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173 </div> 174 </div> 175 176 </div> 177 178 <div class="row"> 179 <div class="large-9 columns"> 180 181 <div class="body"> 182 <p>Ever wondered about the stories behind many of St Albansâ buildings as you wander past?</p> 183<p>Discover more about the cityâs heritage by exploring <strong>Talking Buildings</strong> - an interactive sound installation which was displayed on the hoardings around St Albans Museum + Gallery and now available online at <a href="https://talkingbuildings.wordpress.com/">talkingbuildings.wordpress.com</a>.</p> 184<p>A team of 19 fantastic museum volunteers worked on the project for 4 months and researched 35 buildings between them â from the Waterend Barn and Waxhouse Gate to The Old Library and the often-missed mosaic above Forrester House on St Peterâs Street.</p> 185<p>The knowledgeable St Albans Town Guides kicked things off with a tour of some of the city centreâs buildings to inspire them, then each volunteer research a building or two. Andrew Parker, a Lecturer in the University of Hertfordshireâs Creative Arts team led a lively workshop to help the volunteers find the âpersonalityâ of the buildings so they could lend their voice to them and record short audio clips which passers-by can hear in the wind-up speakers on the hoardings or via the website which also hosts their wider research.</p> 186 187 188 </div> 189 190 191<section class="entity entity__ clearfix"> 192 193 194 195 <blockquote> 196 <p>"I researched Waxhouse Gate and 30-32 Market Place as they are both buildings which have a fascinating past and are much older than they initially appear to be. The process has been both interesting and fun. From the guided walk around the city centre to carrying out research in the library and recording the scripts at the museum, it has been a chance to learn more about the buildings of St Albans, meet some interesting people and to learn new skills."</p> 197 198 199 </blockquote> 200 201 <cite> Andrew Lucas, Volunteer 202</cite> 203 204 205</section> 206 207<section class="entity entity__ clearfix"> 208 209 210 211 <p>Did you know that the man who designed the mosaic on St Peterâs Street above Greggs also designed the escalator and Egyptian Hall at Harrods? Or that melons were once grown in the gardens around St Peterâs Street? <br><br /> 212Did you know that the medieval foundations under Waxhouse Gate are nearly two and half meters thick? Or that the Clock Tower bell was rung at the start of the First Battle of St Albans in 1455?</p> 213<p>Many thanks to the Museum Volunteers and team, the St Albans Tour Guides, St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society, the Battlefields Trust, St Albans Civic Society, St Albans Central Library and everyone else who has been involved in this project.</p> 214 215 216 217 218</section> 219 220<section class="entity entity__ clearfix"> 221 222 223 224 <blockquote> 225 <p>"The brief was to research the history of local buildings, write a one-minute script and record it. Our purpose wasnât to find out everything there was to know about our buildings but to identify an interesting story connected to it, some fascinating facts or hopefully to uncover a hidden secret.<br><br /> 226We spent an enjoyable morning listening to each otherâs talks, learning all sorts of interesting stories about buildings that we had passed time and time again, but seldom stopped to think about. It was remarkably hard whittling the research to just a one minute talk. What voice does the Clock Tower speak in? Is it male or female? Grumpy, old codger? Or wise and looking back philosophically?<br><br /> 22716 of the recordings were selected to be put onto two kinetic speaker devices which were embedded into the construction hoardings surrounding the Town Hall. Tourists and visitors were able to select a building, wind up the device and listen to the buildings telling their stories."</p> 228 229 230 </blockquote> 231 232 <cite> Caroline Howkins, Volunteer 233</cite> 234 235 236</section> 237 238<section class="entity entity__ clearfix"> 239 240 241 242 <blockquote> 243 <p>"My building was the Old Town Hall, also known as the Moot Hall, which is where the newsagent W.H. Smith is now. I always foun
