8 more unusual photo spots in St Albans: a local photographer’s guide
Twenty-three years of living in St Albans and I’m still finding things I’ve never noticed before. That’s the thing about this city – it doesn’t give up its stories easily. You have to be paying attention.
This is part two of my photowalk around St Albans, following on from the first guide covering the Pemberton Almshouses, the Clock Tower, Waxhouse Gate and the medieval graffiti inside the Cathedral. This route goes wider and, in one case, further, taking you from the old Town Hall cells out to a genuine Second World War gun emplacement hiding in the trees near Napsbury.
As with part one, this isn’t just a tourist guide. These are the kinds of locations I draw on when I’m planning a personal branding session, a corporate shoot, or any portrait work in St Albans. The texture, the character and the light in this city are genuinely extraordinary, and most of it goes completely unseen.
01. A safe place for secrets – the museum and gallery safe
St Albans Museum and Gallery, housed in the Grade II-listed Town Hall. Once a courtroom, now home to exhibitions, a cafe, and the old cells downstairs. The Thomas Milner fireproof safe is one of the more quietly remarkable objects in the building.
Location: St Albans Museum and Gallery, Town Hall, Market Place
Start in the historic heart of the city at St Albans Museum and Gallery, housed inside the Grade II-listed Town Hall on Market Place. The building was once a working courtroom, and if you head downstairs after your coffee you can step into the old cells, the holding rooms where people waited to learn their fate before sentencing. They’re small, cold, and oddly moving.
The object most people miss entirely is the fireproof safe made by Thomas Milner, used to store important legal documents and valuables when this was still a functioning court. It’s a beautifully made piece of Victorian engineering that looks completely out of place in a modern gallery – which is exactly what makes it worth photographing.
As a location for portrait work, the Town Hall interior has excellent natural light through tall sash windows, clean architectural lines, and the kind of civic gravitas that works brilliantly for professional and legal sector clients.
→ Head out onto St Peter's Street.
02. The travelling barn – Waterend Barn
Waterend Barn, St Peter's Street, St Albans. A 17th-century barn carefully dismantled and moved piece by piece from Sandridge in 1938. Now a pub and restaurant, the original timbers are still visible throughout the interior.
Location: St Peter's Street
Just down the road on St Peter’s Street is Waterend Barn, a stunning 17th-century timber-framed structure with a story that most people sitting inside it have no idea about. In 1938 the entire barn was carefully dismantled and moved piece by piece from its original site in Sandridge, a few miles away, and rebuilt here. The fact that it’s now a busy pub and restaurant makes that history even more remarkable.
Look closely at the exposed timbers inside and you’ll see the marks of age, repair and centuries of use. The scale of the interior – high-vaulted ceilings, thick beams, warm natural light – makes it an excellent setting for environmental portraiture. I've used it as a pre- or post-shoot stop on personal branding sessions for clients who want something genuinely characterful rather than a generic backdrop.
→ Walk down towards French Row.
03. Insurance? Better display your plaque!
Fire insurance plaque, 7 French Row, St Albans. If you weren't displaying one of these in Georgian and early Victorian times, the local fire engine had no obligation to help when your building caught alight. The engine itself was once kept where WH Smith now stands.
Location: 7 French Row
Look up at number 7 French Row and you’ll spot a metal plaque on the facade – a fire insurance mark, likely dating from the 18th century. Before municipal fire brigades existed, fire engines were operated by private insurance companies. If your building wasn’t displaying one of these plaques, the crew had no contractual obligation to help you. You’d be expected to pay upfront, on the spot, before they lifted a hose.
The local fire engine was once kept in a building on the very site where WH Smith now stands on the High Street. It’s a detail that completely changes how you see the street when you know it. This kind of small, overlooked object is precisely what makes St Albans such a rich city to photograph – there are layers of history on almost every building if you know where to look.
04. The Three Gables – saved by a petition
The Three Gables, Market Place, St Albans. Built in 1637, nearly demolished in 1899, and saved by a public petition. The overhanging upper floor and distinctive plaster gables make it one of the most photographed buildings in the city.
Location: Market Place
Built in 1637 and now home to Anthropologie, The Three Gables is one of the most photographed buildings in St Albans, and one that nearly didn’t survive. In 1899 it was earmarked for demolition. A passionate public campaign saved it, which makes the building as much a story about the people of St Albans as it is about the architecture.
