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Glastonbury Tor

Church ruins in EnglandEngvarB from December 2013Footpaths in SomersetFormer churches in SomersetGlastonbury
Grade I listed buildings in Mendip DistrictHills of SomersetLocations associated with Arthurian legendLocations in Celtic mythologyNational Trust properties in SomersetPeaks dedicated to Michael (archangel)Ruins in SomersetScheduled monuments in Mendip DistrictTourist attractions in SomersetVague or ambiguous time from December 2021
Glastonbury Tor View of an iconic landmark (geograph 5500644)
Glastonbury Tor View of an iconic landmark (geograph 5500644)

Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless St Michael's Tower, a Grade I listed building. The entire site is managed by the National Trust and has been designated a scheduled monument. The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in myths linked to King Arthur, and has several other enduring mythological and spiritual associations. The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving the hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained. Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. Artefacts from human visitation have been found, dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras. Several buildings were constructed on the summit during the Saxon and early medieval periods; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, and the stone Church of St Michael was built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Glastonbury Tor (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.144444444444 ° E -2.6986111111111 °
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Address

St. Michael's Tower

Stone Down Lane
BA6 8JZ
England, United Kingdom
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Website
nationaltrust.org.uk

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linkWikiData (Q1412726)
linkOpenStreetMap (124857982)

Glastonbury Tor View of an iconic landmark (geograph 5500644)
Glastonbury Tor View of an iconic landmark (geograph 5500644)
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Nearby Places

George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn, Glastonbury
George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn, Glastonbury

The George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, was built in the late 15th century to accommodate visitors to Glastonbury Abbey. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building. It is claimed to be the oldest purpose built public house in the South West of England.Having once been the Pilgrims' Inn of Glastonbury Abbey, by the mid-nineteenth century the building was known as the George Hotel. The current name preserves both. The first record of the building is from 1439 when the tenant was N. Kynge. In 1493 Abbot John Selwood gave a "new" building to the abbey chamberlain. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries it became the property of the Duke of Somerset. By 1562, when a 21-year lease on the building was taken out by George Cowdrey, it was described as "in such great ruin that it is likely that in default of repair within a few years the rent will not be answered" but included "six featherbeds". In 1658 the property was divided and a horsemill installed to grind malt. The building was also used for meetings and inquiries for example by Royal Commissioners (in 1672) and the Quakers (in 1691).The front of the three-storey building is divided into three tiers of panels with traceried heads. Above the right of centre entrance arch are three carved panels bearing the coats of arms of the Abbey and of King Edward IV. The building is panelled and stone faced, with the stone work resembling that normally created in wood at the time of its construction. The stone columns reflect the arrangement of halls and chambers within the building. In front of the roof gables is a crenellated parapet with a small bell tower above. The interior includes a stone newel staircase and beneath the bar are large cellars.It is believed to be haunted.

Glastonbury
Glastonbury

Glastonbury (, UK also ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, 23 miles (37 km) south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than 1 mile (2 km) across the River Brue from Street, which is now larger than Glastonbury. Evidence from timber trackways such as the Sweet Track show that the town has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Glastonbury Lake Village was an Iron Age village, close to the old course of the River Brue and Sharpham Park approximately 2 miles (3 km) west of Glastonbury, that dates back to the Bronze Age. Centwine was the first Saxon patron of Glastonbury Abbey, which dominated the town for the next 700 years. One of the most important abbeys in England, it was the site of Edmund Ironside's coronation as King of England in 1016. Many of the oldest surviving buildings in the town, including the Tribunal, George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn and the Somerset Rural Life Museum, which is based at the site of a 14th-century abbey manor barn, often referred to as a tithe barn, are associated with the abbey. The Church of St John the Baptist dates from the 15th century. The town became a centre for commerce, which led to the construction of the market cross, Glastonbury Canal and the Glastonbury and Street railway station, the largest station on the original Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The Brue Valley Living Landscape is a conservation project managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust and nearby is the Ham Wall National Nature Reserve. Glastonbury has been described as having a New Age community and possibly being where New Age beliefs originated at the turn of the twentieth century. It is notable for myths and legends often related to Glastonbury Tor, concerning Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail and King Arthur. Joseph is said to have arrived in Glastonbury and stuck his staff into the ground, when it flowered miraculously into the Glastonbury Thorn. The presence of a landscape zodiac around the town has been suggested but no evidence has been discovered. The Glastonbury Festival, held in the nearby village of Pilton, takes its name from the town.

Somerset Rural Life Museum
Somerset Rural Life Museum

The Somerset Rural Life Museum is situated in Glastonbury, Somerset, UK. It is a museum of the social and agricultural history of Somerset, housed in buildings surrounding a 14th-century barn once belonging to Glastonbury Abbey. It was used for the storage of arable produce, particularly wheat and rye, from the abbey's home farm of approximately 524 acres (2.12 km2). It is not believed to have stored produce offered as tithe payments and is therefore referred to as an abbey barn rather than a tithe barn. Threshing and winnowing would also have been carried out in the barn. The barn which was built from local 'shelly' limestone, with thick timbers supporting the stone tiling of the roof. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 2011 the 14 feet (4.3 m) high doors of the barn were replaced by local craftsmen using materials and traditional techniques and materials to a design based on The Bishop's Eye in Wells.After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the barn was given to the Duke of Somerset. By the early 20th century it was being used as a farm store by the Mapstone family. In 1974 they donated it to Somerset County Council and between 1976 and 1978 underwent restoration. It was also used as the location for the pistol duel in Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon", released in 1975.The barn and courtyard contain displays of farm machinery from the Victorian or early 20th Century period. Other exhibits show local crafts, including willow coppicing, mud horse fishing on the flats of Bridgwater Bay, peat digging on the Somerset Levels, and the production of milk, cheese, and cider. In reconstructed rooms detailing domestic life in the nearby village of Butleigh, the story of one farm worker, John Hodges, is told from cradle to grave. Outside, there is a beehive and rare breeds of poultry and sheep, in the cider apple orchard. Regular craft demonstrations and talks on farming are held, as are activities for children and families. There is a shop, tea room, car park and disabled access. The shop is run by the Friends of the Somerset Rural Life Museum.