Verulamium and the Fighters

So as it turned out, St Albans was a really great idea for K and I to visit. I was excited about the history of the Cathedral there, but I was even more excited to learn about the Roman history of the place, too. Long before there was a St Albans, there was the settlement of Uerulamos, which is Brittonic for 'Broad-Hand' in this place.

To give you a bit of the context (I like history): According to the Roman record, by CE 50, Verulamium was a municipium, meaning unlike actual Roman Colonies, citizens of Verulamium weren't granted full citizenship under Roman law. In CE 43, under Claudius, Romans maintained a treaty with the Iceni people -- the ancient Brittons of East Anglia. When their ruler Prasutagus died in c. CE 60, the Romans (now under Nero) attempted to confiscate their land, and annex the realm for Nero. Under their queen, Boudicca, the Iceni revolted, sacked and burned the Roman British Capital in Colchester, London, and the settlement of Verulamium (now St Albans) around CE 61. After this, the city did thrive under the Romans for a couple of hundred years (at least) following the destruction of Boudicca's rebellion, and the citizens of Verulamium eventually received full "Latin Rights" from the Romans. (Sources: Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Brittanica, BBC, British Museum).




Today, there isn't much of Verulamium left, save for bits of wall, a hypocaust, and some of a Roman Theatre. Inside the museum, there are quite a few artifacts, and reproductions of what Roman life might have been like during the time. Above, there is one of the beautiful hypocaust mosaics.

This is a recovered bronze figure of the Roman Goddess Venus:


This Sea God Mosaic is from sometime between c. CE 150 and CE 300.



So after all of the historic sight-seeing in Verulamium, K and I got hungry. Within walking distance is a small public house called, Ye Old Fighting Cocks. It is considered by the Guinness Book to be the oldest pub in England, though there is some competition from other pubs. Originally, the pub was known as the 'Round House,' likely because of the round-ish, octagonal structure that makes up the main section. As the sport of cock fighting gained a foothold, the pub was re-branded as Ye Old Fighting Cocks, sometime in the 19th century. Today, this country-inn style pub is affectionately known to locals as "The Fighters."

Though I find cock-fighting to be brutal, unnecessary violence of similar ilk to dog fighting, I still thought it was neat to see one of the old taxidermed roosters on display. I'm certainly glad that it is not a place for cock fighting now.




While in the UK, I learned about the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) , a movement to increase the appreciation for traditional beers, ciders, and perries as a part of national heritage. The Fighters just so happens to be home to CAMRA, and so I was able to try a couple of different kinds of 'Real' ale. I don't recall what kinds these were, but I do remember that I like them!


The part of The Fighters that stood out to me the most was the menu. Sure, there was all your usual fish and chips, but there were also a couple of vegetarian options as well! On this day, K and I both opted for some summer veg and squash(?) baked in a beautiful puff pastry shell. SO delicious! Then, the real show stopper was the dessert that we chose - Eton Mess. Even this dessert has a history! It is traditionally served at the annual Eton Collage v. Winchester College cricket match, and strawberries are customary, though just about any summer fruit could be used in it. This one was made from cream, berries, and bits of sweet meringue. No one is really sure where the 'mess' part comes from, though some think it's because of the messy appearance of the dish, and others think it comes from mixing ingredients together. Either way, I assure you, K and I made a mess of it. It was absolutely delicious, and perfect for such a lovely summer day in East Anglia!

St. Albans Cathedral

Oh look at me blogging twice in two days!!!!

Springtime in the UK is truly beautiful. Everything is lush and green, and there is really a great deal more sunshine than you'd expect. Certainly, it's not Southern California, but it's still lovely and beautiful, and exactly where I'd like to spend a few years of my life. The weather in May was perfect for a day trip, so K let me decide the location. After a bit of research, I discovered that St Albans was close enough for a nice day trip. The town had a couple of things that I was particularly interested in-- it was the site of the ancient Roman (and also pre-roman) settlement of Verulamium, and also home to the oldest pub in Britain (but I'll write about both of those later).


One of the first things that you see in St Albans is the St Albans Cathedral. As the story goes, the town gets its name from a man named Alban, the first British saint. Sometime around CE 250, when Christians were still persecuted by the Romans, Alban hid the priest in his home to protect him. Eventually, the Roman soldiers came in search of the priest, and that was when Alban exchanged cloaks with the priest. He was arrested in place of the priest, taken to the magistrate, and publicly professed his new faith as a Christian. He was condemned to death, and according to the legend was beheaded on the spot where St Albans Cathedral named for him now stands. After his beheading, his head rolled down the hill, and a spring supposedly sprang up on the spot where it stopped. It is today known as Holywell The site is on a steep hill and legend has it that his head rolled down the hill after being cut off and that a well sprang up at the point where it stopped.

The grounds around the Cathedral were really beautiful. Lots of greenery, and lots of remains of the old Abbey and cloisters, though they are no longer in use.







Once on the inside of the Cathedral, you're greeted by the Norman Abbey, built in a 'cruciform' style, was one of the largest towers built in England at the time (11th c). The foundation was quite solid, and today, the tower is the only 11th century 'great crossing tower' still standing.





K and I did take a tour of the Cathedral, but I can't for the life of me remember anything that we heard. I remember really loving beautiful the Icon wall wall:


And noted the weird 'Death Eater' style skull with wings on the wall:


When standing in the Nave, if you turn your back to the Icon screen, and look at the Rose Window, and you see a window that was added after the Great War (WWI), to represent the allied fighters during the War.


Then, you see some fresco-style paintings on some of the columns in the cathedral. They seem a bit out of place, and I think that they are. They don't really correspond with the style of the architecture around it, because they are 11th century fresco paintings of various Crucifixion scenes. This is one of them:



On the tour, we went to the rear of the church (to the back side of the Icon Wall), and got a chance to hear the Choir rehearsing for an upcoming event.



And then, while the choir was singing, we also got to see the Reliquary which contained the remains of St Alban. See it here: