As one of the earliest recorded towns in Britain, St Albans has had a long, colourful and distinguished history. Dominated by the great Abbey Church of St Alban, the adjacent site was a thriving market town in Saxon, Norman, medieval and Georgian times. The coming of the railway in the mid nineteenth century saw increased development to the east of the original settlement, and this has been steadily growing ever since. St Albans was one of the sites where Magna Carta was drafted. It played a great part in the Peasants' Revolt, and took Parliament's side in the Civil War. Each of these periods has left its mark on the architecture and environment. Today St Albans is still a thriving market town, a focus for commuters and a magnet for tourists. All this and more is captured in this remarkable book, celebrating the vibrant life of this most historic area.

Robert Bard (PhD) is an author and historian, a former pilot for Jersey European Airways, and a long-time keen yachtsman who has had a continuous contact with Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey for over thirty-five years. He has written many books for Amberley Publishing, including The Channel Islands at War: A Dark History, London’s Hidden Burial Grounds, and more recently Paranormal Berkshire. He lives in Chipping Barnet in Hertfordshire.