The Clock Tower is closed during the winter. It will reopen on 18th April 2025.
You can still explore the Clock Tower online - see the online tour below.
A symbol of civic pride
St Albans' Clock Tower is the only surviving medieval town belfry in England and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The people of St Albans built the tower, which was completed by 1405 as a symbol of their resistance against the power of the abbot of St Albans. The Tower allowed the town to sound its own hours and, until 1863, the curfew.
The Clock Tower's bell rang out for the first Battle of St Albans during the Wars of the Roses in 1455.
Today, the tower - and its 600 year old bell - still stands face to face with the abbey's tower and provides fantastic views across over St Albans and far into the Hertfordshire countryside.
A paper by F G Kitton on the origin and history of the Clock Tower is available from The St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society's website.
Explore the Clock Tower online
You can now explore the Clock Tower from the comfort of your own home. Click the image below to start your virtual tour, enter the door, climb the stairs and marvel at the view. On the way, look out for the blue dots - these give you more information about the building and its history.
