If you enjoy watching my films why not throw me a one-off contribution via paypal! www.paypal.me/julianmcdonnell Or if you want to chip in a couple of ££ a month you can support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/joolzguides
One of the biggest mysteries in life is why this channel doesn't have at least 10M subscribers. History, humor, charm, and Julian is very easy on the eye.
Dear Julian, I bought your book for myself. I am 75 and doing the best I can with all the aliments. Anyway, in THE NAME OF GOD, MAKE THE PRINT BIGGER NEXT TIME. Not being 20 years old and having 20/20 vision when I was a pilot, I need to get a magnifying glass to enjoy each and every adventure. For what it is worth.................................... CONGRATULATIONS AND JOB WELL DONE. I am coming to London this year and will be calling in advance to hire you to be my tour. Don't worry, The Uber is my treat for the long distance. I think you have done a marvelous job of inventing yourself, and you give hope to old people ready to go to Heaven, to see the beauty and fun of your adventures. One more request, when we meet please autograph my book. To you and your family, I hope you had a Very Happy Christmas and the VERY BEST OF THE NEW YEAR....................................... God Bless, Ed O'Donnell
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” - so said Samuel Johnson to his friend and biographer James Boswell in 1777. This is simply greater greater London. Terrific video.
I went to St. Albans school. That staircase marked private you partly climbed goes up to a classroom I used to have history lessons in. Rumour was it was also used as a Masons meeting place!
What a lovely summery surprise in the midst of the deep cold of Canada. You’ve kept this in your back pocket! St. Albans is such a beautiful ancient town. A place for the youth to escape from in search of London’s bright lights, only for them to return decades later to appreciate its quiet charms. Thank you, Julian. Simon: great art. I’ll definitely check out your other works.
Joolz, dear, dear Joolz, you make my Sundays the most special day of the week! Even if this new video hadn't appeared, I was planning on re-watching some of your past ones for as long as it would take to soothe my soul from what is going on this side of the pond. I love both your commentary and a special shout out to Simon for his stellar camera work. I also love the background music you have in the videos (especially when it's Lil Lost Lou!). Now, back to the video!
Joolz, Yes, here in the US we play 'conkers' (at least used to). I'm 70 and when I was young I lived in Pennsylvania where we had Buckeye trees and always played that.
@@jackwatsonepic626 yes, it's still something played or at least known over here (England) but it's not something that I ever saw when I was growing up in the States.
Kind of surprising there aren't more Albans in the World what with St Alban being the first English saint and Imperial history. Fun fact: While not generally widely taught and accredited it was monks from St Albans that actually drew up the Magna Carta document. Fun fact 2: This end of Hertfordshire was where England was administratively run throughout the medieval era for both Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, the country was managed from Redbourn just 4 miles up the road. Go North East 20 odd miles and you come to Hitchin, a town with a market as old as Stonehenge and site of the modern St Mary's church, the largest church in Hertfordshire and the site where the Anglo-Saxons officially converted to Christianity. This was always seen as a legend as it referred to an ancient church which had never been confirmed, only the old medieval site and the modern church were known. round 10 or 15 years ago an excavation of the medieval crypt at the church discovered the remnants of an ancient Anglo-Saxon church under it, possibly the oldest in the country. It's worth noting that in Northern Europe the English conversion to Christianity came second only to the Irish conversion, the rest of Northern Europe was converted by Bluetooth, all the way to Russia significantly later. When England converted Christianity was a almost dead religion with Islam sweeping the World, it was only a few Irish monks off the coast of Ireland that kept it alive and you know (or can quickly) look at their island, it was used in the modern Starwars movies, it was where Luke Skywalker was living in episodes 7 and 8, his house was one of their buildings.
Great video, music and documentary. My aunt and uncle lived in St Albans, fabulous people and a fabulous place as I recollect, steeped in history. Great times past.
A few minutes by train from London, and you are transported back in time. I love St. Albans! We had the cathedral almost all to ourselves during a day-trip in 2017, and a verger showed us around and pointed out wonderful details. Loved the park and Fishpool Street. Everything was so beautiful and peaceful-- and no one else was at the Roman theatre at all! Terrific museum. Great pint at Ye Olde Fighting Cock. A perfect day. You make me want to go back again. And I love your paintings, Simon!
Fantastic place to pick up knick-knacks too, lots of quirky antique and oddity shops in St Albans. Best place in Herts for posh restaurants too, Raymond Blanc has a bistro there. The city centre's a bit too congested though, if you don't know how to side step it it's not a good place to drive through, it just wasn't built with being a main throughfare for motor vehicles, let alone a bus a minute.
Good video. The Clock Tower was constructed between 1403 and 1412. London Road, from it's junction with Old London Road to the crossroads at the Peahen in the city centre, was not constructed until 1794. So the "Watling Street" route is in fact Old London Road and Sopwell Lane. There were actually TWO battles of St Albans in the Wars of the Roses, in 1455 and 1461. The Roman Verulamium is not that close to the Cathedral. It is located at the bottom of the hill in Verulamium Parl. In June 2002 a scapula (shoulder blade), believed to be a relic of St Alban, was presented to St Albans Cathedral and placed inside the saint's restored 13th-century shrine.
