13 Sep 2024
This weekend St Albans joins in the largest festival of history and culture in England – the free Heritage Open Days, writes Mia Jimenez.
This event celebrates attractions which are rich in culture and historic significance, and offer a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and appreciate the heritage of our city, with multiple venues participating.
Locations include St Peter’s Church, the Clock Tower, Marlborough Road Methodist Church, Kingsbury Lodge and Verulamium Museum.
St Peter’s Church (Saturday September 14 11am – 3pm)
Learn more about the church’s history with actors from Breakaway Theatre Company representing the people involved in his history including the Anchoress and Lord Grimthorpe (who restored the church at his own expense) taking part in costume enactments throughout the day.
The church is running a QR code trail which includes extra information about the features inside the building and the story behind one of the city’s ancient gateway churches. Other activities include crafts, bouncy castles, tombolas, lucky dips and refreshments. The event is being run in partnership with mental health charity Mind.
Office manager at St Peter’s Church, Carolyn Alexander said: “We are running this event in conjunction with Mind in Mid Herts. We value our partnership with them and there is a good synergy as we are both supporting people’s wellbeing.
“We are also offering tower tours which are a unique opportunity to go up the church bell tower. We only offer these once or twice a year.”
There will be three guided tower tours taking place at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm in which visitors will be able to see what’s up the tower, learn about the art of English change bell ringing, viiew the bells and see a bellringing demonstration. If the weather permits, visitors will be able to go onto the tower roof which is the highest point in St Albans and on clear days you can see not only a bird’s eye view of the whole city but even Canary Warf and the Wembley arches.
The church has been undergoing major refurbishments over the last few months so that they can provide a space for their community and make it more accessible and inviting.
St Albans Clock Tower (September 14-15, 10.30am-5pm)
Tours are taking place across two days offering a chance to explore the only medieval town belfry in England.
Discover the beauty of the city from the view at the top, look into the clock room where there is a Victorian turret clock and admire the medieval bell, Gabriel, which is the culprit of the ringing you still hear every hour in the city centre. Play the new game ‘Hunt the Golden Keys’ to be in with the chance of winning a prize.
Marlborough Road Methodist Church (September 14 10am-4pm)
In a self-led trail you can explore the late 19th century church at your own pace, with historical items and documents for all to access revealing the history of the church and its congregation. Light refreshments are provided.
Kingsbury Exhibition (September 13-15, 10am-4.30pm)
Kingsbury Lodge is a 13th/14th century barn that is not normally open to the public,and visitors can see and buy ceramics from over 30 potters with varying styles.
Verulamium Museum (September 14, 11am-3.30pm)
Immerse yourself in the city’s rich Roman history, explore recreated Roman rooms and admire the craftsmanship of the intricate large-scale mosaics on display. You can also see recent discoveries such as the Sandridge Hoard, a collection of 159 Roman gold coins. In addition to hands-on discovery areas for younger visitors, the museum also provides a selection of activity sheets for children and dressing up clothes.
