Abbey Church of St Alban

The Abbey Church of St Alban is a Grade I listed building originally constructed as a Norman church between 1077 and 1088. The surviving elements include the north wall of the nave, the transepts, and the crossing tower, although the end windows of the transepts were modified by Lord Grimthorpe in the 1890s. The walls are made of flint and Roman brick, with the tower primarily built of Roman brick. Notable architectural features include 12th-century intersecting blank arcading and a door in the slype. The three west bays of the north side of the nave are in the Early English style, with tripartite shafts indicating that vaulting was originally planned, though the actual vaulting was completed in the 19th century. The chancel arcade and blank arcading of the walls date from the late 13th century, along with the retrochoir. The decorated Lady Chapel features a 19th-century vault. The south side of the nave was rebuilt after 1323, and the aisle was vaulted, with some doorways and windows from the late 14th century. Significant alterations, including the complete rebuilding of the west end and many windows, were carried out by Lord Grimthorpe in the 1890s. Inside, much of the original Norman plastering remains, along with decorative and figurative wall paintings. Among the many monuments inside, the shrine of St Alban, reconstructed from 1320, and a late 14th-century guard box are particularly notable.