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51-517: The festival was conceived by the organist and choirmaster of St Albans Cathedral , Peter Hurford , to celebrate the building of a new organ at the cathedral by Harrison & Harrison . The main competitions are still conducted on this instrument, its eclectic style and modern electropneumatic action now complemented by another self-contained tracker action instrument which the International Organ Festival Society,

102-479: A "pompous, righteous bully." However, he donated much of the immense sum of £130,000 the work cost. Whereas Scott's work had clearly been in sympathy with the existing building, Grimthorpe's plans reflected the Victorian ideal. Indeed, he spent considerable time dismissing and criticising the work of Scott and the efforts of his son. Steven Osborne (pianist) Too Many Requests If you report this error to

153-622: A 'Hertfordshire spike', the roof pitch greatly reduced and battlements liberally added. Further new windows, at £50 each, were put in the transepts by Abbot Wallingford (also known as William of Wallingford ), who also had a new high altar screen made. After the death of Abbot Ramryge in 1521 the Abbey fell into debt and slow decay under three weak abbots. At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and its surrender on 5 December 1539

204-525: A church and Gildas a shrine. Bishop Germanus of Auxerre visited in 429. The style of this structure is unknown; the 13th-century chronicler Matthew Paris (see below) said the Saxons destroyed the building in 586. Offa II of Mercia , is said to have founded a double monastery at St Albans in 793. It followed the Benedictine rule. The Abbey was built on Holmhurst Hill—now Holywell Hill—across

255-469: A concerto final at St John's Smith Square . There are two main competitions, the interpretation competition and the improvisation competition (formerly known as the Tournemire Prize ). Judges have included Piet Kee , Marie-Claire Alain , Anton Heiller , Ralph Downes , Harry Croft-Jackson , Thomas Trotter , Ton Koopman , Naji Hakim , Daniel Roth and David Sanger . The competition

306-424: A cost of £40. The window was clear glass with five lights and three transoms in an early Gothic Revival style by John Hawgood. Other windows, although not damaged in the storm, were a constant drain on the Abbey budget in the 18th century. A brief written in 1723–1724, seeking £5,775, notes a great crack in the south wall, that the north wall was eighteen inches from vertical, and that the roof timbers were decayed to

357-492: A monk at St Albans from 1217 until his death in 1259, was important both as a chronicler and an artist. Eighteen of his manuscripts survive and are a rich source of contemporary information for historians. Nicholas Breakspear was born near St Albans, reportedly at Abbots Langley , and applied to be admitted to the Abbey as a novice, but he was turned down. He eventually managed to be accepted into an abbey in France. In 1154 he

408-441: A new drainage system for the roof, new ironwork on almost all the windows, and on and on. He estimated a cost of £14,000. A public subscription of £4,000 was raised, of which £1,700 vanished in expenses. With the limited funds the clerestory wall was rebuilt, the nave roof re-leaded, the tower spike removed, some forty blocked windows reopened and glazed, and the south window remade in stone. Henry Nicholson, rector from 1835 to 1866,

459-461: A parish church, of which the dean is rector with the same powers, responsibilities and duties as those of any other parish . At 85 metres long, it has the longest nave of any cathedral in England. Probably founded in the 8th century, the present building is Norman or Romanesque architecture of the 11th century, with Gothic and 19th-century additions. According to Bede , whose account of

510-429: A position he held until 1890. He is buried in the churchyard on the north side of the nave. George Gilbert Scott was working on the nave roof, vaulting and west bay when he died on 27 March 1878. His plans were partially completed by his son, John Oldrid Scott , but the remaining work fell into the hands of Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe , whose efforts have attracted much controversy— Nikolaus Pevsner calling him

561-471: A scheme to destroy the Abbey and erect a smaller church almost succeeded. A storm in 1797 caused some subsidence, cracking open graves, scattering pavement tiles, flooding the church interior and leaving a few more arches off-vertical. This century was marked with a number of repair schemes. The Abbey received some money from the 1818 " Million Act ", and in 1820, £450 was raised to buy an organ —a second-hand example made in 1670. The major efforts to revive

