'Discover' Gallery

Our first aim as a Society was to protect the Abbey. But soon members were making exciting discoveries that added to our knowledge of St Albans and the surrounding area.

Pioneering archaeological excavation in St Albans

Richard Grove Lowe, a former Mayor of St Albans and one of our earliest members, discovered the Roman theatre on the Gorhambury Estate in 1847. He also excavated outside the Abbey Church, working with other Society members, Revd. Henry Nicholson and Henry Toulmin.

Using non-invasive techniques

Excavating nowadays is costly and destroys archaeological remains. So archaeologists now often use non-invasive techniques such as ground penetrating radar. Since 2013 many Society members have assisted the Community Archaeology Geophysics Group in surveying the unexcavated areas of Verulamium.