St Germain's Block

St Germain's Block. Verulamium Park. , Verulamium transformed , In the early 5th century AD the Roman legions were withdrawn from Britain as barbarian settlement within the borders of the Roman Empire increased. The largest markets for the economy of Roman Britain were lost and change was inevitable. Anglo-Saxons and other tribes began to arrive in Britain. Verulamium seems to have continued as a smaller Romano-British enclave, eventually developing into a defended royal centre of the Saxons called Kingsbury., Building St Albans , By the 10th century AD, masonry from the town's buildings and walls was being robbed to provide material for the abbey and other church buildings. If you look at the abbey's 11th century tower you can see that it is almost entirely built of Roman materials. This section of the town wall probably survived because it formed part of the enclosure of St Germain's Chapel, built in the 12th century AD., Look out for... , On the historic map above, the red line shows the boundary of Verulamium Park. See if you can find some of the landmarks that still survive today such as St Albans Cathedral, the Abbey Gateway, St Michael's Church and the River Ver.