St Albans Abbey
We have moved house more times than most. In fact, in a little over 20 years together we’ve lived in or close to six big UK cities (Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol and most recently London) as well as a spell in New York. We were, until 2006, proud to say we had not lived within 100 miles of London and its pollution, noise, rudeness and crime. Yet here we are, in our fourth year living in one of London’s most prosperous satellite cities, and in no urgent hurry to pack up sticks and head northwards.
St Albans became the latest stop on our tour of UK places to live when I finished my latest studies in Manchester and took a job based just outside of the city. We both moved south with some reluctance, and braced ourselves for a difficult adjustment.
We chose St Albans as I had worked here on a project some years before and remembered it as a leafy, attractive small city (a bit like Chester but smaller, or Durham but without the castle and the dramatic riverside setting).
Verulamium Park, St Albans
I left my job over a year ago, yet we are still here and that is a compliment to our adopted home city. I’m sure we will move north again at some point: even a few days in north Yorkshire earlier this summer reminded us of the beauty and solitude of the northern countryside and the relative emptiness of the roads once you leave the towns and cities (down here there seems to be traffic everywhere).
St Albans has much to like about it. There is its rich Roman heritage: you can find an ampthitheatre, a Roman mosaic and a section of original 2000 year old wall in the city. Then there is the no.1 draw in the city, St Albans Abbey. It is a hotchpotch of architectural styles of various centuries that somehow comes together to make a very impressive building.
St Albans Abbey
And perhaps the biggest surprise for us are the many areas of parkland that St Albans boasts. I had a preconception that the south east of England is so densely populated that I would struggle to find any green space. So it’s a relief to know that the city is home to swathes of open spaces where people can enjoy their walks or bring their summer picnics. The largest park is Verulamium Park, home to much of the Roman heritage of the city and a place we wander around on our regular evening strolls in the summer.
Modern sculptures in the Abbey - recognise the figures?
View of the park from the roof of St Albans Abbey
It’s also very convenient for access to London (20 minutes on the train) and more importantly to its airports. When we do eventually make a move back to the north, we will miss having a 30 minute drive to Heathrow or a 70 minute direct train to Gatwick (10 minutes to Luton). Being near a major airport and not just a hub makes an outbound journey much easier, but its real benefit is when you’re coming home and know that as soon as you get off the plane you are nearly home.
View of the city from the roof of St Albans Abbey
And as for London? Well we have even become fond of the capital. Having once had to battle through the traffic to drive into the centre, or endure a long and uncomfortable journey by train to get there, we can now take a trip into the city on a whim, even going in for an evening meal if we feel like it. It has become a treat to explore its neighbourhoods and hidden attractions thanks to our proximity to the city.
Fishpool Street, St Albans
So I have gradually become comfortable in singing the praises of St Albans. It is a pleasant place to live, and the best compliment I can give is that if you have no choice but to live in the south then St Albans is one of the best places to make your home.
The ruins at Gorhambury, St Albans
St Albans Abbey in winter
St Albans Abbey at sunset
Sunset over St Albans
Notwithstanding this is a brilliant piece, you do seem to have a rather negative view of the South of England:
“the best compliment I can give is that if you have no choice but to live in the south then St Albans is one of the best places to make your home”
I live in the far South West of England on the south coast (by choice) and I would not wish to live anyplace else. I have lived in London and Cardiff and neither match this lovely part of England.
Your description of the North of England is very much like the South West (we have vast countryside that affords much solitude) except we have better weather and do not have such huge cities like Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool and so on. I think that makes this southern part of England somewhat more attractive by your argument.
I think the title of this post would be better St Albans: not bad for a South Eastern city.
After reading this, though, I want to go check out St Albans for myself because I have never been and you really sell it well.
I so hear you about Chester – an absolutely beautiful place and my favourite place up North.
Have a good day,
H-
You’re absolutely right Haydn. I made the common lazy error that anyone from the north does of lumping the term ‘southern’ on the SE. All the negative connotations that it brings (traffic, lack of greenery, people in a rush) of course relate more to distance from a big city (London) and can’t apply to the south west, which is more rural than much of the north.
I don’t know the SW anywhere near as much as I’d like to, esp. the coastlines which I must visit again soon.
Thanks for stopping by
This has made me feel so much better!! I’m in a serious relationship with someone I met at Uni, I’m from the Midlands and love the North, and he’s from St Albans, and LOVES the South, we fought a few battles, but it made sense for me to move Southwards. He’s also fighting about moving from St Albans, so it’s looking like we’ll be moving to St Albans. Everything that you’ve written about the North is what I feel about it, so hopefully what you’ve said about St Albans I will agree with too!