Editing St Albans Cathedral (section)

===13th to 15th centuries===
[[File:St Albans Abbey before dissolution painting 2011-06-20.jpg|thumb|St Albans Abbey in its prime before its [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|dissolution]]. Painting by Jo Freeman dated 1977]]
An earthquake shook the Abbey in 1250 and damaged the eastern end of the church. In 1257 the dangerously cracked sections were knocked down — three apses and two bays. The thick [[Presbytery (architecture)|Presbytery]] wall supporting the tower was left. The rebuilding and updating were completed during the rule of Abbot Roger de Norton (1263–90) who founded an additional market in [[Watford]].<ref name="letters2005">{{cite web
	| url = https://archives.history.ac.uk/gazetteer/herts.html#S 
	| access-date = 2023-12-09
	| title = Hertfordshire
	| last = Letters
	| first = Samantha
	| date = 2005-02-23
	| website = Gazetteer Of Markets and Fairs In England And Wales To 1516
	| url-status = live
	| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220825105236/https://archives.history.ac.uk/gazetteer/herts.html#S
	| archive-date = 2022-08-25
}}</ref>

On 10 October 1323 two piers on the south side of the nave collapsed dragging down much of the roof and wrecking five bays. Mason Henry Wy undertook the rebuilding, matching the Early English style of the rest of the bays but adding distinctly 14th-century detailing and ornaments. The shrine to St Amphibalus had also been damaged and it was remade.

[[Image:20040409-003-abbey-gateway.jpg|left|thumb|Abbey Gateway, now part of [[St Albans School (Hertfordshire)|St Albans School]].]]
[[File:Sopwell-PS01.JPG|thumb|left|Ruins of Richard Lee's house at [[Sopwell Priory]]]]

[[Richard of Wallingford]], abbot from 1297 to 1336 and a mathematician and astronomer, designed a celebrated [[astronomical clock]], which was completed by William of Walsham after his death, but apparently destroyed during the [[Reformation]]. In 1334 he founded two additional markets in [[Codicote]] and [[Chipping Barnet|High Barnet]].<ref name="letters2005" />

A new gateway, now called the [[Abbey Gateway, St. Albans|Abbey Gateway]], was built to the Abbey grounds in 1365, which was the only part of the monastery buildings (besides the church) to survive the dissolution, later being used as a prison and now (since 1871) part of [[St Albans School (Hertfordshire)|St Albans School]]. The other monastic buildings were located to the south of the gateway and church.

In the 15th century a large west window of nine main lights and a deep traced head was commissioned by [[John Whethamstede|John of Wheathampstead]]. The spire was reduced to a 'Hertfordshire spike', the roof pitch greatly reduced and battlements liberally added. Further new windows, at £50 each, were put in the transepts by Abbot Wallingford (also known as [[William of Wallingford]]), who also had a new high altar screen made.