St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the city of Verulamium.

[1] The most elaborate version of his story, in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, relates that he lived in Verulamium, sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, when Christians were suffering persecution.

[3] Although excavations done in 1996 produced finds which include silver coins from 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.

The Roman city of Verulamium, the second-largest town in Roman Britain after Londinium, developed from the Iron Age settlement[3] 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 the Iceni in 61, when Verulamium was sacked and burnt on her orders.

It grew steadily; by the early 3rd century, it covered an area of about 125 acres (51 ha), behind a deep ditch and wall.

Recent investigation has uncovered a basilica there, indicating the oldest continuous site of Christian worship in Great Britain.

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 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.

An archaeological excavation in 1978, directed by Martin Biddle, failed to find Roman remains on the site of the medieval chapter house.

[12] 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 the followers of Wæcla", possibly a pocket of British-speakers remaining separate in an increasingly Saxonised area.

[13] 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.

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.

[14] 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.

[19] Before 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.

In 1869 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 the post-World War II years it expanded rapidly as part of the post-War redistribution of population out of Greater London.

On 28 August 1877 the borough gained city status, following the elevation of St Albans Abbey to become a cathedral.

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.

St Albans is part of the homonymous parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Routes are operated predominantly run by Arriva Herts & Essex, Uno, Red Eagle and Sullivan Buses.

Originally known for their work with masks, Trestle collaborates with UK and international artists to unify movement, music and text into a theatrical experience.

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 Abbey and Fishpool Street areas were used for the pilot episode of the 1960s ecclesiastical TV comedy All Gas and Gaiters.

Fishpool Street, running from Romeland to St Michael's village, stood in for Hastings in some episodes of Foyle's War.

The 19th-century gatehouse of the former prison near the mainline station appeared in the title sequence of the TV series Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker.

In 2018, a Gucci advert featuring Harry Styles was filmed at a Fish and Chips shop in Fleetville, St Albans.

This complex hosts the offices of the Premiership Rugby club Saracens (and have recently moved their home ground to Barnet).