Delving into the History of St Alban's
Year 6 had a brilliant welcome back into the Summer Term with an insightful trip to St Albans!
In between bouts on the swings and kicking a footie about in the park, the boys got to visit Verulamium Roman Museum and admire some of the treasures of the old Roman city, see the in situ hypocaust (underfloor heating system), and learn about Boudica’s rebellion and her subsequent defeat at the hands of two doughty Roman legions.
After lunch al fresco the boys walked over to where poor old Alban himself had been martyred, the ancient execution hill outside the limits of the Roman city. On that site, there now stands a rather impressive monument to the first British Saint, the great cathedral that bears his name. We popped in to pay our respects to his shrine, once a popular destination for pilgrims, and en passant noted the Roman brickwork of the cathedral’s central tower.
Then it was off to the Masorti Synagogue for an absorbing and captivating talk by the rabbi, who showed us one of their historic Torah scrolls (bits of which were at least two hundred years old) and capped off an enchanting day with a performance on the shofar – ram’s horn – which produced a haunting sound that the Romans would certainly have recognised.
The day was a great learning opportunity for the boys, as well as a fun day out.
