St. Stephen's Church.—There are two ways of getting to this church: either by following the road that runs south from St. Michael's, and after reaching the top of the hill turning sharply to the left; or by going from the centre of the city down Holywell Hill and straight on, past the London and North-Western Railway Station, up St. Stephen's Hill. The church spire is a conspicuous landmark. The churchyard is exceedingly pretty, and the church most interesting. It was originally built in the tenth century by Abbot Ulsinus, rebuilt in the time of Henry I., restored in the fifteenth, and again by Sir Gilbert Scott in the nineteenth century. The south porch is of timber; under it is a square-headed doorway; to the east of it is a chapel once called "the Leper's Chapel," but probably a chantry, now used as a vestry. There is a small aisle on the south side. The spire is a broach and stands at the west end. On the north side of the nave is a wide, blocked-up, round-headed arch; through the blocking wall a pointed doorway was cut, but this is also now blocked up. There is a door of Perpendicular style, with a square-headed label terminated by heads much weathered, in the west wall of the tower. The walls of this church are of the usual materials, flint and Roman brick.

The lectern is of brass, and bears round its foot the inscription "Georgius Creichtoun Episcopus Dunkeldensis." There were two Scotch bishops of this name; both lived in the sixteenth century. How the lectern reached St. Albans no one knows for certain, but it may possibly have been part of the plunder carried off by Sir Richard Lee from Scotland. It was hidden for safety in a grave at the time of the civil wars, but was found again in 1748 when the vault was opened.



The Clock Tower.—This is a most conspicuous object in the city, standing near the market-place, almost due north of the Lady Chapel. It was built at the beginning of the fifteenth century in order that the curfew bell might be hung in it. This had been cast some seventy years before the building of the tower, and had hung in the central tower of the Abbey Church; it weighs about a ton. It bears the inscription: "Missi de coelis, habeo nomen Gabrielis." The tower was restored under the direction of Sir Gilbert Scott in 1865, and in the process has lost most of the interest it possessed.

The Old Round House.—This curious old house, also known as "The Fighting Cocks," stands near the river at the bottom of the roadway that leads down from the town through the Great Gate, and probably occupies the position of the Abbey gate that was known as St. Germain's Gate. There is little doubt that the foundations of this house date back to the time of the monastery, and may have been the foundations of the gateway. The cellars, it is said, appear to have an opening into some subterranean way. The name of "Fighting Cocks" no doubt indicates that after the dissolution of the monastery a cockpit existed here. It is said that it was at St. Germain's Gatehouse that the monks kept their fishing tackle, rods and nets. A claim is made for this building, that it is the oldest inhabited house in England, a claim that many other buildings may well dispute.

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INDEX

Abbots, chronological account of, 82-103. AElfric, Abbot, 84. AElfric II., Abbot, 4. Aisles of nave, interior, south, 44, north, 46; exterior, south, 26, north, 31; of choir (south), 48. Alban, St., 4; site of his martyrdom, 5, 6. Altarpiece, 57, (old) 68. Amphibalus, St., 5; shrine of, 13, 14, 63. Andrew's, St., Church, 12, 31, 48.

Bacon, Lord, his monument, 110. Baluster shafts, Saxon, 50. Battles of St. Albans, 71, 101. Bells, 78. Berkhampstead, John of, Abbot, 96. Bishops of St. Albans, 104. Bishop's Throne, 53. Boreman, Robert, last Abbot, 15, 103. Bricks, Roman, 10, 24.

Catton, Robert, Abbot, 103. Ceiling of choir and lantern, 53. Chapels (apsidal) of transept (now destroyed), 51, 53. Choir (exterior), 28; ritual, 53. Christina, Prioress of Markyate, 49. Church bought by the town, 16. Claughton, Bishop, 18. Clerestory, nave, 42. Clock Tower of the town, 111. Cloister, site of, 26. "Cloisters, The," 31.

D'Aubeny, Richard, Abbot, 87. Dedication of church, 7. De la Mare, Thomas, Abbot, 98. De la Moote, John, Abbot, 99. De Marinis, John, Abbot, 96. Dimensions of the Cathedral, 115. Door, Abbot's, 26. Doors, from the western entrance, 68.

Eadfrith, Abbot, 83. Eadmer, Abbot, 7, 84. Eadric, Abbot, 82. Ealdred, Abbot, 84. Eversden, Hugh of, Abbot, 97 (v. Hugh).

Fall of piers in 1323, 13. Floor of the church, 35, 36. Font, 46. Frescoes in the nave, 40; in the choir, 53. Frithric, Abbot, 85.

