Glastonbury Tor by pat40

Photography • Abstract • posted on Nov 19, 2013

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Description

Glastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless St Michael's Tower which is a Grade I listed building.[2] The whole site is managed by the National Trust and has been designated as a Scheduled monument.[1][3] The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the surrounding 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; however the method by which they were formed remains unexplained. Artifacts from human visitation have been found dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras. During the Saxon and early medieval periods, several buildings were constructed on the summit. These have been interpreted as an early church, and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross has been recovered dating from the 10th or 11th centuries. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275. In the 14th century the stone Church of St Michael was built on the site. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times. Several archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought evidence to clarify the history of the monument and church, but several aspects of its history remain unexplained. The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in myths linked to King Arthur.