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Edgware.—An old-fashioned village.

Elstree.—A charmingly situated village, overlooking Aldenham Park.

The road through Highgate, Finchley, and Barnet passes the following places on the way to St. Albans:

Chipping Barnet.—A growing town, much modernized; church, Perpendicular style, but recently almost entirely rebuilt.

Monken Hadley.—A pretty village; interesting church with cradle beacon affixed to tower; obelisk of Battle of Barnet.

South Mimms.—Small village; Perpendicular church, with traces of Early English; the Frowyke Chapel, with effigy.

Salisbury Hall.—A sixteenth-century moated grange.

St. Albans.—Cathedral, Early Norman (1077) to Decorated, of exceptional interest; great gateway of the monastery; Roman walls of Verulamium and British causeway; medieval clock-tower; sites of the two battles; St. Michael's Church, Saxon, with monument of Bacon; old timbered houses.

Redbourne.—Small village; church, Norman and Early English; fine chancel screen.

Dunstable.—Ancient town, with earthworks; Priory Church, Transition Norman, impressive west front.

THE STARTING-POINT

The best and most direct route from London to the finest scenery in Wales, as well as to many of the most picturesque towns and districts in the western half of the central or midland portion of England, is the Holyhead Road. The older route books invariably give the General Post Office as the best starting-point, and this has been indicated on the route map on this page, and that road beyond Barnet is described, but as the Edgware Road is so much preferable in many ways, the distances by that way are given at the head of this section. From the Marble Arch the road goes as straight as an arrow, passing through Maida Vale, Brondesbury, and Cricklewood. The Welsh Harp Reservoir is crossed, and the villages of Edgware and Elstree passed through, and the road from Barnet is joined at St. Albans.

(Trunk) No. 1.

LONDON TO DUNSTABLE.

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By the older route shown in the map the first open country is not reached until Barnet is passed. Barnet itself is now a suburban town without any interest.

MONKEN HADLEY

Upon leaving Barnet, a slight detour to the right, occupying a few minutes, leads to Monken Hadley Church, of varied styles of architecture. It stands upon high ground near the road, and is picturesquely surrounded by trees and pleasantly situated old houses on a village green. The iron cradle beacon affixed to the tower is an object of great rarity. It was used in past times to signal the approach of disturbers of the peace. A tall obelisk near the church was erected early in the eighteenth century to mark the site of the battlefield of Barnet, 1471, immortalized in Bulwer Lytton's 'Last of the Barons,' and memorable for the death of the great King-maker. A road with a few easy turns in it leads back to the main route. It passes Wrotham Park, the seat of the Rev. the Earl of Strafford, whose family name is Byng. Within one of the rooms the oak cabin of the flag-ship once occupied by Admiral Byng has been erected, conveyed thither when the vessel was broken up. Since 1757, when the Admiral was shot upon his own quarter-deck, pour encourager les autres, no Byng has entered the navy, the family having transferred its allegiance to the army as a mild protest.

SOUTH MIMMS

The church contains traces of Early English architecture, but the main features are Perpendicular. In the Frowyke Chapel, separated from the church by a Perpendicular parclose screen, is a well-preserved effigy of the Transition period and an interesting brass let in the floor. The door to the vanished rood-loft is in good condition, and a low-side window may be found in the chancel. Thomas de Frowyke, died 1448, is buried under the tower; the inscription states that six sons and twelve daughters furnished the matrimonial quiver. The ecclesiologist with time upon his hands will find an interesting church at North Mimms, about two miles across country (see map), standing in the grounds of an Elizabethan mansion. From South Mimms a long and easy ascent leads to the summit of Ridge Hill, where the massive tower of St. Alban's fane comes into view in the midst of a beautiful landscape. An equally long and easy descent leads to a turn, where a cottage stands upon the left, at some white gates. This is the entrance to Salisbury Hall, a picturesque moated grange of exceptional interest, with quaint gables, twisted chimneys, and beautiful surroundings. Originally built in the time of Henry VIII. by Sir John Cutts, Treasurer of England, it subsequently was occupied by the well-known Sir Jeremy Snow. Nell Gwynn was often here, recouping from Court revels, and tradition asserts that Prince Charles sought refuge within its walls after the Battle of Worcester. Visitors are generally permitted to walk up to the farmyard to see the front of the house. At London Colney a piece of water is crossed. Tyttenhanger lies to the right, at a distance of about two miles; it was the country house of the Abbots of St. Albans, and has been adapted to modern requirements. The road from here to St. Albans is easy, but care should be exercised at the cross-roads in the centre of the town, where a policeman generally regulates traffic.

Town Plan No. 1—St. Albans.

