St Albans in Hertfordshire is a fantastic city to visit if you are interested in architecture. Small scale details like picturesque curved doors on buildings and quaint Tudor properties engulf the city. The main event is the Cathedral which I visited on a very dull day. The many aspects of this intricate building show off its refurbishment, renovation and upgrades through the ages that are still and currently ongoing. This is owing to its original use as a double monastery and abbey that was hit by an earth quake in the 13th Century. The 1539 dissolution of monasteries and a later threat of demolition in the 1700s are just some of the events that the Cathedral and surrounding structures since its conception which was probably in the 8th Century.
The most interesting part of the Cathedral to me is the stained glass window renovated by Alan Younger in 1987. The window was originally designed by Lord Grimthorpe, who was considered a vandal by some for this Victorian design which included some clumsy stonework. Having been unable to find pictures of the window before the work took place by Younger I cannot comment on it’s improvement. But I do think that for a gloomy day, the window is a success in bringing light into an otherwise dark space.
Jessica Rosaleen Broughton 