Verulamium (St. Albans)
Verulamium was the name of the important Roman town where the cathedral city of St. Albans stands today.
It was one of the three towns, along with Colchester and London, which were destroyed during the violent rebellion of Boudicca in 61.
Later on in 303, after Verulamium had been rebuilt, the Roman soldier Alban was executed on a hill across the River Ver and overlooking the town, on the spot where St. Albans Abbey now stands. He was Britain's first Christian martyr.
Today's city is built close to the Abbey, and as a consequence there is a great deal of the Roman town still visible in the parkland.
There are long stretches of the Roman Wall, including the London Gate, where Watling Street entered the town. The wall was built about 200, and in places is 12 feet high. It enclosed 200 acres. There is also a preserved hypocaust with a mosaic floor.
Nearby is an Amphitheatre and the splendid Verulamium Museum.