Goodonya Joolz for putting this vid up! I am from Queensland, Australia. From 1990-95 I lived just up the road in Harpenden. Whilst in the UK, I completed my General Nurse training at the St Albans hospital, with secondments to Watford and Hemel Hempstead. The freezing UK winters convinced me to return to Aus! Watching you today reignited many pleasant memories of that wonderful little city; your show being my own time machine! Thank you!
I recently returned from a trip to Hampstead and St Albans largely because of these videos. I must say, I had the most wonderful time in both places. I even stopped in to the Marks & Tilt custom framers to tell them I saw their business in this video.
I drive through St Albans daily on my way to Hemel Hempstead for work, keep meaning to visit in my free time, and this has only made me want to do this all the more.
Another survivor of the Cambridge Latin Course. Salve, Julian! I never knew Verulamium was at St Albans. I was resident at Baldock, just down the train line towards London a bit and never knew what was up there! There is a spiffing example of very old (1700s) alms house at Baldock and a stone milestone showing the miles to London. Plus it has associations with the Templers and boasts an entrance on to the Icknield Way, another famous Roman footpath that crosses the country east to west, and some very handsome old coaching inns.
A great add for jools tours , as an outing from London. Planning our second trip to the UK for this spring.Going to do small satellite towns outside of London. Sounds like this place is on the list. As well as London proper. Cheers!
It's a commuter city. That is, travelling to London by train is quick and reliable. It would make an exceedingly good place to base yourself from, especially near a pub ;) But do note, even though I am from St Albans, Britiain has much more to offer than just London. Plan your visit to take in the most of what we have to offer. So, until we see you, I wish you good health.
Ralph Tilt!!!! I taught with him back in the day in B’wood. He was a Maths teacher and I’m still a DT teacher. Such a lovely guy. Miss chatting with him.
Last night I dreamed that I was speaking to Kevin Costner. I told him I didn't care what the critics said...I simply loved Waterworld. I woke up and came to watch some videos and lo and behold you mention him in a totally unrelated way. I'm just agog. What could the dream mean? Anyhow I love your videos they are a treat.
I would also like to add Stanley Kubrick was absolutely NOT from St. Albans but he did live and die there. And lastly, way to go Simon! Great looking art, congrats on the exhibition.
My cousin got married in St. Albans in 2014. As a memory I took some conkers home. Planted them but sadly they never grew into trees. Oh well at least my cousin is still married 🙂. Happy travels Joolz
Can I assume your cousin lived in St Albans? You see, the Catheral has some rather strict rules on who can marry there. Of course, they can and do make exceptions, but clearly your cousin was very lucky indeed. What a magnificent setting to make your vows; something you could never forget.
Hi Joolz, love the videos. If you can make it St Albans surely you can venture to Richmond and Twickenham? Lots of history and some fantastic pubs. Keep up the good work!
St Albans is a definite for visitors. Lots to do and see. Decent pubs and lots of them. You can do an organised walks as well on various different subjects via the local tourist office. The ghost walk is a good one.
Oh and if anyone is wondering about all the people outside the Cathedral wearing academic gowns, the University of Hertfordshire (UH) has used the Cathedral for Graduation ceremonies for the last several years.
Doctors should write prescriptions using Joolz and Simon as blood pressure medicine 😊My BP always goes down when I get lost in their world. Alexander (“Simon’s) art is amazing! Thanks, for this wonderful walk!
There are a couple of mentions that London Road was the Roman road Watling Street. I think you will find that the original Watling Street (still called Watling Street so there's a hint there!) lies to the west and links Radlett to St Albans. The route of the road was shifted in 948 and continues north along what is now the A5183.
My Grandad was born in Walthamstow and lived in East London. He is listed in the 1911 British census, that at the age of 16, his residence was at the Hyde Park Hotel in London, just around the corner from Bucking'um Palace. He was also listed, for his employment, at said Hotel, as a Porter. At the time, the Hyde Park was catering to Royals and the Swells that hung out with Royals. He saved enough to buy passage to Canada and then WAR. Grandad enlisted right off and was transported back home to serve the King. By the end of the War, he had served in a German POW camp in East Prussia for 2 years and had the back of his right foot blown off by a Hun Grenade.
Great video. I’ve been to st Albans a few times on my visits to the uk from Australia. I have a friend from Brisbane Australia who lives in st Albans. I have walked around most of the city. Great to see some of the things I’ve seen before and some new stuff I haven’t.
The cathedral and the Old Fighting Cocks also featured in the book, We Appy Few, an interesting take on what life was like in the town in medieval times.
Ah, the Cathedral! Great memories of day trips up there in the 70's from school, taking brass rubbings (yawn) and just recalled when Trevor Goldberg to chased by a goose and we all laughed so hard and didn't help him! Good times...
Enjoyed your video. One thing though, London road was not Watling Street. Watling street joins St. Albans from the south down the bottom of Holywell hill. 👍🏻
Another lovely video, Joolz, thank you. I've never been to St Albans, but it looks lovely, very clean and tidy with some very interesting history and features including the lovely old pubs, I could certainly live there and this video being shot on beautiful summers day made it even more delightful to see on a dreary Sunday in Winter.
We have a wonderful Christmas market too, see in the grounds of the cathedral. Should we have snow one year; this would make it even more gorgous than it is on a dreary Sunday in winter :) Come visit. We would love you to!