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612-506: Is an audience favourite, in which over the years the choristers of St Albans Cathedral have been joined by many of England's most celebrated cathedral choirs (for instance, in 2013 Salisbury Cathedral & York Minster , in 2015 Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and Westminster Cathedral , and in 2017 St Paul's Cathedral & Temple Church ). Many of the great orchestras (the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ,

663-680: Is considered prestigious, as may be judged by the list of past winners (starting with Susan Landale in 1963 and Gillian Weir in 1964), and judges have occasionally decided not to award first prize. The Artistic Director and Executive Director since 2007 is David Titterington , professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music . The 2023 festival and competitions, marking the festival's 60th anniversary, took place from 3 to 15 July. The festival's associated concert series includes large orchestral and choral works, chamber music and solo performances, as well as evening jazz. The Three Choirs concert

714-580: The Clock Tower and in the Tudor streets of St Michael's or in the Alban Arena . Artists taking part included Seth Lakeman , The Swanvesta Social Club and Isla St Clair . Previously, cabaret events and other entertainment had been run as part of the festival, including performances from Richard Stilgoe , Jake Thackray , Instant Sunshine and others. The following individuals have won prizes at

765-563: The Diocese of Rochester . Then, in 1875, the Bishopric of St Albans Act was passed and on 30 April 1877 the See of St Albans was created, which comprises about 300 churches in the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire . Thomas Legh Claughton , then Bishop of Rochester , elected to take the northern division of his old diocese and on 12 June 1877 was enthroned first Bishop of St Albans ,

816-620: The River Ver from the ruins of Verulamium. Again there is no information to the form of the first abbey. Abbot Ulsinus founded St Albans Market outside of the Waxhouse Gate, on what is now Market Place, in c.  860 to generate income for the Abbey and to form the centre of a new town. The Abbey was probably sacked by the Danes around 890 and, despite Paris's claims, the office of abbot remained empty from around 920 until

867-734: The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and others) have played in the Festival, and there have been recitals and concerts from performers such as John Williams , Sarah Walker , Musica Antiqua Köln , Evelyn Glennie , Emma Kirkby , James Bowman and Julian Perkins . Concerts have sometimes been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 . Many concerts take place in the Cathedral, but the Festival takes place all over St Albans with other regular venues including St Peter's Church and St Saviour's Church. The 2021 Festival

918-474: The 970s when the efforts of Dunstan reached the town. There was an intention to rebuild the Abbey in 1005 when Abbot Ealdred was licensed to remove building material from Verulamium. With the town resting on clay and chalk, the only tough stone is flint . This was used with a lime mortar and then either plastered over or left bare. With the great quantities of brick, tile and other stone in Verulamium,

969-479: The Abbey Church came under four men— L. N. Cottingham , H. J. B. Nicholson (Rector), and, especially, George Gilbert Scott and Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe . In February 1832 a portion of the clerestory wall fell through the roof of the south aisle, leaving a hole almost thirty feet long. With the need for serious repair work evident, the architect Lewis Nockalls Cottingham was called in to survey

1020-457: The Roman site became a prime source of building material for the Abbey and other projects in the area. Sections demanding worked stone used Lincolnshire limestone ( Barnack stone ) from Verulamium; later worked stones include Totternhoe freestone from Bedfordshire , Purbeck marble , and different limestones ( Ancaster , Chilmark , Clipsham , etc.). Renewed Viking raids from 1016 stalled

1071-454: The Saxon efforts and very little from the Saxon abbey was incorporated in the later forms. Much of the current layout and proportions of the structure date from the first Norman abbot, Paul of Caen (1077–1093). The 14th abbot, he was appointed by his uncle, the new Archbishop of Canterbury , Lanfranc . Building work started in the year of Abbot Paul's arrival. The design and construction

