Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon

St Albans Museums Image Collection

By Chris Dunn

Sir Francis Bacon

Sir Francis Bacon had a complaint to make about Gorhambury, his St Albans home.  It wouls have been expensive to bring water to the house in the 1620s so he came up with an alternative.
Sir Francis, who was Viscount St Albans, declared that since he could not carry water to his house he would carry his house to water.  The great man required a smaller and more convenient house in which to live and write so he designed Verulam House.  It was built about 1630 and demolished 50 years later.