Verulamium - Loss and Recovery

Loss and Recovery

The city was quarried for building material for the construction of medieval St Albans; indeed, much of Norman abbey was constructed from the remains of the Roman city, with Roman brick and stone visible. The modern city takes its name from Alban, either a citizen of Verulamium or a Roman soldier, who was condemned to death in the 3rd century for sheltering a Christian. Alban was converted by him to Christianity, and by his death became the first British Christian martyr.

Since much of the modern city and its environs is built over Roman remains, it is still not uncommon to unearth Roman artifacts several miles away. A complete tile kiln was found in Park Street some six miles (10 km) from Verulamium in the 1970s, and there is a Roman mausoleum near Rothamsted Park five miles (8 km) away.

Within the walls of Verulam, which he took for the name of his Barony, the essayist and statesman Sir Francis Bacon built a refined small house that was thoroughly described by the 17th century diarist John Aubrey. No trace of it is left, but Aubrey noted "At Verulam is to be seen, in some few places, some remains of the wall of this Citie" (see illustration).