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1122-400: The building. His Survey was presented in 1832 and was worrying reading: everywhere mortar was in a wretched condition and wooden beams were rotting and twisting. Cottingham recommended new beams throughout the roof and a new steeper pitch, removal of the spire and new timbers in the tower, new paving, ironwork to hold the west transept wall up, a new stone south transept window, new buttresses,

1173-464: The buildings, except the church and chapel and some other Crown premises, in 1538, 1539, or 1540. In 1549, Lee began systematic demolition, including the removal and sale of the stone, except for what may have been retained to improve Lee Hall at Sopwell . In March 1550, Lee returned the land to the abbot by grant. The area was named Abbey Ruins for the next 200 years or so. In 1553 the Lady chapel

1224-582: The charity which runs the Festival, has had built for its own use and sited at St Saviour's Church, St Albans. This was built by Peter Collins in the style of, and in homage to, the early 18th century German organ builder Andreas Silbermann . There is a new (2005) organ in St Peter's Church, St Albans by Mander Organs , which played a role in the festival and competitions from 2007. Recent competitions have also visited London, with competition rounds regularly held at Christ Church Spitalfields and, in 2017,

1275-618: The festival. St Albans Cathedral 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. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be an abbey following its dissolution in the 16th century and became a cathedral in 1877. Although legally a cathedral church, it differs in certain particulars from most other cathedrals in England, being also used as

1326-422: The foundations down to twelve feet to hit bedrock. Below the crossing tower special large stones were used. The tower was a particular triumph—it is the only 11th-century great crossing tower still standing in England. Robert began with special thick supporting walls and four massive brick piers. The four-level tower tapers at each stage with clasping buttresses on the three lower levels and circular buttresses on

1377-479: The fourth stage. The entire structure masses 5,000 tons and is 144 feet high. The tower was probably topped with a Norman pyramidal roof; the current roof is flat. The original ringing chamber had five bells—two paid for by the Abbot, two by a wealthy townsman, and one donated by the rector of Hoddesdon . None of these bells has survived. There was a widespread belief that the Abbey had two additional, smaller towers at

1428-485: The income was £2,100 annually. The abbot and remaining forty monks were pensioned off and then the buildings were looted. All gold, silver and gilt objects were carted away with all other valuables; stonework was broken and defaced and graves opened to search for riches. The Abbey became part of the diocese of Lincoln in 1542 and was moved to the diocese of London in 1550. The buildings suffered—neglect, second-rate repairs, even active damage. Richard Lee purchased all

1479-684: The monies spent on repairs, while the Abbey Church was used to hold prisoners of war and suffered from their vandalism, as well as that of their guards. Most of the metal objects that had survived the Dissolution were also removed and other ornamental parts were damaged in Puritan sternness. Another round of fund-raising in 1681–1684 was again spent on the roof, repairing the Presbytery vault. A royal grant from William III and Mary II in 1689 went on general maintenance, 'repairs' to conceal some of

1530-425: The nave was now far from straight; Scott reinforced the north wall and put in scaffolding to take the weight of the roof off the wall, then had it jacked straight in under three hours. The wall was then buttressed with five huge new masses and set right. Scott was lauded as "saviour of the Abbey." From 1870 to 1875 around £20,000 was spent on the Abbey. In 1845 St Albans was transferred from the Diocese of Lincoln to

1581-411: The point of danger. The money raised was spent on the nave roof over ten bays. Another brief was not issued until 1764. Again the roof was rotting, as was the south transept window, walls were cracked or shattered in part and the south wall had subsided and now leant outwards. Despite a target of £2,500 a mere £600 was raised. In the 1770s the Abbey came close to demolition; the expense of repairs meant

