86-455: The Hypocaust Museum is a museum at St Albans , Hertfordshire, England. Situated in Verlamium Park , the museum provides in situ conservation and interpretation of a hypocaust within the walled city of Verulamium . The system heated residential accommodation built around 200 CE . Unlike the hypocaust at Welwyn , it appears not to be linked to baths. The hypocaust was excavated in
172-501: 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
258-490: 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
344-508: 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
430-623: A Roman colonia for retired soldiers. A Roman temple had been erected there to Claudius, at great expense to the local population. Combined with brutal treatment of the Britons by the veterans, this had caused resentment towards the Romans. The Iceni and the Trinovantes comprised an army of 120,000 men. Dio claimed that Boudica called upon the British goddess of victory Andraste to aid her army. Once
516-811: 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
602-567: A national heroine. Alfred, Lord Tennyson 's poem Boädicéa (written in 1859, and published in 1864) drew on Cowper's poem. Depicting the Iceni queen as a violent and bloodthirsty warrior, the poem also forecasted the rise of British imperialism. Tennyson's image of Boudica was taken from the engraving produced in 1812 by Stothard. Another work, the poem "Boadicea" (1859) by Francis Barker, contained strongly patriotic and Christian themes. A range of Victorian children's books mentioned Boudica; Beric
688-773: 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
774-605: A popular patriotic song in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries. During the late 18th century, Boudica was used to develop ideas of English nationhood. Illustrations of Boudica during this period—such as in Edward Barnard's New, Complete and Authentic History of England (1790) and the drawing by Thomas Stothard of the queen as a classical heroine—lacked historical accuracy. The illustration of Boudica by Robert Havell in Charles Hamilton Smith 's The Costume of
860-459: A speech Cassius Dio gives Boudica The Romans' next actions were described by Tacitus, who detailed pillaging of the countryside, the ransacking of the king's household, and the brutal treatment of Boudica and her daughters. According to Tacitus, Boudica was flogged and her daughters were raped . These abuses are not mentioned in Dio's account, who instead cites three different causes for the rebellion:
946-592: A story about a British heroine he called 'Bunduca'. A variation of this name was used in the Jacobean play Bonduca (1612), a tragicomedy that most scholars agree was written by John Fletcher , in which one of the characters was Boudica. A version of that play called Bonduca, or the British Heroine was set to music by the English composer Henry Purcell in 1695. One of the choruses, " Britons, Strike Home! ", became
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#17328583426491032-489: A tribe who inhabited what is now the English county of Norfolk and parts of the neighbouring counties of Cambridgeshire , Suffolk and Lincolnshire . The Iceni produced some of the earliest known British coins. They had revolted against the Romans in 47 when the Roman governor Publius Ostorius Scapula planned to disarm all the peoples of Britain under Roman control. The Romans allowed the kingdom to retain its independence once
1118-514: A work whose impact resulted in Boudica's reinvention as a British imperialistic champion. One of the earliest possible mentions of Boudica (excluding Tacitus' and Dio's accounts) was the 6th century work De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae by the British monk Gildas . In it, he demonstrates his knowledge of a female leader whom he describes as a "treacherous lioness" who "butchered the governors who had been left to give fuller voice and strength to
1204-403: A yearly tribute for our very bodies? How much better it would be to have been sold to masters once for all than, possessing empty titles of freedom, to have to ransom ourselves every year! How much better to have been slain and to have perished than to go about with a tax on our heads!... Among the rest of mankind death frees even those who are in slavery to others; only in the case of the Romans do
1290-654: 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
1376-418: 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
1462-882: 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. Boudica Boudica or Boudicca ( / ˈ b uː d ɪ k ə , b oʊ ˈ d ɪ k ə / , from Brythonic * boudi 'victory, win' + * -kā 'having' suffix, i.e. 'Victorious Woman', known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea , and in Welsh as Buddug , pronounced [ˈbɨðɨɡ] )
1548-456: Is thought that her words were never recorded during her life. Although imaginary, these speeches, designed to provide a comparison for readers of the antagonists' demands and approaches to war, and to portray the Romans as morally superior to their enemy, helped create an image of patriotism that turned Boudica into a legendary figure. Boudica was the consort of Prasutagus , king of the Iceni ,