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ST. ALBANS

A walk through the cloisters opposite the Great Red Lion Hotel affords a striking view of a considerable part of the vast Abbey Church, the most ancient of the great churches in England. It stands upon higher ground than any other cathedral in the British Isles, and is the longest next to Winchester. It possesses, moreover, the longest Gothic nave in the world. The Norman tower, dating from 1077, is composed of Roman bricks from the neighbouring Verulamium, and flints, bricks, and stone from the same site may be detected in the walls. The walk leads round to the southern part of the church, through the ancient sumpter-yard, with its fine old cedar, and thence to the west front, the site of the demolished monastery showing in irregular heaps upon the left.

The nave is open to the public free of charge. Sixpence is charged for entrance to the eastern portions (threepence each for a party of ten). Open from—

November 1 to February 28	10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March 1 to April 30	10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
September 16 to October 31
May 1 to September 15	10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Building Dates.

Roman Period.—St. Alban was executed upon this spot, presumably in the amphitheatre, in 303, and a church was erected to his memory by the Christians of Verulam in 313, which was still standing in Bede's time.

793. Offa the Great, King of Mercia, founded the monastery, and either repaired and enlarged the Romano-British church or built a new one.

1077. Shortly after the Conquest, Paul de Caen, a relative of Lanfranc, was appointed the first Norman abbot, and proceeded to demolish the church, subsequently erecting a great Norman building in its place, the remains of which—viz., the tower, transepts, parts of the nave and the presbytery—still remain.

On entering by the west front, which has been rebuilt by Lord Grimthorpe, the first part of the nave is Early English, dating from c. 1214, and one of the best examples in England. Farther on Norman bays, dating from 1077, are upon the north, while opposite them are Decorated Gothic bays, built c. 1323 to replace the Norman work which had fallen. The screen has been despoiled; it was erected in 1350. Passing through the door, the abbot's entrance from the cloisters is seen upon the right, and the south transept is reached, having a curious feature, the slype of Transition Norman work at the south end. The tower dates from 1077, and is the largest and heaviest of the Norman towers now remaining in England. Eight of the baluster columns round the triforia are from the former Saxon church, and date from 793. The choir-stalls are new, and above them is a remarkable ceiling, the panels dating from 1368 to 1450. The north transept is the reputed site of St. Alban's martyrdom. In the presbytery is the high-altar screen, only rivalled by that at Winchester, and dating from 1484. It is the work of Abbot Wallingford, was despoiled at the Reformation, and recently restored by the late Lord Aldenham. South of it lies the chantry tomb of Abbot Wheathampstead, and north that of Abbot Ramryge. Leaving by the north door, the presbytery aisle is reached, partly Norman and partly Early English. The old doors from the west front preserved here date from the time of Henry VI. Proceeding eastwards, the entrance to the Saint's Chapel is on the right. Here is the far-famed shrine of St. Alban, or rather the pedestal of the shrine, since the shrine itself was portable, and rested upon the top of the structure. It dates from 1306, was demolished in 1539, and built up in the three lancets at the east end of the chapel. When the arches were opened some time since, the fragments were recovered and put together. The tomb of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (died, or murdered, 1447; see Shakespeare, Henry VI., Part II.), stands on the south of the chapel; the coffin may be seen by raising the trap-door. On the north side is the Watching Gallery, where a monk sat to guard the shrine and its treasures. It dates from c. 1400. There is only one other in England.

Leaving by the north door again, the shrine of St. Amphibalus, dating from 1350, is seen. It was likewise demolished at the Reformation. The Lady Chapel and its ante-chapel were erected between 1260 and 1320, and exhibit Early English and Decorated architecture. They have been restored under Lord Grimthorpe. Forty nobles who fell in the first Battle of St. Albans are interred here. At the Reformation the chapels were converted into school premises for St. Albans Grammar School, and used as such for 300 years. The stone carving is particularly beautiful. Passing out by the south door, an altar slab is seen, with its five crosses; a grille, dating from c. 1270, which is the only trellis screen in England; and upon the south the openings to former external chapels. In the Wheathampstead Chapel may be seen the brass of Abbot de la Mare (1349 to 1396), reputed to be the finest ecclesiastical brass in existence.

The Great Gateway of the Monastery, opposite to the west front of the Abbey Church, dates from 1361, and now forms part of St. Albans Grammar School, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, scholastic foundations in the kingdom. It was probably founded in the reign of King Edred, about 948, and among the eminent personages attending it have been Alexander Nequam, foster-brother of Richard I.; Matthew Paris, who left the school in 1217 and entered the monastery; Sir John Mandeville, the famous writer of his supposed travels, who lies buried in the abbey; and Nicholas Breakspere, born in 1090, who subsequently became Pope of Rome, the only Englishman who has attained to that dignity. In 1195 the school was the largest in England. In 1381 the gates were forced by the rioters in Wat Tyler's rebellion and the precincts of the monastery invaded; and in 1480 the third printing-press in England was set up in the building. Among post-Reformation scholars one of the most distinguished was Francis Bacon.

