The River Ver
The Ver is a chalk stream, a globally rare habitat supporting many rare plants and animals. It rises near Kensworth in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and flows through Redbourn and St Albans to Bricket Wood, where it joins the Colne.
Chalk streams are fed from groundwater held in the ‘aquifer’ layers of chalk which soak up water like a sponge. We take our water from the aquifer too; we can help protect the River Ver and its wildlife by using water wisely in our homes.
St Michael’s Ford
For nearly 2000 years a road has crossed the River Ver here. When the Romans arrived in AD43, there was a causeway leading across the marshy valley a short distance upstream. About 100 years later, the Romans used this site as the crossing point for a new road. By the third century AD a bridge is thought to have been built and it is here that Alban probably crossed the River Ver on his way to his execution near the site of the Abbey.
Throughout the Middle Ages, a constant stream of pilgrims crossed the river here on their way to Alban’s shrine. They included Offa, King of Mercia, who in AD793 founded the Abbey. The crossing has also witnessed more turbulent scenes; in 1381 the inhabitants of Redbourn probably used it to join the people of St Albans in the Peasants’ Revolt. During the Wars of the Roses the Lancastrian army crossed here before the second battle of St Albans on Bernards Heath in 1461. Queen Elizabeth I may also have used the crossing when visiting Nicholas Bacon, her Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.
The present day bridge was substantially built in 1765 to accommodate the many horse-drawn coaches that would have passed through St Michael’s village. The ford alongside the bridge was substantially restored in 2001 through a project initiated by local residents through the society of St Michael’s & Kingsbury and the Fishpool Street Residents’ Association.
Chantry Island
Alban’s story starts here at Chantry Island. The island, formed by a bend in the River Colne and the creation of an artificial moat, is thought to have been used as a place of worship for many centuries. Alban came here to worship with the priest who became known as Amphibalus, and it was here that he was arrested. From Chantry Island, Alban was taken to the basilica in the Roman town of Verulamium for his trial.
Chantry Island has a long history of use as a place of worship and a chapel is recorded here in the Domesday Book of 1086. By the 16th Century the chapel is thought to have fallen into disrepair.
Mills and Watercress Beds
The Ver Valley was a national centre for the watercress growing industry. There would once have been many working cress beds, the remains of which can still be seen. Eleven mills are known to have existed on the Ver, six of which can still be seen today. Some of the mills were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, while others are much more recent. The Alban Trail passes four mills. Moor Mill, near the confluence of the rivers Ver and Colne, is thought to be 500 years old. The mill produced flour until shortly before the First World War. It is now a restaurant and public house and provides a pleasant refreshment stop on the trail. Kingsbury is also open as a waffle house, as well as having a mill which can be seen. Redbournbury is lived in and opens sometimes, producing flour which can be bought.
Abbey and Cathedral Church of St Albans
The Abbey stands on a hillside, dominating the skyline and overlooking the city. This was once the site of a Roman cemetery and Alban’s body would probably have been brought here after his execution nearby. A Benedictine monastery was founded here by King Offa of Mercia in 793AD. The abbey church was then rebuilt by the Normans in the late 11th century and it has since been extended, altered and restored. The building contains Roman bricks, taken from the ruins of Verulamium.