243d this an intriguing building and wanted to know more about its history. It turns out at some point in time, the downstairs area was used a a gaol, housing the local thieves and thugs while waiting their trials. Upstairs the local governing bodies of the town held their meetings and their balls, and the court would keep their hearings upstairs too. Two different worlds in one building! Until it became too small and a new Town Hall was built.<br><br /> 244I thoroughly enjoyed doing this research and I learned so much about our city. I met helpful people from the St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society (SAHAAS) and at the local library. I hope local residents and visitors alike all enjoy our project!"</p> 245 246 247 </blockquote> 248 249 <cite> Marit Gruijs, Volunteer 250</cite> 251 252 253</section> 254 255 256 </div> 257 258 <div class="large-3 columns"> 259 260 <a class="btn" title="View all blog posts" href="/about/blog">View all blog posts<span></span></a> 261 262 </div> 263 </div> 264 265 266 267 268 269</div> 270 </div> 271 272 273 <footer class="footer clearfix"> 274 275 <div class="row"> 276 <div class="large-4 columns"> 277 278 <h3><a href="/visit/st-albans-museum-gallery" target="_self" title="St Albans Museum + Gallery">St Albans Museum + Gallery</a></h3> 279 280 <address>Town Hall<br>St Peter's Street<br>St Albans<br>AL1 3DH </address> 281 282 <p><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/BPfbWnKuLaw" target="_blank" title="Open in Google Maps" class="map-link">Google Maps</a></p> 283 284 <p><em>Free general admission</em></p> 285 286 </div> 287 <div class="large-4 columns"> 288 289 <h3><a href="/visit/verulamium-museum" target="_self" title="Verulamium Museum">Verulamium Museum</a></h3> 290 291 <address>St Michael's Street<br>St Albans<br>AL3 4SW</address> 292 293 <p><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/KctWQRWQbxL2" target="_blank" title="Open in Google Maps" class="map-link">Google Maps</a></p> 294 295 <p><em>Admission charges apply</em></p> 296 297 </div> 298 <div class="large-3 columns"> 299 <div class="newsletter"> 300 <a href="/newsletter-sign-up" title="Newsletter sign up" class="btn">Newsletter sign up <span></span></a> 301 </div> 302 303 <ul class="social-links"> 304 <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/stalbansmuseums" title="Facebook" class="social social--facebook" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li> 305 <li><a href="https://twitter.com/stalbansmuseums" title="Twitter" class="social social--twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> 306 <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/stalbansmuseums/" title="Instagram" class="social social--instagram" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li> 307 <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/museumsstalbans/" title="Youtube" class="social social--youtube" target="_blank">Youtube</a></li> 308 </ul> 309 310 <div class="menu-footer"> 311 312 <ul class="menu"> 313 <li class="menu-item"> 314 <a href="/about" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/61">About us</a> 315 </li> 316 <li class="menu-item"> 317 <a href="/cookies" title="Cookies" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4507">Cookies</a> 318 </li> 319 <li class="menu-item"> 320 <a href="/privacy" title="Privacy Policy" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4506">Privacy</a> 321 </li> 322 </ul> 323 324 325 326 </div> 327 328 </div> 329 </div> 330 331 <div class="row"> 332 <div class="large-12 large-centered columns"> 333 334 <ul class="partners"> 335 <li><a href="https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/" title="St Albans City & District Council" class="partner partner--council" target="_blank">St Albans City & District Council</a></li> 336 <li><a href="/get-involved/donate" title="St Albans Museum & Galleries Trust" class="partner partner--trust" target="_self">St Albans Museum & Galleries Trust</a></li> 337 <li><a href="https://www.hlf.org.uk/" title="Heritage Lottery funded" class="partner partner--hlf" target="_blank">Heritage Lottery funded</a></li> 338 </ul> 339 340 </div> 341 </div> 342 343 <div class="row"> 344 <div class="large-12 large-centered columns"> 345 <div class="credits"> 346 <p>Copyright 2026 St Albans Museums ⢠</p> 347 </div> 348 </div> 349 </div> 350 351 </footer> 352 353 <div class="hidden"> 354 355<div class="search-block-form block block--type- overlay__insert hidden" data-drupal-selector="search-block-form" id="block-searchform" role="search"> 356 357 <h2>Search the site</h2> 358 359 <form action="/search/node" method="get" id="search-block-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"> 360 <div class="js-form-item form-item js-form-type-search form-type-search js-form-item-keys form-item-keys form-no-label"> 361 <label for="edit-keys" class="visually-hidden">Search</label>
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