Individual items found on the Tor have included a medieval pilgrim’s badge and a Neolithic greenstone axe.
The history and legends around this Dark Age fortress have been associated with King Arthur.Įxcavations have uncovered the foundations both of a twelfth-century church and of an earlier cross, but also hinted at the possibility of a Romano-British shrine or temple, flanked by pagan graves. Judging from the earlier archaeological record, with evidence of iron-working and copious meat-eating, the summit of the Tor was once occupied for military purposes. Now all that remains is the fourteenth-century church tower. Possibly founded as early as 600, but more likely by 800 CE, this structure existed until Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539. On the summit once stood a cluster of medieval buildings that formed the monastery of St. From some perspectives there appear to be seven main terraces, but in fact there are many more. Huge, artificial and unusual terraces that cast deep shadows are cut into every flank of the Tor, creating the impression of a stepped pyramid. Viewed from north and south, with its long, whale-backed ridge sloping away to the southwest, the Tor has a streamlined shape but when viewed from east and west, along its axis, it appears as a steep conical hill, while the church tower at its summit is described by local pilots as a nipple.
Sitting upon the low hills that form the fabled Isle of Avalon, Glastonbury Tor rises 520 feet (158 metres) above the surrounding Somerset Levels. Glastonbury Tor is a natural hill whose prominent shape has been determined by both geological and human activities.
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