Talking of Lloyd’s Bank, I worked for a private banking subsidiary of Lloyd’s throughout the nineties. They re-named their Watford branch to St. Albans because they thought it sounded posher. True story. 👍
Come April, 2025 ... I will take my final retirement and travel. I will go back to England. So much more history to see and touch. Walking tours are going to be a must.
I worked in St Albans for 16 years (2000 - 2016). Not thought about the place for ages, so this video gave me some real nostalgia pangs! Lovely city :-) Must go back sometime.
A fantastic video altogether, Joolz. I've never known a great deal about St. Albans, but you've highlighted the city with some great exploration here. The old railway station that has been closed for many years and with no lines there, is staggering. The street shave many charming buildings with a huge assortment of varied shops. The cathedral is a building of the most beautiful architecture, and the Roman ampitheatre and other artefacts is nothing that I expected to see. What a stunning place! Many thanks for this presentation.
I’m Australian, I love this new doc of other parts of England. Please do more, I’d love for you to do Alverstoke, so much history especially HMAS Victory etc.
Hi Joolz - I gave myself "Rather Splendid London Walks" for Christmas, thinking I would have it as a reference for my trips to London. But I started reading it just to see what it was like - and now I am almost halfway through! It is a delight to read, quite well written and I've enjoyed every page!
30:20 - by incredible coincidence, Grange Hill episide 6.6, the field trip to St. Albans, was transmitted on January 21st 1983 - 39 years to the day of Joolz uploading this video!
This was (again!) brilliant. A town I love so much I took my father and wife on separate trips to see it. So much history… and summer! I hope you will add more out-of-London trips. Buckingham would be a good one. Though if you do try Luton remember to swap the stripey blazer for a stab vest😮
@@raethia It's an easy mistake because St Albans is not the size of a typical city; it's that it has a cathidral that makes it one :) Have a lovely night.
Our rental car broke down in St Albans on our first trip to England. We found a local to fix it-- he complained that the rental car company was 'dilatory''--- not a word you hear often from a car mechanic in the U.S.
My only experience of St Albans. Was running into it as part of the green belt relay. That was at the leisure centre and didn’t have a clue about what else the city had to offer!
I was two months old in September 1939 and arrived in St Albans laying in half a suitcase in the back of a cab. My mother and I lived with a wonderful family in York Road for the next two years. My Dad was doing his bit for the war effort. I have fond memories of the town including the ladies of the Womens’ Institute who adopted me and right until I got married they called me their little evacuee. Does anyone know the railway bridge at the end of York Road and its ringing acoustics? Lovely memories.
What a lovely retelling of your past Enfrance (I love your name!). The bridge you speak of, is that the one by Clarence Park; for the city station? I've lived in St Albans my entire life (I am in my 50s) but have not heard of the ringing acoustics, so when I am next near there, I will certiainly stop to listen.
@@eumaeus Thank you for your kind comment. Yes, it’s the footbridge from Lemsford Road to the start of York Road by Clarence Park. It’s actually the sound of footsteps that I recall ‘rang’ which I assume is due to the iron structure of the bridge. I could go on about not only my time living with the family but that we stayed in contact until the parents died. My mother played the piano for the ladies of the WI. I still have photos of me in the suitcase, the family filling sandbags, and the programme from the St Albans Festival in 1953. Precious mementos. Later I recall visits with my school in Pinner to Verulaneum and its many sites and the subsequent school projects. My parents told me that it was pure chance that we ended up in St Albans due to the lottery evacuees faced being rehoused. Judging by some of the awful treatment evacuee children suffered, we were incredibly lucky. My internet name is derived from when we moved to live in France when I retired. Sadly after 18 years we had to return to the UK due to my wife’s dementia.
@@Enfrance2003 Thank you for taking the time to reply, and please do feel free to tell me more about what you remember. It's nice to hear new things, especially events from the past. If we do not share memories, they eventually become lost; so do keep them alive for eterinity. I am sorry you had to return to the UK (post-Brexit it's not the country it once was, but I'd rather not be too political here), but atleast you had 18 years of experience and further memories. Be happy and at peace my friend. Take care.
I made it a point to have a pint in that old pub when I was stationed at RAF Uxbridge which at the time was the home of the Queen's color guard. I lived at the time in Carpenders Park just a little hop away.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Spent many a happy time in and around St. Albans while studying at Hatfield Poly., as it was called back in the early 80’s. Doesn’t seemed to have changed much. Ye Olde Fighting Cocks was one of favourite haunts!
I'm afraid that many of the pubs you would have visited have now closed; such is the dire situation in England. That said, St Albans still have very many; more than enough for the best pub crawl, and is home of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale).
"Look at this! A Stink Pipe! Excellent!" Not a sentence you expect to hear! lol! 😅 Love that Theater with the way it's set up with the comfortable chairs and tables and the bench type double seating "couples" seats. I like the way you showed the way it used to look and then its renovated look, and it gave me an idea for a video for you. (Edit: I paused the video to write this next thing about my idea before I saw you do the part with the tree and War photo! LOL! But still like this idea!) I would love to see you go around and show old photos of how an area or building looked during or after the War, maybe even using old military or media photos, and then move the photo and show how it looks today and give some bit of history of what that place was/is and if it's still being used for the same thing as what it was or what it has now become, and if it was renovated to its original look or changed completely. Loved this video and how you included people that are a part of or work at the business like at the theater! It gives a personal touch to the place that's more than just seeing it from the outside and talking about it yourself, not that there's anything wrong with that of course! LOL! That's why we come to listen to and watch you! 😊
Great video Joolz. Nice to see some of the areas outside of town. Keep 'em coming and we will keep watching. Best wishes from your fans over in Vancouver Canada.
