St Albans Day Out October 2013

St Albans Day Out – October 2013

For those of you who couldn’t make our trip to St Albans We thought we’d show you a few  pictures.  It really is a most interesting place to visit, and we highly recommend a day. Hazle thinks she’ll do all her Christmas shopping there….!

 

The Shrineof St Alban

We started the day with coffee and catching up before our first tour of the day, a guided walk of The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Albans. (as we learnt it should be called!) Our guide, with his wealth of knowledge, took us though the history of the building, from it’s inception as a monastic abbey to the current 21st century Cathedral, on the way visiting the shrine of St Alban, admiring the beautiful Rose Window, recreated by the Church’s rescuer in the 19th century, and marvelling at the medieval wall paintings – how amazing to imagine the interior of this wonderful building would at that time be covered with brightly coloured paintings!

The Rose Window

 

After a great lunch in the Cathedral Café and a little time at leisure, we met up with our second guide of the day to tour the town…and there was plenty to see!  from the Old Clock tower, to the historic Market Hall, and in between, inns, taverns and pubs at every turning!  At one point St Albans had more inns than any other British City! One medieval tavern St. Alban's 'Devil Woman 2'announced itself with a carved ’Devil Woman’ at the entrance…as our guide said, this was either intended to warn the monks from the abbey to keep clear, or to let them know this was the place they were looking for!

 

We also heard about one of St Albans’ most well known inhabitants…Sam Ryder.

 

In the 1890s, Samuel Ryder started to sell packets of seeds through the post from his home in St Albans He kept his stock in the garden shed of his house on Folly Lane, and was assisted by his wife and daughter. The business grew rapidly until the business moved to a large packaging workshop on Holywell Hill, employing around 100 staff.  At this time he established a separate herb business, Heath and Heather, with his brother James.

 

Commit no nuisanc door with grouBpAfter a period of ill health in 1908, Ryder’s friend Frank Wheeler, suggested that Ryder take up golf as a way to get more fresh air. He became an enthusiastic amateur, joining Verulam Golf Club, where he quickly progressed and was appointed captain in 1911, 1926 and 1927.  After funding an international golf competition in 1926, he sponsored the Ryder Cup, donating a gold trophy for the first biennial golf championship between the best professional golfers in the USA and the UK in 1927.

Who knows where we will visit next year?  To join our mailing list and to get an invitation to our next day trip, email us now:  info@hazle.com

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