1634-575: 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
1720-580: 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
1806-662: The Florentine scholar Petruccio Ubaldini in The Lives of the Noble Ladies of the Kingdom of England and Scotland (1591) includes two female characters, 'Voadicia' and 'Bunduica', both based on Boudica. From the 1570s to the 1590s, when Elizabeth I 's England was at war with Spain, Boudica proved to be a valuable asset for the English. The English poet Edmund Spenser used the story of Boudica in his poem The Ruines of Time , involving
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#17328583426491892-430: 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
1978-463: The Legio IX Hispana , attempted to relieve Camulodunum, but suffered an overwhelming defeat. The infantry with him were all killed and only the commander and some of his cavalry escaped. After this disaster, Catus Decianus, whose behaviour had provoked the rebellion, fled abroad to Gaul . Suetonius was leading a campaign against the island of Mona , off the coast of North Wales. On hearing
2064-731: The Roman Empire is referred to in four works from classical antiquity written by three Roman historians: the Agricola ( c. 98 ) and Annals ( c. 110s ) by Tacitus ; a mention of the uprising by Suetonius in his Lives of the Caesars (121); and the longest account, a detailed description of the revolt contained within Cassius Dio 's history of the Empire ( c. 202 – c. 235 ). Tacitus wrote some years after
2150-409: The Roman emperor in his will . When he died, his will was ignored, and the kingdom was annexed and his property taken. According to the Roman historian Tacitus , Boudica was flogged and her daughters raped . The historian Cassius Dio wrote that previous imperial donations to influential Britons were confiscated and the Roman financier and philosopher Seneca called in the loans he had forced on
2236-586: The Scala Theatre , London, in November 1909 before a national tour, and she was described in a 1909 pamphlet as "the eternal feminine... the guardian of the hearth, the avenger of its wrongs upon the defacer and the despoiler". A "vocal minority" has claimed Boudica as a Celtic Welsh heroine. A statue of Boudica in the Marble Hall at Cardiff City Hall was among those unveiled by David Lloyd George in 1916, though
2322-697: 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
2408-684: The 1930s as part of large-scale excavations conducted by Sir Mortimer Wheeler and Tessa Wheeler on land recently acquired by the Corporation of St Albans. The original museum building was replaced around 2005. 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
2494-429: 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
2580-405: 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
2666-503: The Briton (1893), a novel by G. A. Henty , with illustrations by William Parkinson, had a text based on the accounts of Tacitus and Dio. Boadicea and Her Daughters , a statue of the queen in her war chariot , complete with anachronistic scythes on the wheel axles, was executed by the sculptor Thomas Thornycroft . He was encouraged by Prince Albert , who lent his horses for use as models. The statue, Thornycroft's most ambitious work,
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2752-541: The Britons. Boudica died, by suicide or illness, shortly afterwards. The crisis of 60/61 caused Nero to consider withdrawing all his imperial forces from Britain, but Suetonius's victory over Boudica confirmed Roman control of the province. Interest in these events was revived in the English Renaissance and led to Boudica's fame in the Victorian era and as a cultural symbol in Britain. The Boudican revolt against
2838-771: 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
2924-742: 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
3010-658: The Original Inhabitants of the British Islands from the Earliest Periods to the Sixth Century (1815) was an early attempt to depict her in an historically accurate way. Cowper's 1782 poem Boadicea: An Ode was the most notable literary work to champion the resistance of the Britons, and helped to project British ideas of imperial expansion. It caused Boudica to become a British cultural icon and be perceived as
3096-486: 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
3182-773: 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
3268-408: 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
3354-442: The accompaniment of sacrifices, banquets, and wanton behaviour" in sacred places, particularly the groves of Andraste. Suetonius regrouped his forces. He amassed an army of almost 10,000 men at an unidentified location, and took a stand in a defile with a wood behind. The Romans used the terrain to their advantage, launching javelins at the Britons before advancing in a wedge-shaped formation and deploying cavalry. The Roman army
3440-553: 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
3526-616: 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