Thank you, always interesting, fun, positive entertainment. Most excellent descriptions and explanations. Little Lost Lou and her band, contributes to the program too. God bless you all. 😊
St Albans is a fantastic place for a day trip near to London. I’ve only been once but enjoyed the high street and walking round the cathedral grounds. The Wetherspoons is worth a visit for the, for the space, as is the Ye old fighting cocks, for a lovely pint of Broadside. Also be sure to visit Books on the Hill.
Kubrick would have been filming in Boreham Wood, which explains why Cruise was seen in St Alban's. Nice to know his wife and extended family still frequent the area. I've heard aboutTom's love of British curries before too. He loves a Balti!
If I may correct you, Cruise was filming 'All you need is kill' at Leaveden Studios, Watford, which was an aerodrome before becoming a studio. Waterworld (they flooded a huge part of the grounds for this!) as was Golden Eye. It is now the Harry Potter studio. St Albans has two exquisite 'curry houses' - the one featured (my favourite) and Mumtaj; which is unusal this far south of Birmingham. Both are expensive to dine at, but for the premium price, the food is incredibly good.
@@davidlean1060 You're welcome and I do hope you don't think I was being rude. For the record, I replied to a few comments to this video, each time refering to the host as Simon. So do feel free to rib me for that :) Take care mate.
@@davidlean1060 We're human, we make mistakes mate; me more than anyone who has ever lived. PS. I thought you might be a film buff...your name was a clue. All the best!
Thank you for posting all the great walking videos, my wife and I quite like watching them here in west coast Canada, we find them to be informative and humorous. I am not sure why but sometimes when I am watching your walks this Python skit pops into my head. MONTY PYTHON • SALAD DAYS
Nice to see you finish in the Six Bells. Marvellous pub! Great food. Thoroughly recommended. The one thing you missed about the memorial to Francis Bacon is that his wife designed it, partly as a joke.
Joolzy & Simon!! Congratulations!! Stunning episode of Joolz Guides! Quite interesting and a very beautiful one.What a picturesque village full of history!! Amazing.
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That was lovely, makes me want to head over there right now. Too bad I'm in Montreal 🙁
you should come visit windsor and eton and runnymead
Best video yet, most interesting town I've never been to. Got to go there now, cheers.
Don’t come to Reading ffs😂
@@vincentberkhout3713 shame you support paedophilia, sad man
One of the biggest mysteries in life is why this channel doesn't have at least 10M subscribers. History, humor, charm, and Julian is very easy on the eye.
This opens up a WHOLE new set of possible future episodes! “Cities and towns a day-trip away from London”
Hope so!
Good idea.... Plenty of material within an hour or two of the capital.
Or the cities Boudicca sacked
An excellent suggestion! Joolz, listen to this and get out your train pass!🚂
Windsor would be an excellent Joolz Day Trip.
St Albans is an incredibly beautiful historic old English town 🏴 🇬🇧
City.
A jolly good walk, I'll say.
Dear Julian, I bought your book for myself. I am 75 and doing the best I can with all the aliments. Anyway, in THE NAME OF GOD, MAKE THE PRINT BIGGER NEXT TIME. Not being 20 years old and having 20/20 vision when I was a pilot, I need to get a magnifying glass to enjoy each and every adventure. For what it is worth.................................... CONGRATULATIONS AND JOB WELL DONE. I am coming to London this year and will be calling in advance to hire you to be my tour. Don't worry, The Uber is my treat for the long distance. I think you have done a marvelous job of inventing yourself, and you give hope to old people ready to go to Heaven, to see the beauty and fun of your adventures. One more request, when we meet please autograph my book. To you and your family, I hope you had a Very Happy Christmas and the VERY BEST OF THE NEW YEAR....................................... God Bless, Ed O'Donnell
I had no idea just how talented Simon is. His paintings are great. I loved the video!
The cinema looks gorgeous
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” - so said Samuel Johnson to his friend and biographer James Boswell in 1777. This is simply greater greater London. Terrific video.
That cinema used to be an Odeon in the 90s. I saw Terminator 2 there with my Dad as well as Labyrinth.
I saw ET and the dark crystal t
at the Odeon as a kid.
Looks tiny now, as a kid it looked massive.
I went to St. Albans school. That staircase marked private you partly climbed goes up to a classroom I used to have history lessons in. Rumour was it was also used as a Masons meeting place!
What a lovely summery surprise in the midst of the deep cold of Canada. You’ve kept this in your back pocket! St. Albans is such a beautiful ancient town. A place for the youth to escape from in search of London’s bright lights, only for them to return decades later to appreciate its quiet charms. Thank you, Julian. Simon: great art. I’ll definitely check out your other works.