Gatehouse, The Great, 106. Geoffrey of Gorham, Abbot, 88,107. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, 6. Gloucester, Humphrey, Duke of, 62, 76; his monument, 76. Gorham, Abbots, Geoffrey of, 88; Robert of, 89. Grammar School, 16, 107.

Henry VI., King, 101. Hertford, John of, Abbot, 93. Heyworth, William, Abbot, 100. Hugh of Eversden, Abbot, 13, 14, 44, 70, 97.

John de Cella, Abbot, 10, 12, 92. John de Marinis, Abbot, 96. John of Hertford, Abbot, 13, 43. John of Wheathampstead, Abbot, 14, 101.

Lady Chapel, the, 20, 29, 68-72. Length of the building, 36, 37. Leofric, Abbot, 85. Leofstan, Abbot, 85.

Mandeville, Sir John, 37. Markyate, Benedictine cell, 49. Mentmore, Michael of, Abbot, 14, 98. Monastery (Benedictine), founded, 6; history of, 81.

Nave, interior, 36-48. Norton, John of, Abbot, 70, 95. Nunnery, Sopwell, 107.

Organ, the, 44.

Paul of Caen, Abbot, 7, 24, 32, 86. Plan of Norman church, 9. Porches (thirteenth century), of west front, 10-12. Presbytery, 54, 61. Pulpit in nave, 44; in choir, 61.

Ramryge, Thomas, Abbot, 58-60, 103; his chantry, 14, 15, 60, 70. Randulf, Abbot, 89. Rectors of St. Albans, 104. Retro-choir, 63, 67. Richard of Wallingford, Abbot, 14, 97. Robert of Gorham, Abbot, 89. Roger the Hermit, 49. Rood-screen, 42. Roof restored, 18. Round House, 112.

Saint's Chapel, the, 72. St. Andrew's Church, 12, 31, 48. St. Michael's Church, 108. St. Peter's Church, 108. St. Stephen's Church, 110.

Shrine of St. Alban, 72-75. Sigar, hermit, 49, 50. Slype, the, 20, 52. Sopwell Nunnery, 107. Stokes, John, Abbot, 101. Stoup (north aisle of nave), 46; in south choir aisle, 61. Symeon, Abbot, 91.

Transept (exterior), 27, 29; (interior), 50, 52. Triforium, nave, 41, 42. Tower, central, 10, 14, 17, 31, 79; interior, 53. Towers, western, 8, 9. Trumpington, William of, Abbot, 93.

Verulamium, 4, 7; Synod held at, 6.

Wallingford, Richard of, Abbot, 61, 97. Wallingford screen, 21, 57-59, 76. Wallingford, William of, Abbot, 102. Waring, Abbot, 49, 91. Watching Loft, 66, 68, 75. Wax-house, 29. Weatherall, G., first rector, 16. West front, 10, 19, 23. Wheathampstead, John of, Abbot, 71, 100, 101; his chantry, 57. William of Trumpington, Abbot, 12, 93. William of Wallingford, Abbot, 14, 102. Willigod, Abbot, 82. Windows in transept, 19. Wolsey, Thomas, Abbot, 103. Wulnoth, Abbot, 83. Wulsig, Abbot, 82. Wulsin, Abbot, 84.

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DIMENSIONS OF THE CATHEDRAL.[13]

Total length, external 550 ft. " " internal 520 ft. Length of high roofs 425 ft. " of nave from west door to screen 205 ft. " of choir and presbytery 169 ft. " of Lady Chapel 57 ft. " of transept, interior 177 ft. Width of nave with aisles 75 ft. 4 in. " " without aisles, between piers 29 ft. 6 in. to 31 ft. 6 in. " of presbytery 75 ft. to 78 ft. " of west front, exterior 105 ft. " of transept, interior 32 ft. to 33 ft. 6 in. " " exterior 54 ft. 4 in. " of Lady Chapel, interior 24 ft. Diameter of tower piers, east and west 16 ft. Distance between tower piers each way 24 ft. Height of tower piers 43 ft. " " arches 55 ft. " of tower 144 ft. Width of tower, east and west, exterior 47 ft. " " north and south, exterior 45 ft. Height of nave ceiling (from floor) 66 ft. 4 in. " of ridge of high roofs 96 ft. " of Lady Chapel vault 33 ft. Total internal area (about) 39,240 sq. ft. Height of floor above mean sea-level 340 ft.

[13] These are the dimensions given by Lord Grimthorpe; the altitudes, except when otherwise stated, are measured from the level of the floor at the west doorways.

THE END