Twenty-seven OBs and their partners gathered on Sunday, 17th March in St. Albans for a rather damp start to a fantastic and informative day out.
Peter Burley, a local author who has co-written a book ‘The Battles of St. Albans’, led the group on a walking tour around the centre of St. Albans, highlighting areas where the first battle of the War of the Roses took place in 1455. The city is unique in having been the site of two pivotal battles during the Wars of the Roses, and many of the city’s streets, and some of the buildings that would have been standing at the time, are still there to this day.
The group met for coffee before donning their raincoats and taking to the streets of St. Albans where Peter was able to plot the events of over 500 years ago onto the current landscape of St. Albans, bringing history to life and giving insights into the movements of the various armies and their leaders.
During the tour, the group also saw some unusual memorials from the First World War. The Parish of St. Albans Abbey retains First World War memorial plaques which were placed on houses to commemorate the fallen who had lived in the street.
Following the two-hour walking tour, the group retired to the newly refurbished pub, The Saint and Sinner, for lunch.
Thank you to Peter and his wife Jennifer for leading such an interesting tour, and to Craig Mitchell (64-74), OB Club Chairman, for organising the day.