Verulamium Museum

Verulamium Museum stands on the site of one of Roman Britain's most important cities, offering visitors an unparalleled window into daily life in Roman Britain through one of the finest collections of Roman artefacts and mosaics in the country. Verulamium — the Roman name for the settlement at St Albans — was among the largest and most significant towns in Roman Britain, serving as a major commercial and administrative centre for nearly four centuries after the Roman conquest.

The museum was established in 1939 and has developed over subsequent decades into a world-class resource for understanding Roman Britain. Its collections include some of the most spectacular Roman mosaics to survive in Britain, displayed in situ in the museum's purpose-built galleries, where visitors can walk alongside these extraordinary works of art and craftsmanship and appreciate them as they were originally meant to be seen — as floor decorations in wealthy Roman townhouses.

The artefact collections are equally impressive, spanning every aspect of Roman domestic, commercial and religious life. Personal jewellery, household pottery, children's toys, medical instruments, coins, religious figurines and decorative objects together build a vivid picture of the people who lived, worked and worshipped in Roman Verulamium. The museum places particular emphasis on the human stories behind the objects, making this ancient world immediate and accessible for all visitors.

Beyond its collections, the museum is surrounded by Verulamium Park, within which extensive remains of the Roman town's walls, gates and theatre can still be seen above ground. The park setting allows visitors to walk in the actual footsteps of Roman citizens, gaining a powerful sense of the scale and ambition of Roman urban planning.

St Albans itself has a rich history closely connected to Roman Verulamium — the city takes its name from Alban, the first Christian martyr in Britain, who was executed in the Roman town. The adjacent Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban incorporates Roman bricks salvaged from the ruins of Verulamium, providing a visible link between the Roman and medieval layers of the city's history.

Verulamium Museum is managed by St Albans City and District Council and is widely regarded as one of the finest Roman museums in the UK. Its combination of spectacular in-situ mosaics, superb portable collections and an evocative park setting make it an essential destination for anyone interested in Roman Britain.