At the bottom of the lane leading from the monastery gateway is the well-known Fighting Cocks Inn, reputed to be the oldest inhabited house in Britain, and a few steps from it the River Ver. Crossing the stream, the British causeway is reached, one of the most ancient earthworks in Great Britain, and the Roman walls lie just beyond. The visitor here stands upon soil which recalls memories of the earliest period in the chronology of English history.

Verulamium.—At the time of Cæsar's invasion, 54 B.C., Cassivelaunus was ruling over a great tract of country, with his capital at Verulamium, the home of a long line of ancestors. The Roman general captured the city and exacted tribute. In A.D. 42 the town submitted to the Romans under Aulus Plautius, but was sacked and burnt by Boadicea and her followers in A.D. 61. Rebuilt and fortified with walls and towers, it was the first Roman city built in Britain. Its area is 203 acres. In A.D. 58 Nero made it a municipium, or free city, York being the only other town so honoured. It was essentially a trading and residential city, and became the capital of Southern Britain. In 303 St. Alban was led out of the gates and martyred upon Holmhurst, where the Abbey Church was subsequently erected. By 436 the Roman occupation had ceased, and swarms of Picts and Scots, Irish pirates, and Northmen overran the district. Many battles were fought, and in 516 Verulamium was sacked and burnt. It served as a quarry for many hundreds of years, yielding building materials for the monastery and town. The only Roman theatre as yet discovered in Britain came to light about fifty years since, and the foundations of the largest building as yet unearthed in our islands were revealed a few years ago. The thorough excavation of the whole site is being mooted at the present time.

St. Michael's Church is of Saxon architecture, dating from 948. It contains an Elizabethan pulpit with hour-glass stand, and the tomb and statue of Francis Bacon, Viscount St. Albans.

The Two Battles of St. Albans were fought in 1455 and 1461, the first chiefly in St. Peter's Street and its byways, and the second upon Bernard's Heath, lying to the north of St. Peter's Church, in whose churchyard many thousands of the slain were interred.

The Clock Tower in the High Street dates from 1410, and contains a medieval bell of beautiful workmanship, c. 1403, the curfew bell.

Other objects of interest in St. Albans are Sopwell Ruins, St. Stephen's Church, and Gorhambury, two miles distant, the house of the Bacons.

Shortly after leaving St. Albans by the Redbourn road, the River Ver is crossed at Bow Bridge, and here the Watling Street from London, which has passed through the centre of Verulam, joins the road, and from this point until Chester is reached the way lies almost entirely upon this great Roman artery. It is intact from London to St. Stephen's Church, St. Albans, and, with a few gaps, from near Bow Bridge to Chester.

At Redbourn a few quaint old houses still linger in the long, narrow street. To reach the church, which is Norman and Early English, a turn to the left is taken at the entrance to the village. It contains a very fine chancel screen.

Flamstead lies half a mile off the main road, at the summit of a steep hill. The church has recently been restored—a restoration in the true sense of the word.

A long, steady rise through beautiful country eventually leads to

DUNSTABLE

The modern town is successor to the ancient station of Durocobrivæ and a great Roman market, the Forum Dianæ.

Town Plan No. 2—Dunstable.

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The district is remarkably rich in British and Roman remains: Maiden Bower, a circular British earthwork, and Totternhoe, a combined British and Roman fort, lie at short distances from the town (see Map). The Watling Street is crossed here in the centre of the town by the Icknield Way, and a piece of the Roman road was exposed near this spot, which was 9 inches thick and intensely hard, of cemented flints and sandstone.

Turning to the right, along Church Street (part of the Icknield Way), the priory church, with its beautiful west front, is seen upon the right.

Dunstable Priory Church.—Founded 1131, the church is but a fragment of that which formerly stood here. Tower, transepts, chancel, and Lady Chapel have disappeared, and even the nave, which remains, has been curtailed. The body of Queen Eleanor rested here in 1290 upon its progress to London; and in 1533 Archbishop Cranmer held his court in the church, and formally divorced Queen Catherine of Aragon from the King. The priory was dissolved in 1534. The greater part of the building is Transition Norman, the chevron and billet ornamentation being of excellent workmanship. The north aisle is Perpendicular. In the chancel are ten balusters of Flemish design and execution. Undoubtedly the great feature of the building is the exquisite west front, which, though suffering in parts from recent restoration, still delights the ecclesiologist. It contains four orders of architecture, which effectually harmonize with one another.

Mr. Worthington G. Smith, the eminent local antiquary, has written a most admirable handbook to the town, which will supplement these brief particulars.