| HERTFORDSHIRE |
| Hatfield House |
At Hatfield, on A1000 |
Few houses in England can
match the impressive dignity of this Jacobean house. Next to the entrance
hall is the magnificent Marble Hall, that occupies two floors and almost
the full width of the house. The ceiling and a minstrels' gallery are of
richly carved oak, relieved by hand painted ceiling panels and superb
tapestries. The is also the King James Drawing Room, Winter Dining Room,
Library and colonnaded Armoury. |
| Knebworth House |
On A1(M), 1 mile south of Stevenage |
The House only comes into view after nearing
the end of the long driveway - an extravaganza of Gothic turrets,
pinnacles and towers covered with gargoyles, and battlements with
griffins. On the surface all is Victorian, yet behind the walls lies a
Tudor house. From room to room the mood and style change, from the library
where even the doors are fashioned to look like bookshelves, to the State
Drawing Room that is a superb example of the Gothic revival. |
| Moor Park Mansion |
Off A404, 1.5 miles
south-east of Rickmansworth |
Few golf clubs can boast a
clubhouse as fine as Moor Park, a superb 18th century mansion in Palladian
style which is open to visitors as well as golfers. Rising to more than
50ft the house stands four-square and to the west front a noble portico of
Corinthian columns support a pediment at rooftop height. Inside are
beautiful carved and painted ceilings, carved fireplaces and pedimented
doorways. |
| Piccots End |
Off A4146, 1 mile north of Hemel Hempstead |
Six layers of wallpaper and a layer of linen
covered medieval wall paintings in this house for 500 years. The paintings
depict in remarkable detail Christ in Majesty, the Baptism of Christ and
the Pieta. In 1826 the house became England's first cottage hospital. It
contains a fine collection of oak furniture, a range of early kitchen
equipment and a collection of historic medical equipment. |
| Roman Theatre of
Verulamium |
Bluehouse Hill, St Albans |
Just a short distance from
Verulamium is the Roman theatre, the only theatre of the period open to
visitors in Britain. Close by are foundations of a Roman town house, a
sacred shrine and a Roman shop. |
| St Albans Cathedral |
St Albans |
The Normans began the building for a
Benedictine abbey in 1077, retaining some pillars of the earlier Saxon
building. They used red Roman bricks from the ruined Verulamuim for the
tower. After the Dissolution, the abbey church continued in use as a
parish church. |
| Verulamium Museum |
St Michaels, St Albans |
Set in 100 acres of
parkland Verulamium is the museum of everyday life in Roman Britain. The
museum houses some of the finest Roman mosaics and wall plasters outside
the Mediterranean. Situated nearby in the park are the remains of Roman
Walls and a well preserved Hypocaust. |