Joolz, dear, dear Joolz, you make my Sundays the most special day of the week! Even if this new video hadn't appeared, I was planning on re-watching some of your past ones for as long as it would take to soothe my soul from what is going on this side of the pond. I love both your commentary and a special shout out to Simon for his stellar camera work. I also love the background music you have in the videos (especially when it's Lil Lost Lou!). Now, back to the video!
Home town of the bands The Zombies and Argent! Rod Argent = genius!
Jules please continue the series! Voting for Winchester & Berkhamsted day trips!
I nominate Canterbury.
Joolz, Yes, here in the US we play 'conkers' (at least used to). I'm 70 and when I was young I lived in Pennsylvania where we had Buckeye trees and always played that.
It may have ended with your generation as I'm 55 (originally from PA) and don't remember doing that.
I am 58 from the Northeast of England and I remember playing with conkers.🏴
@@jackwatsonepic626 yes, it's still something played or at least known over here (England) but it's not something that I ever saw when I was growing up in the States.
@@theukyankee 👍 🇬🇧
Yep, I'm from Donegal in Ireland and every Halloween we always played conkers.....great memories!
We have a St Albans here in NYC. Louis Armstrong lived there. His house is now a museum.
Kind of surprising there aren't more Albans in the World what with St Alban being the first English saint and Imperial history. Fun fact: While not generally widely taught and accredited it was monks from St Albans that actually drew up the Magna Carta document. Fun fact 2: This end of Hertfordshire was where England was administratively run throughout the medieval era for both Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, the country was managed from Redbourn just 4 miles up the road. Go North East 20 odd miles and you come to Hitchin, a town with a market as old as Stonehenge and site of the modern St Mary's church, the largest church in Hertfordshire and the site where the Anglo-Saxons officially converted to Christianity. This was always seen as a legend as it referred to an ancient church which had never been confirmed, only the old medieval site and the modern church were known. round 10 or 15 years ago an excavation of the medieval crypt at the church discovered the remnants of an ancient Anglo-Saxon church under it, possibly the oldest in the country. It's worth noting that in Northern Europe the English conversion to Christianity came second only to the Irish conversion, the rest of Northern Europe was converted by Bluetooth, all the way to Russia significantly later. When England converted Christianity was a almost dead religion with Islam sweeping the World, it was only a few Irish monks off the coast of Ireland that kept it alive and you know (or can quickly) look at their island, it was used in the modern Starwars movies, it was where Luke Skywalker was living in episodes 7 and 8, his house was one of their buildings.
Wow. I don't even know about St Albans. Want to move there after watching this video 😮 so calm and clean. Loved the park
Great video, music and documentary. My aunt and uncle lived in St Albans, fabulous people and a fabulous place as I recollect, steeped in history. Great times past.
A few minutes by train from London, and you are transported back in time. I love St. Albans! We had the cathedral almost all to ourselves during a day-trip in 2017, and a verger showed us around and pointed out wonderful details. Loved the park and Fishpool Street. Everything was so beautiful and peaceful-- and no one else was at the Roman theatre at all! Terrific museum. Great pint at Ye Olde Fighting Cock. A perfect day. You make me want to go back again. And I love your paintings, Simon!
Fantastic place to pick up knick-knacks too, lots of quirky antique and oddity shops in St Albans. Best place in Herts for posh restaurants too, Raymond Blanc has a bistro there. The city centre's a bit too congested though, if you don't know how to side step it it's not a good place to drive through, it just wasn't built with being a main throughfare for motor vehicles, let alone a bus a minute.
What a magnificent episode! Thank you Julian and Simon!
Good video. The Clock Tower was constructed between 1403 and 1412. London Road, from it's junction with Old London Road to the crossroads at the Peahen in the city centre, was not constructed until 1794. So the "Watling Street" route is in fact Old London Road and Sopwell Lane. There were actually TWO battles of St Albans in the Wars of the Roses, in 1455 and 1461. The Roman Verulamium is not that close to the Cathedral. It is located at the bottom of the hill in Verulamium Parl. In June 2002 a scapula (shoulder blade), believed to be a relic of St Alban, was presented to St Albans Cathedral and placed inside the saint's restored 13th-century shrine.
Lovely trip round St albans ,Eric Morecombe had his service in st albans cathedral loads of stars attended, I think it was 1985 ,😊
This is a great development for the Channel.
A wonderful idea
Thanks Joolz. That was the best walk through St Albans I've seen. 🇦🇺👍
This kind of stuff is why i don't need television any more. Excellent thank you.
Goodonya Joolz for putting this vid up! I am from Queensland, Australia. From 1990-95 I lived just up the road in Harpenden. Whilst in the UK, I completed my General Nurse training at the St Albans hospital, with secondments to Watford and Hemel Hempstead. The freezing UK winters convinced me to return to Aus!
Watching you today reignited many pleasant memories of that wonderful little city; your show being my own time machine! Thank you!
I recently returned from a trip to Hampstead and St Albans largely because of these videos. I must say, I had the most wonderful time in both places. I even stopped in to the Marks & Tilt custom framers to tell them I saw their business in this video.
Love Simon’s paintings! Reminds me of Hopper.
I drive through St Albans daily on my way to Hemel Hempstead for work, keep meaning to visit in my free time, and this has only made me want to do this all the more.
Roman St Albans
[Simon’s art is gorgeous]
Yes, Simon's artwork is really great, and I do like that he does not have human figures in them.
