ch; but this font disappeared
during the civil wars. The continuation of the screen across the north
aisle is due to Lord Grimthorpe. His object was to form a vestry out of
that part of the north aisle that lies along the north side of the choir
as far as the transept. On the south side he merely erected a glazed
wooden screen with a door, through which visitors pass to enter the
eastern part of the church.

[Illustration: NORTH AISLE OF NAVE.]

It may be asked, of what use could the vast nave be to a monastery like
that at St. Albans, which does not seem to have contemplated the
admission of the laity to its services? The monks' services were
chaunted in the choir: the people had the parish church of St. Andrew
for their use, in which, however, the priests of the Abbey officiated.
But we must remember that in mediaeval times, on Sundays and on other
great festivals, grand processions formed part of the ritual. The monks,
leaving the choir, perambulated the church. The general order of the
procession was probably as follows: the north arm of the transept, the
north aisle of the presbytery into the Saint's Chapel, thence back into
the aisle round the ambulatory or retro-choir, through the south
presbytery aisle into the south arm of the transept, through the Abbot's
door into the cloister, along the east, south, and west alleys back into
the church by the blocked-up door in the south wall, up the nave, and
through the two doors of the rood screen into the choir.

On special occasions it was customary for the shrines or feretories
containing the relics of the saints--in this Abbey those of St. Alban
and St. Amphibalus--to be removed from the pedestals on which they
stood, and carried in solemn procession round the church and sometimes
even outside it. For such ceremonials the naves were needed. It was also
to allow for these processions passing round the church that the
ambulatory was built leading round the back of the high altar. The idea
of holding _ordinary_ services for the laity in the nave is an entirely
new idea, and however desirable they may be, yet they have led in modern
days to the introduction into the building in some places of benches or
seats like those of parish churches, and in others to the introduction
of chairs, either of which additions considerably detracts from the
architectural effect of the building. But though in early times the
laity had not in all churches regular access to the building, ye