St Albans Market

Minimum 5 nights stay

St Albans Market and its Royal Charter

St Albans Market is an integral part of the city’s history and has been trading every Wednesday and Saturday since around the 9th or 10th century. Records show that a market traded outside the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban around that time, and it was then granted a Royal Charter by Edward VI in 1553 when it specified Wednesdays and Saturdays as the trading days. The Royal Charter gave St Albans the right to hold markets in the town centre and St Albans Market went on to become an important trading centre on Watling Street, the Roman Road to London (which now forms part of the M1 motorway).

Today St Albans Market stretches through St Peters Street and up Market Place. On Wednesday there is a great food section of the marketing selling hot and cold food, bakery items and street food. The market traders are a close knit community, and many stalls have been run by generations of families going back years. Alongside the market stalls you will also find historic buildings and high street retailers giving St Albans Market a truly unique atmosphere.

Every month on a Sunday there is now the addition of a Farmers Market and there are also ad hoc continental markets and the Christmas Market the week running up to Christmas.