Richmond riverside to Hampton would be a great episode
I use to volunteer in verulanium museum , I spent a bit of time sweeping the floor in the mosaic building . best time
Congrats to Simon on his show. Lovely paintings.
Another survivor of the Cambridge Latin Course. Salve, Julian! I never knew Verulamium was at St Albans. I was resident at Baldock, just down the train line towards London a bit and never knew what was up there! There is a spiffing example of very old (1700s) alms house at Baldock and a stone milestone showing the miles to London. Plus it has associations with the Templers and boasts an entrance on to the Icknield Way, another famous Roman footpath that crosses the country east to west, and some very handsome old coaching inns.
A great add for jools tours , as an outing from London. Planning our second trip to the UK for this spring.Going to do small satellite towns outside of London. Sounds like this place is on the list. As well as London proper. Cheers!
It's a commuter city. That is, travelling to London by train is quick and reliable. It would make an exceedingly good place to base yourself from, especially near a pub ;)
But do note, even though I am from St Albans, Britiain has much more to offer than just London. Plan your visit to take in the most of what we have to offer. So, until we see you, I wish you good health.
‘Do you know what fills me with joy, Simon? [13:30]
‘A pint of Real Ale?’ 😊
Ralph Tilt!!!! I taught with him back in the day in B’wood. He was a Maths teacher and I’m still a DT teacher. Such a lovely guy. Miss chatting with him.
Amazing! He's doing well. I still can't believe he taught maths!
@@Joolzguides He was sensible and escaped the education system. Next time I go up to St Albans I’ll have to pop in and say hello to him.
Did a fantastic three day pub crawl here last Christmas. 27 pubs in 3 days!
Last night I dreamed that I was speaking to Kevin Costner. I told him I didn't care what the critics said...I simply loved Waterworld. I woke up and came to watch some videos and lo and behold you mention him in a totally unrelated way. I'm just agog. What could the dream mean? Anyhow I love your videos they are a treat.
I love St Albans! I visited regularly for 30 years until I moved to Devon in 2004. Many thanks for your video, it brings back many happy memories
I would also like to add Stanley Kubrick was absolutely NOT from St. Albans but he did live and die there. And lastly, way to go Simon! Great looking art, congrats on the exhibition.
My cousin got married in St. Albans in 2014. As a memory I took some conkers home. Planted them but sadly they never grew into trees. Oh well at least my cousin is still married 🙂. Happy travels Joolz
Can I assume your cousin lived in St Albans? You see, the Catheral has some rather strict rules on who can marry there. Of course, they can and do make exceptions, but clearly your cousin was very lucky indeed. What a magnificent setting to make your vows; something you could never forget.
Hi Joolz, love the videos. If you can make it St Albans surely you can venture to Richmond and Twickenham? Lots of history and some fantastic pubs. Keep up the good work!
What a lovely place! On my next visit to the UK I’m going to go to St Albans for sure!
St Albans is a definite for visitors. Lots to do and see. Decent pubs and lots of them. You can do an organised walks as well on various different subjects via the local tourist office. The ghost walk is a good one.
Oh and if anyone is wondering about all the people outside the Cathedral wearing academic gowns, the University of Hertfordshire (UH) has used the Cathedral for Graduation ceremonies for the last several years.
Doctors should write prescriptions using Joolz and Simon as blood pressure medicine 😊My BP always goes down when I get lost in their world. Alexander (“Simon’s) art is amazing! Thanks, for this wonderful walk!
There are a couple of mentions that London Road was the Roman road Watling Street. I think you will find that the original Watling Street (still called Watling Street so there's a hint there!) lies to the west and links Radlett to St Albans. The route of the road was shifted in 948 and continues north along what is now the A5183.
Love St. Albans. One of the few towns in Herts with character and history.
Hitchin is quite attractive, just missed out on the history front.
Rubbish.
Wow gobsmackingly amazing refurb job on that Odyssey Cinema, would love to spend a day in there!!
My Grandad was born in Walthamstow and lived in East London. He is listed in the 1911 British census, that at the age of 16, his residence was at the Hyde Park Hotel in London, just around the corner from Bucking'um Palace. He was also listed, for his employment, at said Hotel, as a Porter. At the time, the Hyde Park was catering to Royals and the Swells that hung out with Royals. He saved enough to buy passage to Canada and then WAR. Grandad enlisted right off and was transported back home to serve the King. By the end of the War, he had served in a German POW camp in East Prussia for 2 years and had the back of his right foot blown off by a Hun Grenade.
Great video. I’ve been to st Albans a few times on my visits to the uk from Australia. I have a friend from Brisbane Australia who lives in st Albans. I have walked around most of the city. Great to see some of the things I’ve seen before and some new stuff I haven’t.
Aqeel loves the curry house 👍
My mother’s home town ! She left for Canada in 1959. I’ve been there many times ! Great city !
The cathedral and the Old Fighting Cocks also featured in the book, We Appy Few, an interesting take on what life was like in the town in medieval times.
I think my biggest surprise was the opening location of Porridge. Always assumed it was a real prison entrance.
It was a prison
Ah, the Cathedral! Great memories of day trips up there in the 70's from school, taking brass rubbings (yawn) and just recalled when Trevor Goldberg to chased by a goose and we all laughed so hard and didn't help him! Good times...
