French Invasion

It’s a source of both shame and excitement when I encounter a town I know virtually nothing about and find out its vital role in the past and/or present. And sometimes there is a tenuous Kiwi connection, which is absurdly satisfying. St Albans fits this mould. I am going to use St Albans as my inspiration for some regular posts, as I develop my writing practice. My plan is to publish each day, but expect edits and changes! Also added links and photos are planned. This is another of my works in progress, so feedback would be welcomed.

Last year, 2015, marked the significant anniversary of many momentous world events. As a New Zealander, the Gallipoli centenary took precedence. Waterloo: bicentenary, Agincourt: sexcentenary. So the commemoration of signing of the Magna Carta was a solitary blip on my radar. I happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of a BBC news item of the Queen attending some event at Runnymede, 800 years after the signing. Otherwise I would have missed it altogether. And it’s obviously an era I don’t know very well, as evidenced by my incredulity when I discovered French Row, a street just off the old market square in St Albans.