Glastonbury-bound

Posted by rl701

11 November 2024

This week’s post is courtesy of Rowenna Langley, an MA student in History at Exeter, and her recent visit to Glastonbury Abbey.

It began with a sunny day and a journey across the Somerset Levels into the land of Avalon. I was joined by a loyal four-legged friend and a woman whom I would trust with my life (my Mum and her dog). My band assembled, we drove towards Glastonbury and our destination: the Abbey.

Approaching Glastonbury always feels magical, as the Tor looms over the (mostly) flat landscape of the Somerset Levels. A steep hill measuring 158 metres, it is visible up to 40km away. Indeed, it was once surrounded by water, until the Dutch successfully drained the Somerset Levels in the 17^th century.

The Abbey’s normal entrance is currently closed due to Glastonbury’s Town Deal Project. However, it wasn’t hard to find the temporary entrance on Magdalene Street and there was a ticket office just inside the gate. Admission is £11.00 for adults and £9.90 for students (children go free).

Our first stop was the café (naturally – you cannot have adventures on an empty stomach!). I highly recommend the coffee cake. It was absolutely delicious. There was also water and free treats for the dog, so she was happy.

The information signs around the Abbey aren’t massively detailed, so I would suggest buying a guidebook (priced at £6.00) or popping into the on-site museum first. This will allow you to get a better understanding of what you are looking at, since so much of the Abbey now lies in ruins.

Glastonbury had a reputation as the earliest Christian church in Europe, attracting pilgrims, royal patronage, and tremendous wealth. In the last decades of the 7^th century, an Anglo-Saxon monastery was built on the site, and Glastonbury developed into a place of great Christian learning. By time of the Norman Conquest, it was the richest monastery in England.

One of my favourite parts of the Abbey complex is the Abbot’s kitchen. This building dates to 1325-50 and is considered the finest medieval kitchen in England. It is also one of the most exceptional examples of medieval architecture in the West Country. Unlike many medieval kitchens, which had timber roofs, it has an octagonal stone vault rising to a ‘lantern’ that provides ventilation. The kitchen is the only building on the site which remains intact.

The supposed site of King Arthur’s tomb, which brought visitors to the site from the 12th century

The vaulted ceiling means that the Abbot’s kitchen has fantastic acoustics. I can truly attest to this. I was once lucky enough to perform an amateur production of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in this building and sang Machaut’s Foy Porter as part of the Knight’s Tale.

Glastonbury Abbey met its end when it was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539. It was one of the last monasteries to be dissolved. By that time it was the second wealthiest monastery in England (Westminster was first) and had an annual income greater than the king himself. The Abbot, 80-year-old Richard Whiting, was hanged and quartered on Glastonbury Tor, together with two of his monks. They had been accused of crimes, including treason and robbery.

What remains of the Abbey easily allows us to imagine what it would once have looked like. It is a joy to spend a day getting lost in its 36 acres of grounds and peaceful setting. It has an abundance of history and is well worth a visit.