was founded in AD 948. Matthew Paris was educated there and it is the only school in the English-speaking world to have educated

9025-469: Was transferred to the entire district by letters patent dated 9 July 1974. Local government services are now provided by Hertfordshire County Council (strategic services) and St Albans City and District Council. Eight local parish councils (limited local services) cover the parts of St Albans City and District that were previously in St Albans Rural District and Harpenden Urban District, but

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