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3612-408: The blame upon herself for not expelling the Romans as they had done when Julius Caesar invaded. The willingness of those seen as barbarians to sacrifice a higher quality of living under the Romans in exchange for their freedom and personal liberty was an important part of what Dio considered to be motivation for the rebellions. The first target of the rebels was Camulodunum (modern Colchester ),
3698-404: 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
3784-571: 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
3870-544: The endeavours of Roman rule." Both Bede 's Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731) and the 9th century work Historia Brittonum by the Welsh monk Nennius include references to the uprising of 60/61—but do not mention Boudica. No contemporary description of Boudica exists. Dio, writing more than a century after her death, provided a detailed description of the Iceni queen (translated in 1925): "In stature she
3956-481: 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
4042-406: The extent of its destruction is unclear. Dio and Tacitus both reported that around 80,000 people were said to have been killed by the rebels. According to Tacitus, the Britons had no interest in taking the Roman population as prisoners, only in slaughter by " gibbet , fire, or cross". Dio adds that the noblest women were impaled on spikes and had their breasts cut off and sewn to their mouths, "to
4128-568: 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
4214-460: 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
4300-652: 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,
4386-518: The name by which she was known during most of her life is unknown. The English linguist and translator Kenneth Jackson concluded that the name Boudica —based on later developments in Welsh ( Buddug ) and Irish ( Buaidheach )—derives from the Proto-Celtic feminine adjective * boudīkā 'victorious', which in turn is derived from the Celtic word * boudā 'victory', and that the correct spelling of
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#17328583426494472-711: The name in Common Brittonic (the British Celtic language) is Boudica , pronounced [boʊˈdiːkaː] . Variations on the historically correct Boudica include Boudicca , Bonduca , Boadicea , and Buduica . The Gaulish version of her name is attested in inscriptions as Boudiga in Bordeaux , Boudica in Lusitania , and Bodicca in Algeria. Boudica's name was spelt incorrectly by Dio, who used Buduica . Her name
4558-475: The news of the Iceni uprising, he left a garrison on Mona and returned to deal with Boudica. He moved quickly with a force of men through hostile territory to Londinium, which he reached before the arrival of Boudica's army but, outnumbered, he decided to abandon the town to the rebels, who burned it down after torturing and killing everyone who had remained. The rebels also sacked the municipium of Verulamium (modern St Albans ), north-west of London, though
4644-400: 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
4730-486: 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
4816-442: 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
4902-401: 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
4988-400: 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
5074-462: 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
5160-598: The rebellion, but his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola was an eyewitness to the events, having served in Britain as a tribune under Suetonius Paulinus during this period. Cassius Dio began his history of Rome and its empire about 140 years after Boudica's death. Much is lost and his account of Boudica survives only in the epitome of an 11th-century Byzantine monk , John Xiphilinus . He provides greater and more lurid detail than Tacitus, but in general his details are often fictitious. Both Tacitus and Dio give an account of battle-speeches given by Boudica, though it
5246-466: The recalling of loans that were given to the Britons by Seneca ; Decianus Catus's confiscation of money formerly loaned to the Britons by the Emperor Claudius ; and Boudica's own entreaties. The loans were thought by the Iceni to have been repaid by gift exchange. Dio gives Boudica a speech to her people and their allies reminding them that life was much better before the Roman occupation, stressing that wealth cannot be enjoyed under slavery and placing
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#17328583426495332-438: The reluctant Britons. In 60/61, Boudica led the Iceni and other British tribes in revolt. They destroyed Camulodunum (modern Colchester ), earlier the capital of the Trinovantes , but at that time a colonia for discharged Roman soldiers. Upon hearing of the revolt, the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus hurried from the island of Mona (modern Anglesey) to Londinium , the 20-year-old commercial settlement that
5418-419: The revolt had begun, the only Roman troops available to provide assistance, aside from the few within the colony, were 200 auxiliaries located in London, who were not equipped to fight Boudica's army. Camulodunum was captured by the rebels; those inhabitants who survived the initial attack took refuge in the Temple of Claudius for two days before they were killed. Quintus Petillius Cerialis , then commanding