The overhanging upper floor is a classic example of jettying – a medieval building technique where upper storeys project out beyond the ground floor. Combined with the distinctive plaster gables, it creates the kind of asymmetry and texture that looks genuinely striking in photographs. Market Place as a whole is one of the best locations in St Albans for architectural detail shots, and this is the centrepiece.
It’s also one of the locations I frequently suggest for personal branding sessions with clients who work in creative industries – the visual contrast between a 400-year-old building and a contemporary brand is a combination that consistently produces interesting images.
05. Samuel Ryder’s Art Deco gem
The Samuel Ryder Exhibition Hall, Holywell Hill, St Albans. Built in 1931 as a showcase for Ryder's seed business, the cream tiles, leaded glass and clean symmetry make it one of the finest Art Deco buildings in Hertfordshire. Ryder also donated the Ryder Cup trophy.
Location: Holywell Hill
On Holywell Hill, look for the Samuel Ryder Exhibition Hall – built in 1931 as a showcase for Ryder’s famous seed business. The cream tiles, leaded glass and clean geometric symmetry make it one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in Hertfordshire, and one that most people walk past without giving it a second glance.
Samuel Ryder is best known for donating the Ryder Cup trophy, the prize for one of golf’s most prestigious team competitions. His building legacy in St Albans is less celebrated but worth seeking out. The facade in strong directional light – particularly in the morning, has the kind of graphic quality that works extremely well for architectural detail photography.
→ Make your way to St Albans Cathedral.
06. The Abbey door – big on drama, small on access
The west doors of St Albans Cathedral. Once opened for grand processions through one of England's most important abbeys. Look for the small door-within-a-door used by monks and pilgrims for everyday access, it's easy to miss.
Location: St Albans Cathedral, west end
At the west end of the Cathedral, the massive oak doors once swung open for grand processions through one of the most important abbeys in medieval England. They’re imposing in scale and rich in detail -- the carved ironwork, the worn timber and the sheer weight of them give you a real sense of what this place meant.
What most visitors miss is the small door set within the larger doors, the monk’s entrance, used for everyday access when swinging the full doors open wasn’t practical or necessary. It’s a beautiful piece of functional design from another century, and tells you something important about how a building like this actually worked as a living institution rather than a monument.
Photographically, the west door is at its best in overcast light, which eliminates the harsh contrast between the deep shadow of the arch and the bright exterior. The ironwork and grain of the timber reward a close lens and patience.
→ Head up to the High Street.
07. 17 High Street – Pargeting and a mysterious mason
Pargeting detail, 17 High Street, St Albans. The date 1665 is preserved in the decorative plasterwork. The building may be even older, and is possibly connected to Edward Strong, the master mason who helped Sir Christopher Wren rebuild St Paul's Cathedral.
Location: 17 High Street (The Shaken Cow)
Pick up a milkshake from The Shaken Cow at 17 High Street and then look up. The facade features beautifully preserved pargeting, decorative plasterwork, with the date 1665 worked into the design. The building is likely older than that, and carries a story that connects it to one of the most famous construction projects in British history.
The building may have belonged to Edward Strong, the master mason who worked alongside Sir Christopher Wren on the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire of London. It’s an unverified connection but a compelling one, and the kind of detail that transforms a High Street building into something worth stopping for.
The pargeting itself is the real photographic subject here. Decorative plasterwork of this quality and age is increasingly rare, and the shallow relief means it’s best captured in raking light, early morning or late afternoon when the sun hits the building at a low angle and the texture really lifts.
08. Hidden history – Allan-Williams gun turret
Allan-Williams gun turret, Hedges Farm, Napsbury. Built during WW2 to protect Radlett Airfield, it rotates 360 degrees and still has its original internal fittings. One of only a handful left in its original position in the UK.
Location: Near A414, Napsbury (Hedges Farm)
The final stop on this route is the most unexpected, and for that reason probably the most rewarding. Head out of the city centre towards Hedges Farm near Napsbury, and you’ll find a rare Allan-Williams gun turret sitting quietly among the trees, looking like it belongs in a field museum rather than an ordinary Hertfordshire field.
