Verulamium Museum

Verulamium Museum stands in St Albans, beside Verulamium Park. It occupies the site of the old Roman forum, the heart of the ancient city of Verulamium. The building was enlarged in the late 1990s after archaeologists uncovered further Roman remains during construction. The museum grew from excavations led by Mortimer Wheeler and his wife Tessa Wheeler in the 1930s. Their work revealed Iron Age and Roman layers beneath the modern city. The museum tells the story of Verulamium from its Iron Age beginnings to the end of Roman rule. Artefacts include mosaics, coins, tools and fragments of buildings uncovered in the area. Visitors can see how the Wheelers’ digs shaped understanding of Roman Britain. The displays explain daily life, trade and government in a major provincial city. Inside, wide galleries display finds from the forum and surrounding streets. A large mosaic floor shows a hunting scene, lifted from a Roman villa. Outside, the museum opens onto Verulamium Park, where grassy banks mark the line of the old city wall. The park’s lakes and avenues recall the Roman landscape beyond the walls.