The Abbey

I know its a Cathedral and it has an odd status because it is a parish church as well, but I was born in St Albans and I've always known it as "the abbey".

I dropped my son off for badminton training and had some time to kill - so a blipping I shall go!

The longest nave in England, made extra long by some proud Victorians. The tower is Norman dating approx 1077 and is the only 11th century tower of its type still standing in England.

The bricks are a couple of hundred years even older, being Roman bricks that the Normans nicked out of the remains of the roman city of Verulamium at the bottom of the hill.

St Alban was the first British martyr and this is the oldest site of Christian worship in Britain with some sort of shrine dating back to the mid 300's possibly earlier.

I'm always reminded of a holiday I took in America - in Key West. A local insisted several times that I must go and see the town hall. I really must go and see the town hall....."Its a hundred years old!"

My apologies to my mates in St Albans and surroundings, I didn't drop in because by the time I had parked and messed about I was running short of time to get back to Hatfield to pick up Hugo.