Tudor Archway

A brick archway standing alone in a St Albans side street - that's all that remains of a Tudor mansion that was demolished centuries ago. The arch itself is proper striking once you spot it, a survivor from around the 16th century when someone clearly had the money to build something worth remembering. You can walk right up to it, photograph it from every angle, and be done in five minutes flat. Which sounds dismissive, but it's actually rather good for history enthusiasts who collect these scraps of the past.

What makes it worth the tiny detour is context. St Albans rewards wandering anyway - the Cathedral is substantial, the town centre has good bones, and you'll pass half-decent pubs on the walk over. The archway isn't a day out on its own; it's a checkpoint on a proper exploration of a town that mattered in medieval England. Free to view, obviously - there's no gate or keeper.

If you're based at Commons Wood Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite or Cherry Green Trees a few miles out, St Albans itself makes a solid half-day trip. The archway fits into that without forcing anything. Families with small children might find it underwhelming - there's nowhere to sit, nothing to do, just a historical fact in brick form. But anyone interested in seeing how medieval Hertfordshire built its wealth, or who simply likes wandering old town centres, will find it a modest pleasure.