By Tim Lambert
20 BC The local Celtic tribe build their capital at St Albans
43 AD The Romans invade Britain. Later they take over the Celtic settlement at St Albans.
61 AD Boudica burns St Albans. After her rebellion is crushed the town is rebuilt.
304 St Alban, the first British martyr is beheaded in the town
429 St Albans is still going strong but afterward, Roman civilisation breaks down and the town is abandoned
Late 8th Century The Saxons found an abbey dedicated to St Alban. The nearby village is called St Albans.
Mid-10th Century The abbot enlarges St Albans and turns it into a market town
1086 St Albans has a population of about 500
1348 On the eve of the Black Death St Albans has a population of about 1,300. The main industry in the little town is making wool.
1455 During the Wars of the Roses a battle is fought in St Albans
1461 Another battle is fought in St Albans
1539 Henry VII closes St Albans Abbey
1553 St Albans is given its first charter
1556 George Tankerfield is martyred in St Albans
1604 St Albans suffers an outbreak of plague
1643 During the Civil War Parliamentary troops capture St Albans
1750 St Albans has a population of about 3,500
1802 A silk mill opens in St Albans
1824 St Albans gains gas street lighting
1868 St Albans is linked to London by train
1877 St Albans is made a city
1881 The first public library opens in St Albans
1899 The first museum opens in St Albans
1908 The first cinema is built in St Albans
1909 The first buses begin running in St Albans
1961 A new Civic Centre opens
1968 The Abbey Theatre opens
1988 The Maltings Shopping Centre opens
1993 A new Crown Court is built
