Glastonbury is a small market town of 9000 residents that lies in the Somerset levels, an area of drained marshlands in south-west England, 50 kilometres south of Bristol. The centre of town is dominated by the ruins of the once magnificent Glastonbury Abbey, and the town itself is dominated by Glastonbury Tor. The Tor is a steep sided hill of roughly 150 metres, on top of which stands the ruins of St Michael’s Tower which can be seen from miles around!!
Glastonbury is considered by some to be the ‘Isle of Avalon’, which evokes thoughts of King Arthur, Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table. It is here that King Arthur was taken after his death, and he, and his Queen, are said to be buried in the ruined Abbey. Then again, there is the story of Joseph of Arimathea who, when he came to Glastonbury to convert the English, leant on his staff in prayer, it immediately took root and became the ‘Holy Thorn’ inspiring him to found a religious house here. He is, also said to have brought the ‘Holy Grail’ with him, and it is even now hidden beneath the Chalice Spring on Glastonbury Tor. Legends maybe, but they give an added dimension to a visit here. The atmospheric ruined Abbey, that you see today, is the last in a long line of religious houses that have been built here and it was in its day, one of the major Pilgrimage sites in Britain. It was not completed until just before the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII and when the Abbey was dissolved in 1539 the buildings were stripped and the walls left to the neglect of three hundred years of weathering. The building stone was taken away and used in the town but all of the Abbot’s Kitchen and much of the Lady Chapel and the Great Church has survived. Few other medieval buildings remain but one of interest is the George Hotel in High Street, which is where pilgrims to Glastonbury would stay if they chose not to stay at the Abbey. Other interesting buildings in the town are St Mary’s Almhouses and St John’s Church with its fine tower and 15th century stained-glass.
Other sites, in the city, worthy of mention:
St Michael’s Chapel, a place of pilgrimage at the summit of Glastonbury Tor.
The huge 14th century Abbey Barn, used to store grain for the Abbey in its heyday, and now the Somerset Rural Life Museum.
The Tribunal, houses a local museum with articles such as weapons and ornaments found at the nearby lake villages.
Other places of interest within 30 kilometres:
Meare, a small village three miles away, was owned, in the Middle Ages, by the Abbots of Glastonbury. There is a Manor House, which was the Abbots summer residence, and, unusually a Fish House, which local fisherman used, at that time, to provide the Abbey with fish.
Yeovilton, the home of the Fleet Air Arm Museum.
Burnham-on-Sea, a popular seaside resort with 7 miles of sandy beaches and a church with a tower designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
Cheddar, at the foot of the Cheddar Gorge, has several limestone caves, which are open to the public, and a Motor Museum with a collection of veteran cars and bicycles.
Lytes Cary Manor-house, near Somerton, has walled gardens and an estate and dates from the 14th century. It is in the care of the National Trust.
Did you know that – The Abbot of Glastonbury used to send a sprig of the winter flowering ‘Holy Thorn’ each Christmas to the reigning monarch? The ceremony was revived in 1929 by the Vicar of Glastonbury and continues to this day.
Did you know that – Glastonbury Tor is thought to be the centre of many ‘ley lines’ that crisscross the country and are considered to be the earth’s energy lines or power lines!!
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