Glastonbury Tor, England

This evening, I am posting information on Glastonbury Tor, Somerset which is part of England's West Country.

Location is about twenty-seven miles S.W of Bath and six miles west of the site of the Glastonbury Festival  (a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts).

View of Glastonbury Tor from road

 

 St Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor

The Tor is a conical hill which, many thousands of years ago, before draining of the local landscape would have formed an island. (Tor is an Old English name for rocky hill.)

The site appears to have had spiritual significance for local people both pre and post Christianity.

The terracing on the hillside has been dated to Neolithic times, around 3000 BC.

In the 10th or 11th century the top was levelled to facilitate construction of a church which was itself levelled by an earthquake in 1275. A smaller church was rebuilt on the site in 1323 and lasted until the demise of  nearby Glastonbury Abbey in 1539. After the Reformation the replacement church fell into decline and was quarried for it's stone leaving only the tower which survives today.

A hike up to the tower can be rewarding, offering spectacular 360 degree views over the local landscape.

Glastonbury and Somerset Levels from Glastonbury Tor. Somerset Levels viewed from Glastonbury Tor.

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