Photograph Gallery Glastonbury

Every year for the last ten years or so my family and I have visited the town of Glastonbury in Somerset. I guess if I were to use the New Age/ hippy terminology I would say that it has good vibes. However unless you are interested in history, mythology, religion or contemporary music Glastonbury may appear to be just an ordinary English small town with nothing much happening, with some rather curious shops, a small supermarket and a few pubs along its one and only main road.

However underneath this seemingly uninteresting facade Glastonbury is indeed a fascinating place. Like the mists that swirl round the Tor, history, myth and religion intertwine and coalesce giving the location a sense of mystery which sparks our imagination and distracts from the mundane. Yes Glastonbury is most certainly an intriguing place and we have visited mainly out of interest but also from a sense of fascination difficult to explain, my family and I have a keen affinity with this location. Whether or not you give validity to all the myths and legends or give credence to any the many religious beliefs represented in Glastonbury there is nonetheless a special something, a kind of on-going positivity about the environment which I have not experienced elsewhere. It has a mystery and magic if you like, an aura of the mystical and un-earthly.

I will share briefly some of the myth, legend, historical and religious aspects of Glastonbury along with photographs in and around this location.

According to the beliefs of various traditions Glastonbury is situated upon an important lay line, the same lay line which runs it’s course also to Avebury's Neolithic stone circle. Glastonbury is, according to the same beliefs, situated upon an important spiritual hot spot if you like, upon one of the earth's heart chakra. Glastonbury is also associated with the legend of King Arthur and it was claimed by monks in the 12th century that a grave discovered in Glastonbury abbey is the grave of Arthur and Guinevere.

Today Glastonbury is a place of pilgrimage to Christians, Pagans and New Agers. Most of the shops along the high street cater for New Age, Pagan, Christian, Buddhist and a various mix of religious interests difficult to define, along with many practitioners of complimentary and alternative medicine. Once a year Glastonbury is the venue of a popular music festival of great significance among followers of this type of contemporary music, tickets for which are greatly sought after.

Wearyall Hill

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?

William Blake

Legend associates Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea whom it is believed was the great uncle of Jesus and it is claimed that Joseph had once bought his nephew as a child to visit this location. It is also thought that after the crucifixion, Joseph came here once again with the holy grail, the chalice containing the blood of Christ. He traveled through the inlets to Wearyall hill were he planted his staff, thought to have been cultivated from the crown of thorns. The staff took root and grew flowering into what is now known as the Glastonbury Thorn or the Holy Thorn which continues to bloom twice each year. It is also believed that Joseph founded the first Christian church in England.

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Glastonbury Tor with St Michael's Tower from Wearyall hill.

In the foreground is the descendent of the original tree referred to as the Holy Thorn or the Glastonbury Thorn which legend tells us sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea. This tree flowers twice each year during Christmas and Easter coinciding with the Christian calendar.

Glastonbury Tor with St Michael's Tower from Wearyall hill is available as desktop wallpaper in the sizes below

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Glastonbury Tor

The word Tor is of Celtic origin which simply means a conical hill and the Celts named the Tor "Ynys Witrin," or sometimes "Ynys Gutrin," meaning "Isle of Glass" There are numerous myths and legends concerning the Tor, it has significance for Pagans, Christians and for to-day's New Agers. It has been suggested that the terracing round the Tor is of ancient Neolithic origin, a labyrinth dedicated to the ancient goddess. Even today many people process along this arduous ceremonial path. Monks and hermits established hermitages upon the Tor in Saxon times and it is indeed an ideal location for religious retreat and contemplation. Legend has it that a door way to the underworld exists here, furthermore it is also believed that Joseph of Arimathea buried the Holy Grail for safe keeping just below the Tor close to this fabled entrance. In modern times the Tor is considered as a centre of energy, situated upon one of the earth's the heart chakras, and is situated upon important ley lines

Below are photographs of Glastonbury Tor

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Sheep graze below Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor Terraces

Glastonbury Tor is a natural hill, there are however signs that in some aspects it has been artificially shaped. The photograph above shows you the commencement of a number of terraces one above the other which winds around the Tor in seven rings, although this number may not be directly obvious, as weathering and erosion has had an effect upon this construction. See photograph in the previous section: Sheep Graze below Glastonbury Tor, for a clearer outline of the terraces.

There are a number of theories concerning these terraces:

A labyrinth

It was theorised by Geoffrey Russell in 1968 that the terraces are a labyrinth constructed in ancient times for ritualistic purposes.

Agriculture

It has also been suggested that the terraces may have been constructed for agricultural purposes.

It was the practice in the middle ages in many cultures, including here in Britain, for farmers to have terraced hills to make ploughing for crops easier.

Defensive Ramparts

Although this function has been suggested, and other Iron age hill forts nearby show evidence of such fortification, concerning the Tor there is less evidence to substantiate this idea.

There is no conclusive evidence for any of these theories and the purpose of the terraces therefore remains a mystery

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St Michaels Tower

Standing on top of the Tor St Michael's tower is all that remains of the 14th century church which had in fact replaced a much larger church built in the eleventh century but which was destroyed by an earth quake in 1275.

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Many climb the steep steps to the top of the Tor for religious reasons or simply to admire the fine view from its summit.

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Views from the summit of Glastonbury Tor More Desktop Wallpaper may be accessed by scrolling down to the bottom of this page or by clicking here

More Photographs to download

Desktop Wallpaper

More desktop wallpaper of Glastonbury Tor, Wearyall hill and surrounding area

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More photographs of Glastonbury suitable for desktop wallpaper can be found in the desk top wallpaper section scenery

Flickr:
You can view and down load more photographs from my flicker Glastonbury and Surrounding Area Photo Stream set, starting with:
Glastonbury Tor in Spring on Flickr - Photo Sharing!