23 Mar 2025
A new sustainable way of exploring our historic city centre has been launched as part of the St Albans Greener Together initiative – with panto legend Bob Golding one of the narrators.
GuideZap is a self-guided tour app which currently offers three different explorations of St Albans’ past, giving locals the chance to uncover Roman ruins, trace the footsteps or medieval monks or discover some of the city’s hidden secrets – all at their own pace using their smartphone.
These are audio tours complete with images and packed with user-friendly features and built-in mapping.
The first one, narrated by Bob, covers the area from the station to the centre, ending at the Museum + Gallery, covering the transition from the stagecoach to the railway, the contributions of Samuel Ryder, the old prison, the once-prosperous hat industry, the public bathhouse and the War of the Roses.
A second walk around the outside of the Abbey Cathedral includes the story of George Glossop, a much-loved Canon of St Albans for over 40 years, the Bishop’s residence, the Abbey Gateway, St Albans School, the Vintry Garden and more – ending at the medieval Clock Tower.
The final walk is narrated by Janey Lee Grace, whose voice became well-known during BBC Radio 2’s afternoon Steve Wright show.
It covers notable citizens such as Frederick Gibbered and Edward Strong (the master mason for St Paul’s Cathedral under Sir Christopher Wren), the special trees along St Peter’s Street, and Sarah Churchill who was best friends with Queen Anne during the 18th century.
The app aims to encourage eco-friendly travel and avoid any carbon footprint, hence the partnership with St Albans Greener Together, a network of likeminded people and organisations who are united in their concern for the environment and the importance of living sustainably, focusing specifically on energy and transport.
GuideZap founder Larry Hesse said: “We’re thrilled to be part of the St Albans Greener Together initiative. Our goal is to make discovering cities more engaging and sustainable, and St Albans is just the beginning. We have plans to expand to more cities and even more countries soon.”
Larry is also keen to give something back to the local community and has approached charities about lending support to the homeless in St Albans.
Find out more about GuideZap at www.guidezap.com
