 |  | 
 | | |  | | |  | | | | | | Name:
James Doran
Building:
St Albans Abbey
Location:
St Albans
What is your relationship to this building?:
It is the local cathedral in my area and contains a shrine to the man they wanted to be patron saint of England, St Alban. It is also one of the dominant landmarks in St Albans' town centre.
Why do you love this building?:
It has a certain aura about it, its prescence is clear, as soon as you move into the market square the large Norman architecture stands out. Like many cathedrals it may not be modern but it is beautiful. When I first went in I was astonished by the size of it. I was young then, however, so it does not seem so large now. It does not have the boring, stark image of many cathedrals of its era but simply serves the purpose of a grand parish church. Its old brick structure means it has a Byzantine feel to it, crusaders brought back ideas from Constantinople.
| | | | | | 
Name:
Stephen Howard Smith
Your comments on this building:
I first found out about this fascinating building at the Hayward Galleries' exhibition 'The Thirties' in 1980, where a reconstuction of one of the interiors was featured. What a pity that more peole cannot live up to the sort of ideals such a building represents!
| | | | | | Add your own comments to this review
Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published | | | | | | Write a review of your best loved building in Britain
We want to find out what qualities make buildings truly loved, rather than simply admired from a distance, so tell us about a building that you know really well – preferably inside out!
 | | |
| | |
Night Waves Debate: "This house believes that Prince Charles has been good for architecture"
submit your walk