Enjoyed your video. One thing though, London road was not Watling Street. Watling street joins St. Albans from the south down the bottom of Holywell hill. 👍🏻
yeah the london road is a right after coming up watling street from the south i think lol
Another lovely video, Joolz, thank you. I've never been to St Albans, but it looks lovely, very clean and tidy with some very interesting history and features including the lovely old pubs, I could certainly live there and this video being shot on beautiful summers day made it even more delightful to see on a dreary Sunday in Winter.
We have a wonderful Christmas market too, see in the grounds of the cathedral. Should we have snow one year; this would make it even more gorgous than it is on a dreary Sunday in winter :)
Come visit. We would love you to!
Talking of Lloyd’s Bank, I worked for a private banking subsidiary of Lloyd’s throughout the nineties. They re-named their Watford branch to St. Albans because they thought it sounded posher. True story. 👍
Come April, 2025 ... I will take my final retirement and travel. I will go back to England. So much more history to see and touch. Walking tours are going to be a must.
Perfect for a rainy Sunday! Thanks Joolz.
I worked in St Albans for 16 years (2000 - 2016). Not thought about the place for ages, so this video gave me some real nostalgia pangs! Lovely city :-) Must go back sometime.
A fantastic video altogether, Joolz. I've never known a great deal about St. Albans, but you've highlighted the city with some great exploration here. The old railway station that has been closed for many years and with no lines there, is staggering. The street shave many charming buildings with a huge assortment of varied shops. The cathedral is a building of the most beautiful architecture, and the Roman ampitheatre and other artefacts is nothing that I expected to see. What a stunning place! Many thanks for this presentation.
Fascinating Thanks again John in Chicago
I’m Australian, I love this new doc of other parts of England. Please do more, I’d love for you to do Alverstoke, so much history especially HMAS Victory etc.
Lovely to see Verulanium seemed to go on a school trip there every year from North London.
Such a beautiful cathedral! I look forward to going back to St Albans sometime ⛪️
Hi Joolz - I gave myself "Rather Splendid London Walks" for Christmas, thinking I would have it as a reference for my trips to London. But I started reading it just to see what it was like - and now I am almost halfway through! It is a delight to read, quite well written and I've enjoyed every page!
30:20 - by incredible coincidence, Grange Hill episide 6.6, the field trip to St. Albans, was transmitted on January 21st 1983 - 39 years to the day of Joolz uploading this video!
This was (again!) brilliant. A town I love so much I took my father and wife on separate trips to see it. So much history… and summer!
I hope you will add more out-of-London trips. Buckingham would be a good one. Though if you do try Luton remember to swap the stripey blazer for a stab vest😮
What a splendid place St.Albans looks! Very Canterbury-esque.
Nah, it's better than Canterbury (but then I'm biased)! And we don't charge for entry to our Cathedral.
@@mikeelliott2736 It certainly looked cleaner and quieter. Canterbury is gradually being modernised too.
First town I visited in the UK back in 1981!
^city. Sorry. I hope you had a nice time here.
Lovely thank you!@@eumaeus
Oh sorry, city! :)
@@raethia It's an easy mistake because St Albans is not the size of a typical city; it's that it has a cathidral that makes it one :)
Have a lovely night.
Such beautiful memories, I wish I could see it again!@@eumaeus
Our rental car broke down in St Albans on our first trip to England. We found a local to fix it-- he complained that the rental car company was 'dilatory''--- not a word you hear often from a car mechanic in the U.S.
Fantastic video, If you run out of London walks please do more of these
Thanks. I live here and must say you did a really good job of covering our Beautiful City. Yes Marks and Tilt are The best!
Simon they are brilliant
I just realized it's summer in your video! What strange magic are you working in and around London, Jules?!?!
Filmed during last September’s mini heatwave.
My only experience of St Albans. Was running into it as part of the green belt relay. That was at the leisure centre and didn’t have a clue about what else the city had to offer!
We have a Roman Theatre Open Air Festival with live theatre and music performances throughout summer 😊❤
I was two months old in September 1939 and arrived in St Albans laying in half a suitcase in the back of a cab. My mother and I lived with a wonderful family in York Road for the next two years. My Dad was doing his bit for the war effort. I have fond memories of the town including the ladies of the Womens’ Institute who adopted me and right until I got married they called me their little evacuee. Does anyone know the railway bridge at the end of York Road and its ringing acoustics? Lovely memories.
What a lovely retelling of your past Enfrance (I love your name!). The bridge you speak of, is that the one by Clarence Park; for the city station? I've lived in St Albans my entire life (I am in my 50s) but have not heard of the ringing acoustics, so when I am next near there, I will certiainly stop to listen.
@@eumaeus Thank you for your kind comment. Yes, it’s the footbridge from Lemsford Road to the start of York Road by Clarence Park. It’s actually the sound of footsteps that I recall ‘rang’ which I assume is due to the iron structure of the bridge. I could go on about not only my time living with the family but that we stayed in contact until the parents died. My mother played the piano for the ladies of the WI. I still have photos of me in the suitcase, the family filling sandbags, and the programme from the St Albans Festival in 1953. Precious mementos. Later I recall visits with my school in Pinner to Verulaneum and its many sites and the subsequent school projects. My parents told me that it was pure chance that we ended up in St Albans due to the lottery evacuees faced being rehoused. Judging by some of the awful treatment evacuee children suffered, we were incredibly lucky. My internet name is derived from when we moved to live in France when I retired. Sadly after 18 years we had to return to the UK due to my wife’s dementia.
