St Helen's, St Alban's, and the Roman Defences

St Helen's (centre, now the local Record Office), on the High Street, was not just the wealthiest city parish church, it was the most ancient - very probably older than the cathedral and possibly even of Roman origin. St Alban's too was of ancient origin (bottom, left) but was much poorer so poor that it was never rebuilt and survives today much as it was in 1250. Both churches were founded just inside the rampart of the old Roman defences which, though mostly levelled by one of the later Anglo-Saxon bishops, may still be traced today by a slight rise in the ground surface.