Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Saint Albans: With an Account of the Fabric & a Short History of the Abbey

In Short

This book serves as both a historical record and an architectural manual for St. Albans Cathedral. It documents the building’s growth from its origins near the Roman city of Verulamium to the extensive, often polarizing, Victorian interventions of Lord Grimthorpe. By balancing technical observations of masonry and floor plans with a chronological account of the various abbots who shaped the monastery, the text provides a comprehensive look at how an ancient religious house survived the Reformation, the Wars of the Roses, and the pressures of modern structural preservation.

The Story

The narrative begins with the martyrdom of St. Alban in 303 A.D. and the eventual founding of the monastery by King Offa of Mercia in 793, an act intended to atone for the king’s own violent deeds. The book details the transition from this early religious foundation to the rise of a powerful Norman abbey under Paul of Caen, who utilized Roman bricks salvaged from the ruins of Verulamium to construct a massive, enduring structure in just eleven years.

As the centuries pass, the focus shifts to the evolving physical shape of the church. The text tracks the expansion of the eastern end, the addition of the Lady Chapel, and the construction of the Saint’s Chapel, which became a focal point for pilgrims. The account is framed by the lives and characters of the abbots, who varied greatly in their administrative competence and spiritual devotion. Some, like the learned Symeon, were patrons of the arts and literature; others, such as those governing during the Wars of the Roses, found themselves caught in the middle of national power struggles, forced to navigate the demands of kings and the chaotic violence of encroaching armies.

The latter portion of the book centers on the period of the dissolution of the monasteries and the subsequent decline of the site. It describes the loss of the shrines and the transformation of the monastic church into a parochial building. The story reaches its modern climax with the intervention of Lord Grimthorpe, a wealthy benefactor who assumed near-total control over the building's restoration in the late nineteenth century. The narrative does not shy away from the controversy surrounding this work, detailing how his desire for stability and uniformity led to the destruction of medieval features and the imposition of aesthetic choices—such as his idiosyncratic transept windows—that the author openly critiques as clumsy or historically insensitive. The final sections move beyond the main fabric of the cathedral to explore the surrounding historical sites, including the ruins of Sopwell Nunnery and the medieval streets of the town, providing a complete picture of the area’s long-standing connection to the Abbey.

How It Unfolds

Foundations of the Martyr The narrative establishes the site’s religious significance by detailing the discovery of St. Alban’s remains and the kingly penance that led to the initial monastic foundation. It explains how the use of salvaged Roman materials from the nearby city of Verulamium defined the unique, rugged character of the early masonry.

The Era of the Abbots The middle chapters provide a biographical progression of the monastery’s leadership, noting their architectural contributions alongside their personal failings and political maneuvers. This section illustrates how each abbot left an imprint on the church through the addition of chapels, shrines, or specific ritual spaces intended to secure the monastery's prestige.

The Grimthorpe Intervention The focus shifts to the late nineteenth-century restoration, where the author examines the physical state of the building under Lord Grimthorpe’s mandate. This section contrasts the original medieval intent with modern, heavy-handed repairs, providing specific examples of where the historical integrity was lost to modern convenience.

The Surrounding Precincts The book concludes by stepping outside the cathedral walls to survey the neighboring historical landscape. By documenting the remnants of local nunneries and neighboring parish churches, the text provides a final, broader context for the cathedral’s place within the town’s ancient social and religious fabric.

The People

The history is defined by its leaders. Paul of Caen emerges as the quintessential early administrator, an energetic Norman who prioritized speed and scale, utilizing the available Roman bricks to create a structure that outsized its contemporaries. John of Wheathampstead serves as a representative of the later medieval era, a long-serving abbot who witnessed the violent upheaval of the Wars of the Roses and was forced to pivot his political allegiances to survive. Lord Grimthorpe stands as the most disruptive figure in the book's narrative. Driven by a desire to secure the structure against ruin, his relentless, self-funded "restoration" becomes the central antagonist to the preservation of the church’s authentic medieval details. Finally, the vergers, particularly Miss Davis, are acknowledged for their long-term institutional memory, providing the author with the intimate, lived-in details of the building that official chronicles often ignore.

In Its Own Voice

"The rapidity of the building was no doubt chiefly due to the fact that there was no need of hewing and squaring stone, for the Roman bricks from the ruins of the old city of Verulam were ready at hand, and the timber collected by Paul's five predecessors was well seasoned."

The author explains the efficiency behind the construction of the Norman church.

"Here, as in many other churches, the Norman choir was too short for thirteenth-century requirements."

The author describes the architectural pressure that led to the eastward expansion of the building.

"He applied for a new faculty which would give him unlimited power to 'restore, repair, and refit the church.' This faculty was granted, and he exercised his powers to the full; and as a result, though the church has been made sound and secure, probably for many centuries to come, yet many of its most interesting features have been destroyed."

The author expresses his mixed feelings regarding the controversial restoration work overseen by Lord Grimthorpe.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the tension between the preservation of ancient heritage and the necessity of structural utility. The text acts as a silent witness to the struggle of keeping a "living" building relevant while respecting its historical layers. It asks whether a building’s value lies in its original, authentic material or in its continued survival, even if that survival requires the sacrifice of original design. The book reflects on how the identity of a site like St. Albans is shaped not just by its creators, but by the successive generations of stewards who, through piety or arrogance, constantly rewrite its architectural language.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in ecclesiastical history or the evolution of British architecture will find this an essential, if opinionated, guide. The prose is warm and observant, often capturing the author’s genuine frustration with the "improvements" made to the cathedral. It is not a light, quick read; it is a dense, factual, and deeply technical examination of layouts, materials, and historical figures. However, for those who appreciate the quiet, scholarly rhythm of turn-of-the-century guidebooks, the book rewards patience. It captures a specific moment in time—the year 1903—when the scars of modern restoration were still fresh and the debate over how to care for our past was reaching a fever pitch. You will come away with a profound sense of the cathedral as a physical record of human effort, from the Roman bricks in the walls to the modern, sometimes jarring, aesthetic decisions of its most recent patrons. While it requires the reader to navigate some period-specific conventions and technical architectural jargon, it remains a vital record for anyone wanting to look at the stones of St. Albans and understand exactly how they came to be there.