And is proof that it was dissolved and that king Henry VII was concerned about the monks going quietly so he paid them off. It also shows that kin Henry VII could afford big pensions.
Externally.
During the reformation st Albans monastery was knocked down we know this because in the summer we can see outlines of the foundations see picture below.
Valuable building materials were sold of like lead roof to builders. The buildings of the monasteries that were destroyed were dormitories, stables, kitchens, lodgings, mill and cloisters. The only thing left was the church and gatehouse, which became a prison then a school. We know there was a monastery because you can see where the buildings would go next to the gatehouse see picture of gatehouse below.
There are also street names around like abbey mill lane and fish Pool lane that tells us their use to be a fish pool and a mill, which was probably used by the monks.
If you look around the cathedral you can see where bricks had been taken away and replaced. We also have artist impressions of what the monastery looked like before the reformation. You can also see where the cloisters used to be because you can see where they have been blocked by different colour bricks from original see photo below.
There is also the Vintry garden which that the monks would have made wine from.
The inside of the cathedral changed during the reformation. Before the reformation it was decorated with bright colours after the reformation it was white washed and plain we know this because the white wash has faded and revealed pictures in the nave, on the tower and in the shrine area.
Carvings were destroyed we know this because of the carvings around the shrine.
The brasses on the floor were ripped up and melted down and sold and all that is left are the outlines and tacks.
The brass statue below was turned over so nobody could tell it was there and did not get ruined
All statues of saints were smashed we know this because the plinths and the rood screens source 2 shows you the high alter screen with out the statues on it
All pictures defaced and we know this because the pictures in the nave are defaced
The stain glass windows were smashed and there is one piece that remains in the cathedral
Calligraphy on walls were painted over with white wash the rood screen was damaged and smashed and it shows this in source pack source 2.
The role of the cathedral changed after the reformation now it was protestant there was no pilgrims it had less money to keep it open none of the monks had had places to go after the reformation because the monastery was there life some of them went into teaching. The people around the town depended on the monastery because they got money from all the pilgrims.
The evidence that may have confused a historian is that there are stained glass windows there and they were all meant to be smashed there are statues of saints, which should have been smashed the shrine shouldn’t be there because Protestants do not pray to saints there was colour in the church when protestant churches are meant to be plain the reasons these things are there is because in 1850s to 1900 it was restored by lord Grimthorpe and a Victorian architect called sir George Gilbert Scott. There was also brass statues on the floor, which had either been missed or could not get them up of the floor.
The picture of st Albans monastery before the reformation the things in the picture that are still there are the gatehouse, cathedral, vintry garden, grass area, houses on holly hill, the street and the boundary wall are all still there. The things that are not there today are the pond, the monastery buildings, tower spire is not there, the cloisters have gone and so as the well.
The methods the artist would have used at the time was common knowledge reference books you can also see the foundations in the summer and the depth of that tells you what height the buildings would have been.
The problem is that the artist can only find out certain things from the foundations like what size and shape the windows and doors were what materials they would have used for the roof and brick work and what the buildings looked like but there are some clues because most of the houses in st Albans were made at the same time the artist could have looked at these to see what type of material they used and what they might have looked like.