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1632-539: The priest, but Alban put on his cloak and presented himself to the soldiers in place of his guest. Alban was brought before a judge and was sentenced to beheading. As he was led to execution, he came to a fast flowing river, commonly believed to be the River Ver , crossed it and went about 500 paces to a gently sloping hill overlooking a beautiful plain When he reached the summit he began to thirst and prayed that God would give him drink, whereupon water sprang up at his feet. It

1683-516: The removal of tons of earth, and fixing the north aisle roof. From 1872 to 1877 the restored floors were re-tiled in matching stone and copies of old tile designs. A further 2,000 tons of earth were shifted in 1863 during work on the foundation and a new drainage system. In 1870 the tower piers were found to be badly weakened with many cracks and cavities. Huge timbers were inserted and the arches filled with brick as an emergency measure. Repair work took until May 1871 and cost over £2,000. The south wall of

1734-434: The ruins of Verulamium. To make maximum use of the hilltop the Abbey was oriented to the south-east. The cruciform abbey was the largest built in England at that time, it had a chancel of four bays, a transept containing seven apses , and a nave of ten bays—fifteen bays long overall. Robert gave particular attention to solid foundations , running a continuous wall of layered bricks, flints and mortar below and pushing

1785-533: The saint's life is the most elaborate, Alban lived in Verulamium , some time during the 3rd or 4th centuries. At that time Christians began to suffer "cruel persecution". The legend proceeds with Alban meeting a Christian priest (known as Amphibalus ) fleeing from "persecutors", and sheltering him in his house for a number of days. Alban was so impressed with the priest's faith and piety that he soon converted to Christianity. Eventually Roman soldiers came to seize

1836-464: The then considered unfashionable Gothic features, and on new internal fittings. There was a second royal grant from William in 1698. By the end of the 17th century the dilapidation was sufficient for a number of writers to comment upon it. In 1703, from 26 November to 1 December, the Great Storm raged across southern England; the Abbey lost the south transept window which was replaced in wood at

1887-618: The tower was left. The rebuilding and updating was completed during the rule of Abbot Roger de Norton (1263–90) who founded an additional market in Watford . On 10 October 1323 two piers on the south side of the nave collapsed dragging down much of the roof and wrecking five bays. Mason Henry Wy undertook the rebuilding, matching the Early English style of the rest of the bays but adding distinctly 14th-century detailing and ornaments. The shrine to St Amphibalus had also been damaged and it

1938-544: The west end. No remains have been found. The monastic abbey was completed in 1089 but not consecrated until Holy Innocents' Day (28 December), 1115, by the Archbishop of Rouen . King Henry I attended as did many bishops and nobles. A nunnery ( Sopwell Priory ) was founded nearby in 1140. Internally the Abbey church was bare of sculpture, almost stark. The plaster walls were coloured and patterned in parts, with extensive tapestries adding colour. Sculptural decoration

1989-436: The year 283, but Bede places it in 305. Original sources and modern historians such as William Hugh Clifford Frend and Charles Thomas indicate the period of 251–259 (under the persecutors Decius or Valerian ) as more likely. The tomb of St Amphibalus is in the cathedral. A memoria over the execution point holding the remains of Alban existed at the site from the mid-4th century (possibly earlier); Bede mentions

2040-474: Was added, mainly ornaments, as it became more fashionable in the 12th century—especially after the Gothic style arrived in England around 1170. In the current structure the original Norman arches survive principally under the central tower and on the north side of the nave. The arches in the rest of the building are Gothic , following medieval rebuilding and extensions, and Victorian era restoration. The Abbey

2091-491: Was also active in repairing the Abbey Church—as far as he could, and in uncovering lost or neglected Gothic features. In 1856 repair efforts began again; £4,000 was raised and slow moves started to gain the Abbey the status of cathedral. George Gilbert Scott was appointed the project architect and oversaw a number of works from 1860 until his death in 1878. Scott began by having the medieval floor restored, necessitating

