A Double Tribute on French Row: Albert Moody Honoured and the Christopher Inn's Story Retold

On a changeable October afternoon, a crowd gathered at 3–5 French Row to witness a rare and fitting double tribute. Blue Plaques St Albans (BPSA) unveiled a blue plaque to Albert Moody, the City Engineer and Surveyor whose post-war reconstruction saved one of St Albans' most historic buildings from collapse. At the same time, a new heritage plaque, sponsored by the St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society (SAHAAS), replaced an outdated sign to tell the full, colourful story of the Christopher Inn itself.

The location could not have been more apt. By the 1940s, the building at 3–9 French Row, once the grand St Christopher Inn, had fallen into such ruin that it was described as "so damaged and robbed of relics the impression was one of squalor rather than historical interest." The roof was feared to be on the verge of collapsing into French Row. Woodworm and deathwatch beetle had taken hold so badly that they needed over 160 gallons of insecticide to treat the timbers. Without intervention, this piece of mediaeval St Albans would have been lost. Albert Moody was the man who refused to let that happen. As City Engineer and Surveyor, he led a complex and perilous reconstruction from 1953, preserving the building's mediaeval character while adapting it for modern use.

Professor Tim Boatswain, Chair of BPSA, welcomed the attendees and reminded them that this was the eighteenth blue plaque that the voluntary body had installed. Then Steve Potter, St Albans Town Crier, gave a lively and engaging talk about Albert Moody, bringing the man and his achievements vividly to life for those gathered. It was a particular delight to have some of Albert's relatives from the Fennell branch of the family present, adding a deeply personal dimension to the occasion.

The new heritage plaque, meanwhile, offers passers-by a comprehensive insight into the building's remarkable journey. It tells of its origins as a medieval Hall House, its transformation into the St Christopher Inn in the late 1500s, its role as a meeting place during the 1660s, its heyday as a grand coaching inn with fourteen chambers where mayors and officials feasted, and its sad decline into a notorious slum and brothel in the nineteenth century. Bill Free of SAHAAS noted that the new plaque "replaces an older, outdated plaque and offers a comprehensive insight into the building's role as one of the most popular, prosperous and grandest hostels in St Albans."

The Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Matt Fisher, brought the ceremony to a close with a strong reminder about the importance of conservation and of dedicated people like Albert Moody in maintaining the city's rich heritage – a heritage that, without such figures, would be immeasurably poorer.

Finally, Tim Boatswain thanked the Mayor and the other speakers as well as the attendees for their presence, especially the relatives of Albert Moody, who were able to see their ancestor honoured in the heart of the city he helped to save.

The event served as a reminder of something easily forgotten: that the historic streets we walk every day are not accidents of survival. They exist because people fought for them. Albert Moody was one of those people. The double unveiling on French Row ensures that both the man and the building he rescued will not be forgotten.