Reimagining Urban Heritage: Street Art as Public History in St Albans’ Historic Alleyways Project

This article examines the intersection of public history, urban conservation, and street art through a case study of the Historic Alleyways initiative in St Albans. Focusing on a newly commissioned mural in Lamb Alley—depicting a Wars of the Roses’ man-at-arms—the project exemplifies how contemporary street art can mediate historical narratives in underutilised or vandalised urban spaces. Supported by Conservation 50 and HSBC, the mural by artist Ant Steel engages with St Albans’ mediaeval past, specifically the 1455 First Battle of St Albans, while addressing broader questions of heritage interpretation, community engagement, and the role of public art in urban regeneration. 

Introduction

In recent years, street art has emerged as a dynamic medium for historical storytelling, transforming neglected urban spaces into sites of public memory (Young, 2016). The Historic Alleyways project in St Albans, spearheaded by the heritage organisation Conservation 50, exemplifies this trend. By commissioning murals that visually reconstruct episodes from the city’s mediaeval and modern history, the initiative bridges academic historiography and public engagement. This article analyses the Lamb Alley mural—its historical context, artistic execution, and implications for heritage discourse—while situating it within broader debates on art, memory, and place-making. 

Wars of the Roses man-at-arms

Historical Context: The Battle of St Albans and the Wars of the Roses 

The mural’s subject, a Yorkist/Lancastrian soldier, directly references the First Battle of St Albans (1455), a pivotal conflict in the Wars of the Roses. As Professor Tim Boatswain (Chair of Conservation 50) notes, the battle saw Richard, Duke of York, defeat Lancastrian forces in a surprise assault through Market Place, culminating in the death of the Duke of Somerset at the Castle Inn—a site later dramatised in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2. The mural’s location in Lamb Alley, a narrow thoroughfare adjacent to the historic battlefield, reinforces the spatial continuity between past and present. However, as with many medieval urban sites, the precise location of the Castle Inn remains contested, underscoring the challenges of interpreting fragmented historical landscapes (Clark, 2019). 

Artistic Intervention: Ant Steel and Rebellion Therapy 

The mural’s creator, Ant Steel, is a street artist known for his bold, layered compositions that blend historical themes with contemporary techniques. His approach—termed Rebellion Therapy—combines the subversive energy of street art with a reflective, almost meditative engagement with history. For the Lamb Alley piece, Steel employed aerosol spray, a medium that demands rapid, decisive execution, particularly under the variable conditions of outdoor urban environments. This methodological constraint aligns with Steel’s broader artistic philosophy, which treats the physical challenges of street art (weather, architecture, public interaction) as integral to the creative process. 

The Lamb Alley mural follows Steel’s earlier work in Sovereign Way, which commemorated St Albans’ 1851 Election Scandal. Both pieces exemplify how street art can reanimate overlooked historical narratives, transforming architectural features—here, a graffiti-pier—into didactic and aesthetic landmarks. 

Public History and Urban Regeneration 

The Historic Alleyways project reflects a growing trend in which heritage organisations collaborate with artists to enhance public engagement with local history (Graham, 2020). By situating historical imagery in quotidian spaces, the initiative democratises access to the past, inviting pedestrians to encounter history outside formal museum contexts. Moreover, the project aligns with urban regeneration strategies that leverage cultural production to revitalise underused alleyways (Zukin, 1995). 

Conclusion

The Lamb Alley mural demonstrates the potential of street art to function as both a historical intervention and an urban revitalisation tool. By fusing academic research with artistic practice, Conservation 50 and Ant Steel have created a work that is simultaneously commemorative, educational, and visually compelling. Future installations in the Historic Alleyways series promise to further enrich St Albans’ public history landscape, offering a model for other cities seeking to integrate heritage, art, and community engagement. 

References 

- Clark, L. (2019). Medieval Urban Landscapes: Archaeology and GIS. Routledge. 

- Graham, B. (2020). Heritage as Critical Public History. Edinburgh University Press.  . 

- Young, J. (2016). The Stages of Memory: Reflections on Memorial Art. UMass Press. 

- Zukin, S. (1995). The Cultures of Cities. Blackwell. 

Further Information 

For details on Conservation 50, visit: https://timboatswain.wixsite.com/conservation-50

Tim Boatswain

30/05/2025