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2142-457: Was at this place that his head was struck off. Immediately after one of the executioners delivered the fatal stroke, his eyes fell out and dropped to the ground alongside Alban's head. Later versions of the tale say that Alban's head rolled downhill and that a well gushed up where it stopped. St Albans Cathedral stands near the supposed site of Alban's martyrdom, and references to the spontaneous well are extant in local place names. The nearby river

2193-518: Was called Halywell (Middle English for 'Holy Well') in the medieval era, and the road up to Holmhurst Hill on which the Abbey now stands is now called Holywell Hill but has been called Halliwell Street and other variations at least since the 13th century. The remains of a well structure have been found at the bottom of Holywell Hill. However, this well is thought to date from no earlier than the 19th century. The date of Alban's execution has never been firmly established. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle lists

2244-555: Was elected Pope Adrian IV, the only English Pope there has ever been. The head of the Abbey was confirmed as the premier abbot in England also in 1154. The Abbey had a number of daughter houses, ranging from Tynemouth Priory in the north to Binham Priory near the Norfolk coast. An earthquake shook the Abbey in 1250 and damaged the eastern end of the church. In 1257 the dangerously cracked sections were knocked down — three apses and two bays. The thick Presbytery wall supporting

2295-507: Was extended in the 1190s by Abbot John de Cella (also known as John of Wallingford ) (1195–1214); as the number of monks grew from fifty to over a hundred, the Abbey church was extended westwards with three bays added to the nave. The severe Norman west front was also rebuilt by Hugh de Goldclif—although how is uncertain; it was very costly but its 'rapid' weathering and later alterations have erased all but fragments. A more prominent shrine and altar to Saint Amphibalus were also added. The work

2346-525: Was one of the first events to take place after Covid-19 restrictions were partially relaxed in the UK. Performers included Nicola Benedetti with Aurora Orchestra , Tenebrae , Jess Gillam , Steven Osborne and Roderick Williams . The IOF Fringe presents community-focused performances in a wide range of formal and unconventional venues. Events were mostly outdoors in historic parts of the City such as in front of

2397-646: Was overseen by the Norman Robert the Mason. The plan has very limited Anglo-Saxon elements and is clearly influenced by the French work at Cluny , Bernay and Caen , and shares a similar floor plan to Saint-Étienne in Caen and Lanfranc's Canterbury —although the poorer quality building material was a new challenge for Robert and he clearly borrowed some Roman techniques, which were learned while gathering material in

2448-600: Was remade. Richard of Wallingford , abbot from 1297 to 1336 and a mathematician and astronomer, designed a celebrated astronomical clock , which was completed by William of Walsham after his death, but apparently destroyed during the Reformation . In 1334 he founded two additional markets in Codicote and High Barnet . A new gateway, now called the Abbey Gateway , was built to the Abbey grounds in 1365, which

2499-409: Was the only part of the monastery buildings (besides the church) to survive the dissolution, later being used as a prison and now (since 1871) part of St Albans School . The other monastic buildings were located to the south of the gateway and church. In the 15th century a large west window of nine main lights and a deep traced head was commissioned by John of Wheathampstead . The spire was reduced to

2550-719: Was used as a school, the Great Gatehouse as a town jail, some other buildings passed to the Crown, and the Abbey Church was sold to the town for £ 400 in 1553 by King Edward VI to be the church of the parish. The cost of upkeep fell upon the town, although in 1596 and at irregular intervals later the Archdeacon was allowed to collect money for repairs by Brief in the diocese. After James I visited in 1612 he authorised another Brief, which collected around £2,000—most of which went on roof repairs. The English Civil War slashed

2601-416: Was very slow under de Cella and was not completed until the time of Abbot William de Trumpington (1214–1235). The low Norman tower roof was demolished and a new, much higher, broached spire was raised, sheathed in lead. The St Albans Psalter ( c.  1130 –1145) is the best known of a number of important Romanesque illuminated manuscripts produced in the Abbey scriptorium . Later, Matthew Paris ,

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