Roman Theatre, St Albans

Last updated

Looking across the Roman theatre towards St Michael's Church, St Albans RomanTheatreVerulamium-PS1.jpg
Looking across the Roman theatre towards St Michael's Church, St Albans

The Roman Theatre at St Albans, Hertfordshire, England is an excavated site within the Roman walled city of Verulamium. Although there are other Roman theatres in Britain (for example at Camulodunum), the one at Verulamium is claimed to be the only example of its kind, being a theatre with a stage rather than an amphitheatre. [1] [2]

Contents

The theatre differs from the typical Roman theatre in being built on a site that is only slightly sloping (where possible Roman theatres took advantage of the natural terrain), and in its plan (although there are theatres with similar plans in Northern Gaul). The theatre was built in about 140AD. Urban life continued in Verulamium into the 5th century. However, by that time the theatre had fallen into disuse. It was used as a rubbish dump in the 4th century.

Excavation

It was excavated in the 19th century, [3] and again in the 1930s by Kathleen Kenyon.

Access and use

The theatre is on land belonging to the Earl of Verulam and is regularly opened to the public. [1]

It is sometimes used for theatrical performances. [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

St Albans is a city located in Hertfordshire, England. It was originally founded as Verlamion a settlement belonging to the Catuvellauni. It was subsequently transformed into the Roman settlement of Verulamium from where it grew into a municipium around AD 50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hertfordshire</span> County of England

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Watford, and the county town is Hertford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Albans</span> City in southern Hertfordshire, England

St Albans is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, 20 miles (32 km) north-west of London, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Welwyn Garden City and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the city of Verulamium. It is within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verulamium</span> Ancient town in Roman Britain

Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. The major ancient Roman route Watling Street passed through the city, but was realigned in medieval times to bring trade to St Albans. It was about a day's walk from London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Albans Cathedral</span> Church in Hertfordshire , England

St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, also known as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watling Street</span> Historic route in England

Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main Roman roads in Britannia. The line of the road was later the southwestern border of the Danelaw with Wessex and Mercia, and Watling Street was numbered as one of the major highways of medieval England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welwyn</span> Village in Hertfordshire, England

Welwyn is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The parish also includes the villages of Digswell and Oaklands. It is sometimes referred to as Old Welwyn or Welwyn Village, to distinguish it from the much newer and larger settlement of Welwyn Garden City, about a mile to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphibalus</span> Early medieval Christian saint

Amphibalus is a venerated early Christian priest said to have converted Saint Alban to Christianity. He occupied a place in British hagiography almost as revered as Alban himself. According to many hagiographical accounts, including those of Gildas, Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Matthew of Paris, Amphibalus was a Roman Christian fleeing religious persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Amphibalus was offered shelter by Alban in the Roman city of Verulamium, in modern-day England. Alban was so impressed with the priest's faith and teaching that he began to emulate him in worship, and eventually became a Christian himself. When Roman soldiers came to seize Amphibalus, Alban put on Amphibalus' robes and was punished in his place. According to Matthew Paris, after Alban's martyrdom, the Romans eventually caught and martyred Amphibalus as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Hertfordshire</span> History of English county

Hertfordshire is an English county, founded in the Norse–Saxon wars of the 9th century, and developed through commerce serving London. It is a land-locked county that was several times the seat of Parliament. From origins in brewing and papermaking, through aircraft manufacture, the county has developed a wider range of industry in which pharmaceuticals, financial services and film-making are prominent. Today, with a population slightly over 1 million, Hertfordshire services, industry and commerce dominate the economy, with fewer than 2000 people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ver</span> River in Hertfordshire, England

The Ver is a 28 km (17 mi) long chalk stream in Hertfordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Colne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ye Olde Fighting Cocks</span> Pub in St Albans, England

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is a pub in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It is one of several pubs that lay claim to being the oldest in England, claiming to have been in business since 793 AD. Its claim to that date is somewhat uncertain: the building is described by Historic England as being of 16th-century appearance, and the earliest date for which it might have been licensed is 1756. Other pubs such as Ye Olde Man & Scythe in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham also make unproved claims to being the oldest. Ye Olde Fighting Cocks was once listed as the oldest in England by the Guinness World Records, but the record was withdrawn from consideration in 2000 because it was deemed impossible to verify.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Alban</span> English protomartyr

Saint Alban is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr, for which reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named martyrs recorded at an early date from Roman Britain. He is traditionally believed to have been beheaded in Verulamium sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, and has been celebrated there since ancient times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verlamion</span> Pre-Roman town near St Albans, England

Verlamion, or Verlamio, was a settlement in Iron Age Britain. It was a major centre of the Catuvellauni tribe from about 20 BC until shortly after the Roman invasion of AD 43. It is associated with a particular king, Tasciovanus. Its location was on Prae Hill, 2 km to the west of modern St Albans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamstead</span> Village in Hertfordshire, England

Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original Verulamstead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, St Albans</span> Church in Hertfordshire, England

St Michael's Church is a Church of England parish church in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Much of the building is late 10th or early 11th century, making it the most significant surviving Anglo-Saxon building in the county. It is located near the centre of the site of Roman Verulamium to the west of the modern city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gadebridge Park Roman Villa</span> Building in grid reference , United Kingdom

Gadebridge Roman Villa, alternatively known as Gadebridge Park Roman Villa, is a ruined Roman villa in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Leonard's Church, Sandridge</span> Church in Hertfordshire, England


St Leonard's Church is in Sandridge, a village in Hertfordshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church. The building is Grade II* listed: notable features include its chancel arch made from recycled Roman brick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potters Crouch</span> Human settlement in England

Potters Crouch is a small hamlet in Hertfordshire, England, south-west of St Albans near Chiswell Green. It is in the civil parish of St Michael.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Albans Museums</span> Local museum in St Albans, Herfordshire, England

St Albans Museums is a collection of museums and historic buildings in the city of St Albans, Hertfordshire, England that is run by St Albans City and District Council. It oversees St Albans Museum + Gallery and the Verulamium Museum, and also the Hypocaust at Verulamium, St Albans' medieval Clock Tower, and the ruins of Sopwell Priory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Six Bells</span> Public house in St Albans

The Six Bells is a public house in St Michael's Street in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. The seventeenth-century timber-framed building is situated within the walls of the Roman city of Verulamium.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Roman Theatre". www.gorhamburyestate.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  2. Becker, J. "Places: 113035707 (Verulamium Roman theater)". Pleiades. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  3. "Remains of the Roman theatre at St Albans, Hertfordshire (excavated 1847)". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  4. Davies, Alan (12 July 2017). "Ancient Greek play..." Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  5. "About the Theatre". OVO - Theatre | Bold Imaginative Surprising. Retrieved 13 March 2023.