It was built during the Second World War to protect Radlett Airfield from low-level air attack. The turret rotates 360 degrees and still has its original internal fittings intact, a remarkable state of preservation for a piece of field fortification that could easily have been demolished or buried decades ago. Only a handful of these remain in their original positions anywhere in the UK.
For photography, this is genuinely one of those finds that rewards the effort of getting there. The contrast between the weathered concrete, the surrounding vegetation and the quiet Hertfordshire countryside creates a powerful visual tension that you simply don’t get from the postcard shots. Go in the late afternoon when the low sun picks up the texture of the concrete and the interior shadow becomes interesting.
Using St Albans as a backdrop for a professional shoot
These eight locations are part of why I love shooting in St Albans. Every one of them offers something a studio can’t, genuine texture, real history, and light that changes with the time of day and the weather. When I’m planning a personal branding session or a corporate portrait shoot, I’m drawing on 23 years of knowing this city.
The Three Gables works for creative sector clients. Waterend Barn suits businesses that want warmth and character. The Town Hall interior is excellent for professional services. The Cathedral grounds give you scale and grandeur. Waxhouse Gate frames a person in a way that no studio backdrop can replicate.
If you’re based in St Albans or Hertfordshire and want a professional shoot that makes real use of these locations, get in touch. We can talk through what would work best for you and your brand.
If you’d like a handy downloadable PDF, simply click this link
The full St Albans photowalk
This second route is a mix of city centre stops and a short drive out to Napsbury for the gun turret. The city centre locations alone take around 60 to 90 minutes at a relaxed pace. Add the turret and you’re looking at a half-day out.
Best light: the pargeting at 17 High Street and the Samuel Ryder building both work best in morning light. The Cathedral west door is better under cloud. The gun turret is worth the trip in late afternoon.
Haven’t read part one yet? That route covers the Pemberton Almshouses, the Clock Tower, the Bat and Ball, Waxhouse Gate, the medieval graffiti inside the Cathedral, and the succubus carving off French Row.
Read part one: St Albans photography locations, a local photographer's guide to hidden gems →
Frequently asked questions
What are the most unusual photography locations in St Albans?
Beyond the obvious Cathedral and park shots, the most unusual and rewarding locations in St Albans include the medieval graffiti inside the Cathedral, the succubus carving off French Row, the Allan-Williams WW2 gun turret near Napsbury, the fire insurance plaque on French Row, and the pargeting on 17 High Street. None of these are tourist-facing attractions, they’re the kind of detail you only find if you’re genuinely paying attention to the city.
Are there good photography locations in St Albans for professional portrait shoots?
Yes, and they’re more varied than most people realise. For personal branding and headshot sessions I regularly use the Cathedral grounds, Waxhouse Gate, the exterior of the Three Gables in Market Place, the Pemberton Almshouses on St Peter’s Street, and various textured walls and doorways throughout the city centre. Each one brings something different, scale, warmth, architectural detail, or simply great light at the right time of day.
How do I find the Allan-Williams gun turret near St Albans?
The turret is located near Hedges Farm off the A414, close to Napsbury. It sits in a field edge rather than on any marked trail, so it takes a bit of searching. Go in decent footwear, especially after rain. It’s on private land, so check access before you visit. I’d recommend going in the afternoon when the light hits the concrete at a useful angle.
What is pargeting and where can I see it in St Albans?
Pargeting is decorative plasterwork applied to the exterior of buildings, particularly common in East Anglia and the Home Counties from the 16th to 18th centuries. In St Albans, the best surviving example is on the facade of 17 High Street, now The Shaken Cow, where the date 1665 is worked into the design. It’s one of the more overlooked details on the High Street and well worth a look.
I'm looking for a personal branding photographer in Hertfordshire, where do you work?
I’m based in St Albans and work across Hertfordshire, covering Harpenden, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Welwyn Garden City, Hertford, and London. Most of my personal branding and headshot sessions take place in St Albans, making use of locations like the ones across these two photowalks, but I travel regularly across the county for the right brief. If you’d like to talk through what a shoot might look like, get in touch and we can start there.
Mike Dick is a professional photographer based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. He specialises in personal branding photography, corporate headshots and event photography for businesses and professionals across Hertfordshire and London. He has lived in St Albans for 23 years.