@@Enfrance2003 Thank you for taking the time to reply, and please do feel free to tell me more about what you remember. It's nice to hear new things, especially events from the past. If we do not share memories, they eventually become lost; so do keep them alive for eterinity. I am sorry you had to return to the UK (post-Brexit it's not the country it once was, but I'd rather not be too political here), but atleast you had 18 years of experience and further memories. Be happy and at peace my friend. Take care.
Brilliant! Simon is an amazing artist, and being a War of the Roses need, St. Albans was super cool.
I made it a point to have a pint in that old pub when I was stationed at RAF Uxbridge which at the time was the home of the Queen's color guard. I lived at the time in Carpenders Park just a little hop away.
That was wonderful Joolz. So much history. Please, please do another day trip.
I just bought the book. We think ur work is great. U should have a pub crawl a few times a month for your fan base.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Spent many a happy time in and around St. Albans while studying at Hatfield Poly., as it was called back in the early 80’s. Doesn’t seemed to have changed much. Ye Olde Fighting Cocks was one of favourite haunts!
I'm afraid that many of the pubs you would have visited have now closed; such is the dire situation in England. That said, St Albans still have very many; more than enough for the best pub crawl, and is home of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale).
"Look at this! A Stink Pipe! Excellent!" Not a sentence you expect to hear! lol! 😅 Love that Theater with the way it's set up with the comfortable chairs and tables and the bench type double seating "couples" seats. I like the way you showed the way it used to look and then its renovated look, and it gave me an idea for a video for you. (Edit: I paused the video to write this next thing about my idea before I saw you do the part with the tree and War photo! LOL! But still like this idea!)
I would love to see you go around and show old photos of how an area or building looked during or after the War, maybe even using old military or media photos, and then move the photo and show how it looks today and give some bit of history of what that place was/is and if it's still being used for the same thing as what it was or what it has now become, and if it was renovated to its original look or changed completely. Loved this video and how you included people that are a part of or work at the business like at the theater! It gives a personal touch to the place that's more than just seeing it from the outside and talking about it yourself, not that there's anything wrong with that of course! LOL! That's why we come to listen to and watch you! 😊
Can you do a Joolz Guide to Grimsby?
More "day trips" to elsewhere are very welcomed.
Great video Joolz. Nice to see some of the areas outside of town. Keep 'em coming and we will keep watching. Best wishes from your fans over in Vancouver Canada.
Excellent film. You really ought to do a few more ‘Jools explores’ episodes in other parts of the country 👍🏻
Thank you, always interesting, fun, positive entertainment. Most excellent descriptions and explanations. Little Lost Lou and her band, contributes to the program too. God bless you all. 😊
Excellent tour, I enjoyed it very much.
St Albans is a fantastic place for a day trip near to London. I’ve only been once but enjoyed the high street and walking round the cathedral grounds. The Wetherspoons is worth a visit for the, for the space, as is the Ye old fighting cocks, for a lovely pint of Broadside. Also be sure to visit Books on the Hill.
Kubrick would have been filming in Boreham Wood, which explains why Cruise was seen in St Alban's. Nice to know his wife and extended family still frequent the area. I've heard aboutTom's love of British curries before too. He loves a Balti!
If I may correct you, Cruise was filming 'All you need is kill' at Leaveden Studios, Watford, which was an aerodrome before becoming a studio. Waterworld (they flooded a huge part of the grounds for this!) as was Golden Eye. It is now the Harry Potter studio.
St Albans has two exquisite 'curry houses' - the one featured (my favourite) and Mumtaj; which is unusal this far south of Birmingham. Both are expensive to dine at, but for the premium price, the food is incredibly good.
Thanks for the correction. @@eumaeus
@@davidlean1060 You're welcome and I do hope you don't think I was being rude. For the record, I replied to a few comments to this video, each time refering to the host as Simon. So do feel free to rib me for that :) Take care mate.
I'm a Kubrick fan and a minute's glace on wiki would have corrected me in the first place, so it's on me, not you ;) @@eumaeus
@@davidlean1060 We're human, we make mistakes mate; me more than anyone who has ever lived.
PS. I thought you might be a film buff...your name was a clue.
All the best!
Thank you for posting all the great walking videos, my wife and I quite like watching them here in west coast Canada, we find them to be informative and humorous. I am not sure why but sometimes when I am watching your walks this Python skit pops into my head.
MONTY PYTHON • SALAD DAYS
Excellent. A most enjoyable 36 minutes.
Great video. I've lived here all of my life (I'm 70 now) I don't see me going anywhere else now!
Happy New Year to all from New Zealand.
Nice to see you finish in the Six Bells. Marvellous pub! Great food. Thoroughly recommended. The one thing you missed about the memorial to Francis Bacon is that his wife designed it, partly as a joke.
Very enjoyable Joolz, I knew nothing about St. Albans but now I do and what a beautiful place it is.
Joolzy & Simon!! Congratulations!! Stunning episode of Joolz Guides! Quite interesting and a very beautiful one.What a picturesque village full of history!! Amazing.