Verulamium Museum & Park
Verulamium
The Roman city ruins below St Albans, with surviving city wall sections, mosaic floors and underfloor heating preserved on site, and a museum telling the story of life in Roman Britain.
Verulamium was the third-largest city in Roman Britain. In the 1st century AD it was burned during Queen Boudica's revolt, and most of the site is now Verulamium Park, which lies below the cathedral. Within the park you can see the remains of the Roman city walls and gateways for free, along with mosaic floors and the Hypocaust underfloor heating system, preserved in situ in a small building. The Verulamium Museum on the park's west side (admission about £10) displays fine Roman mosaics, wall paintings, coins and burial goods, and includes reconstructed equipment of Roman soldiers. Across the road is the only fully open-air Roman theatre site in Britain (separate admission). The park has a lake and lawns, making it ideal to combine with the cathedral and old town for a half-day trip. It is about a 10-minute walk downhill from the cathedral.
Opening hours
Park open all day; museum about 10:00–17:00 (Sundays from 14:00)
Nearby sights
- St Albans Cathedral
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
- Kew Gardens
- Notting Hill / Portobello Road Market
- Design Museum
- Regent's Park
- Camden Market
- Kensington Palace