The Town Hall and historic St. Albans

A historic Landmark in St. Albans

The Town Hall is a Grade II listed building dominating the centre of St Albans Market Place. The Realm of Music events take place in the Grand Assembly Room, a beautiful, high-ceilinged space on the top floor with magnificent windows overlooking the market place.

Of significant historic interest is the old court room, which is located downstairs and open to public viewing. It has been out of judicial service since 1966 when the new court complex was built in the civic centre, but since then has become a well known location for television and film producers featuring in such television programmes as Eastenders, Kavanagh QC, Inspector Morse and Grange Hill as well as period dramas as Great Expectations and the film, Wilde.

Enjoy the Cathderal Quarter at the heart of St. Albans

The Cathedral Quarter, spreading outwards from the Cathedral and its precints, embraces much of the history of St. Albans from Roman times to the present day

One must see on a trip to St. Albans is the stunningly beautiful Cathedral, just 10 minutes walk from the Town Hall. With origins in the Monastery founded in 794 for the first English Christian Martyr, St. Alban, the Abbey church was rebuilt by the Normans, and extended to give us the Cathedral as it stands today - an amalgam of many medieval and later building styles.

Three minutes walk from the Town Hall is another major feature of the area - the Clock Tower, built in 1402-1411 to act as a curfew tower, and as a sign of the town's growing wish for independence from the Abbey.

French Row, the medieval street next to the tower, leads back to the Town Hall with its many large arched openings marking the sites of some of the many inns which thrived in St. Albans, originally to cater for pilgrims to the shrine of St. Alban.

St. Albans - easy to reach

By Rail

Only 20 minutes from London. St. Albans City Station is served by the Thameslink service through South, North and Central London from the South Coast and Gatwick to Luton and Bedford. Please note: until May 2005, the North-bound Thameslink services from central London will be leaving from Kings Cross St. Pancras NOT Kings Cross Thameslink due to the current construction work at Kings Cross. This station is a good 30 minutes walk from the Town Hall, so the best way is to take a taxi, of which there are always plenty waiting outside the station, or any bus into the center of town.

The Silverlink service via Watford connects St. Albans Abbey Station, with the North London line, main West Coast line, and London Euston to Scotland. This station is a good 25 minutes walk from the Town Hall (uphill!) and there are no taxis, so not strongly recommended unless you've got time and energy and it's a nice day. To call a taxi, phone 01727 765 558

By Road

Close to the M1, A1 and M25, St. Albans is accessible from all parts of the UK

By Bus and Coach

St. Albans is well connected on the local bus network, with services from North London, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Luton and Watford.

The Green line service links St. Albans with Heatrow and West London through to Harlow in Essex.

Car parking

The Town Hall and Cathedral Quarter is only a few minutes walk from the City Center car parks. Drovers Way, Russell Avenue, London Road, Gombards, and Bricket Road car parks are open 24 hours a day. All day Sunday is free parking.