17 Mar 2026
Most people appreciate that St Albans is a city rich in history, but many might not know that one of the most remarkable minds of the early modern world lived here. This year, the city proudly celebrates 400 years since the death of Sir Francis Bacon, Baron Verulam of Verulam, Viscount St Alban (1561–1626), a thinker whose ideas helped shape the modern world.
Bacon was a true Renaissance man: a lawyer, philosopher, scientist, writer, politician, and gardener. He is widely regarded as the father of the scientific method, the approach to learning and discovery that led to many of the technological and medical advances we take for granted today.
The way we explore and understand the world owes a great deal to Bacon’s vision.
He taught people a new way to think. Before him, many people just believed what old books or famous teachers said, but Bacon said: “Look carefully, test things yourself, and use your own brain!”
He demonstrated that by watching, experimenting, and asking questions, we can learn how the world really works. Because of him, people started exploring science the way we do today, discovering new medicines, inventions, and amazing things about the world in the process.
Although born in London, Bacon spent much of his life at Gorhambury, the beautiful St Albans estate that his family owned. He died in 1626 and was buried at St Michael’s Church, making St Albans the final resting place of one of history’s greatest minds.
Bacon’s early genius was noticed by royalty. At just seven years old, Queen Elizabeth I called him her “young Lord Keeper”. He went on to serve as Lord Chancellor, advise kings and queens, and write groundbreaking works such as The Advancement of Learning, Essays, and the visionary New Atlantis. His ideas about scientific research directly inspired institutions like the Royal Society, founded decades later.
This year, the city invites everyone to celebrate Bacon through a series of events and exhibitions:
March
- March 18, 4.50pm, 16:50 – Joint Evensong with St Michael’s Church, Trinity College Cambridge and St Albans School choirs, St Michael’s Church, St Albans – FREE.
April
- April 9, 6pm, 18:00 – Bacon, author of the modern world? A discussion with Mark Rylance and Peter Dawkins, St Michael’s Church – £30.
- April 9–7 September 7 – Family-Friendly Exhibition: Bacon’s Scientific Work and Legacy, Assembly Rooms, St Albans Museum + Gallery – FREE.
- April 13-May 7– Exhibition: Francis Bacon – A Man for All Time?, St Albans Cathedral North Transept – FREE.
- April 25 – The Bacons and Religious Change in Tudor England, Alban Room, St Albans Cathedral – £6–12.
May - May 14 – Walking Bacon’s Gorhambury Walk 1 (Easy), Gorhambury House and Grounds – £25. (Start at Gorhambury House, tour the state rooms with Baconian works, then walk through the gardens to Old Gorhambury. Suitable for all abilities; indoor shoes and walking boots recommended.)
- May 19 – Talk by Lucy Hughes-Hallett: ‘The Scandal’: Bacon and Buckingham, Lower Dagnall Street Baptist Church – £TBC.
June - June 25, 6-8pm, 18:00–20:00 – Sir Francis Bacon’s ‘Greater Perfection’ and His Love of Gardens and Plants, The Apple House, Serge Hill, Bedmond, St Albans – £45.
- June (TBC) – Meditation at Bacon’s Mount, around Summer Solstice.
July - July 10-11 7.30pm – Performance: The Winding Stair, Kingsbury Barn and Church – Tickets via OVO.
- July 11, 11am-4pm – Tudor Fayre, St Michael’s Church.
- July 12 – St Michael’s Worship 9:30, Picnic in Vicarage Garden, Come and Sing Tudor Evensong 4pm, ralk by Deborah Spring on Gorhambury and St Michael’s “Set Up”.
September - September 10, 9.30am – Gorhambury Bacon Walk – £30.
- September 17, 7.30pm: Demi-Sixteen Bacon Concert – 7:30pm, £25.
For full event details and tickets, visit bacon400.com
