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Glastonbury, Somerset To understand the history of Glastonbury it is necessary to accept first that Glastonbury's history relies on a fanciful view of the past. Michael Hicks, biographer of Richard III has written: "In history what happened is often much less important than what is thought to have happened". This is true of Glastonbury, where a a fanciful history has fed into real history. Disentangling the two is a difficult, and probably fruitless task.
Two thousand years ago the area of Somerset where Glastonbury now stands was very different. The archeologist Barry Cunliffe suggests that sea levels in this area were as much as twenty feet higher than today. All the land known as the Somerset Levels was beneath the sea. As the climate cooled, sea levels fell leaving a huge shallow lake. Early settlements were established on the driest areas of this boggy region. The peninsula on which Glastonbury now stands was one such area. The highest ground was to be found on a conical hill now known as Glastonbury Tor. The Tor must have been quite a sight rising above the lake's still waters. On this high ground it is likely that early farmers cut terraces to allow easier grazing for animals. It is also likely that early settlers were beguiled by the Tor's appearance. Isolated hills in a flat landscape were always interesting to prehistoric man as a place of refuge. Ditches and banks would be built around hilltops to give physical security from enemies. It then made sense that hills should also symbolise spiritual security. Near Avebury in Neolithic times a symbolic conical hill was made by piling up thousands of tons of chalk. Glastonbury Tor was a ready made symbol of this kind. There is no archeological evidence that Glastonbury Tor was used as a sacred site, and the land there was almost certainly too useful as farmland to be given over totally to ritual. However, the hill was probably revered for its striking appearance. Perhaps the Tor is rather like the farmland used by the Glastonbury Festival today, used most of the time as farmland, with occasional use as a festival site. Perhaps in this way the area of Glastonbury began to be thought of in spiritual terms.
Christianity began to permeate Roman Britain in the second century, but retreated again when the Romans withdrew in the fifth century. Christianity was then reintroduced to Britain, from a Celtic Church founded on Iona in 565 by an Irishman known as St Columba, and by the missionary St Augustine who landed in Kent in 597. As Christianity spread, the new religion would typically take over established sacred places. It is likely that Glastonbury was one of these places. Sometime in the seventh century a monastery was built on Glastonbury Tor, and an Abbey was built on the site of the present town. Christianity combining with earlier religions led to a bizarre mix of stories and traditions attaching themselves to Glastonbury. Joseph of Arimethea, who the Bible describes as giving up his own grave for Christ, was said to have come to Glastonbury, bringing with him the Holy Grail, a cup or plate used by Christ during the last supper and supposedly possessing magical power. He is said to have buried the Grail under a spring, presumably somewhere near Glastonbury, where he established a church. Joseph of Arimethea was also supposed to have planted the Glastonbury Thorn, a tree which apparently bloomed from a hawthorn staff he planted in the ground. Tales of King Arthur, who did much famous searching for the Grail, also became associated with Glastonbury. These legends show a complicated mix of Christian and pagan symbolism, orthodox Christianity intertwining itself with trees, springs, and libation cups, all symbols of much older religions.
On this basis a few hoaxes then confirmed Glastonbury as a spiritual centre. First there was the idea that the original abbot of Glastonbury, St Dunstan was buried at the Abbey. St Dunstan had been buried at Canterbury, but around 1018, when the Danes were attacking Canterbury it was claimed, falsely it seems, that St Dunstan's body had been taken for safe keeping back to Glastonbury. For centuries people mistakenly visited St Dunstan's tomb at Glastonbury. Then in 1191 Glastonbury monks convinced themselves that they had found the tombs of King Arthur and Guinevere. The "tombs" were marked, and were once again visited by many who believed the stories. Reality followed fantasy as Glastonbury became firmly established as a sacred place of pilgrimage.
Glastonbury High Street
Fittingly for a place which has long combined religious traditions, Glastonbury today is a spiritual place in the widest sense. There is Christianity as represented by the ruined Abbey, but Glastonbury is also home to shops with names like the Cat and Cauldron. At the Backpackers young people who are on their own spiritual quests gather to soak up the kooky atmosphere. The Backpackers sits close to the George and Pilgrim, one of the oldest hotels in the country, originally catering for pilgrims. Every year thousands gather to give thanks to the latest bands at the Glastonbury Festival. It's great fun, and even as you wander round the Cat and Caldron you see the result of an age old mixing of traditions. Whatever sort of quest you're on, Glastonbury it seems can accommodate you.
One quest that might be a little tricky in Glastonbury is finding somewhere decent to eat. Our experience was that the laid back atmosphere extended to most of the kitchens. Never mind. We suggest the Abbey Tearooms.
Directions: Leave the M5 at junction 23 and follow the A39. Click here for an interactive map centred on Glastonbury.