5504-402: 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
5590-468: The south facade, sculpted by L J Watts in 1902; another depiction of her is in a stained glass window by Clayton and Bell in the council chamber. Boudica was adopted by the suffragettes as one of the symbols of the campaign for women's suffrage . In 1908, a "Boadicea Banner" was carried in several National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies marches. She appears as a character in A Pageant of Great Women written by Cicely Hamilton , which opened at
5676-414: 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,
5762-531: The uprising was suppressed. On his death in AD 60/61, Prasutagus made his two daughters as well as the Roman Emperor Nero his heirs. The Romans ignored the will, and the kingdom was absorbed into the province of Britannia . Catus Decianus , procurator of Britain, was sent to secure the Iceni kingdom for Rome. "Have we not been robbed entirely of most of our possessions, and those the greatest, while for those that remain we pay taxes? Besides pasturing and tilling for them all our other possessions, do we not pay
5848-400: 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
5934-441: The very dead remain alive for their profit. Why is it that, though none of us has any money (how, indeed, could we, or where would we get it?), we are stripped and despoiled like a murderer's victims? And why should the Romans be expected to display moderation as time goes on, when they have behaved toward us in this fashion at the very outset, when all men show consideration even for the beasts they have newly captured?" —Part of
6020-417: Was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She is considered a British national heroine and a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence. Boudica's husband Prasutagus , with whom she had two daughters, ruled as a nominally independent ally of Rome. He left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and to
6106-430: 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
6192-483: Was also misspelled by Tacitus, who added a second 'c.' After the misspelling was copied by a medieval scribe , further variations began to appear. Along with the second 'c' becoming an 'e,' an 'a' appeared in place of the 'u', which produced the medieval (and most common) version of the name, Boadicea . The true spelling was totally obscured when Boadicea first appeared in around the 17th century. William Cowper used this spelling in his poem Boadicea, an Ode (1782),
6278-617: 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
6364-509: 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
6450-523: 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
6536-492: 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
6622-429: Was heavily outnumbered — according to Dio the rebels numbered 230,000 — but Boudica's army was crushed, and according to Tacitus, neither the women nor the animals were spared. Tacitus states that Boudica poisoned herself; Dio says she fell sick and died, after which she was given a lavish burial. It has been argued that these accounts are not mutually exclusive. Boudica may have been an honorific title, in which case
6708-576: Was interpreted by historians, poets and dramatists . Boudica appeared as 'Voadicia' in a history, Anglica Historia , by the Italian scholar Polydore Vergil , and in the Scottish historian Hector Boece 's The History and Chronicles of Scotland (1526) she is 'Voada'—the first appearance of Boudica in a British publication. Boudica was called 'Voadicia' in the English historian Raphael Holinshed 's Chronicles , published between 1577 and 1587. A narrative by
6794-575: Was produced between 1856 and 1871, cast in 1896, and positioned on the Victoria Embankment next to Westminster Bridge in 1902. Boudica was once thought to have been buried at a place which lies now between platforms 9 and 10 in King's Cross station in London. There is no evidence for this and it is probably a post-World War II invention. At Colchester Town Hall , a life-sized statue of Boudica stands on
6880-598: 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
6966-504: 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
7052-654: 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
7138-569: 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
7224-541: Was the rebels' next target. Unable to defend the settlement, he evacuated and abandoned it. Boudica's army defeated a detachment of the Legio IX Hispana , and burnt both Londinium and Verulamium . In all, an estimated 70,000–80,000 Romans and Britons were killed by Boudica's followers. Suetonius, meanwhile, regrouped his forces, possibly in the West Midlands , and despite being heavily outnumbered, he decisively defeated
7310-469: 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
7396-517: Was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; and she wore a tunic of divers colours over which a thick mantle was fastened with a brooch. This was her invariable attire." During the Renaissance the works of Tacitus and Cassius Dio became available in England, after which her status changed as it
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