Glastonbury Tor. At its elevation of 518 feet, Glastonbury Tor, surmounted by the 14th tower of the church of St. Michael, rises dramatically above the Somerset Levels. Philip Rahtz, commenting on the role of the Tor during the Arthurian Period, speculates that it may have been either religious or military. If military, then either a small look-out or a stronghold of a local chieftain (Rahtz prefers the latter interpretation). "If we wish to put a name to the chief of Glastonbury, it should be Melwas, chief of the Aestiva Regio ('Summer Region') whom Arthur besieged in his Glastonbury stronghold and eventually concluded a treaty with, as described by Caradoc of Llancarfan in his Life of St. Gildas" (Rahtz. "Glastonbury Tor." The Quest for Arthur's Britain. Pall Mall Press, Ltd., 1968; London: Book Club Associates, 1972. 121).

Click on the items below to link to photographs of Glastonbury Tor.

Approach from the west.
View toward the north.
Summit.
St. Michael's tower.

Additional Link

Glastonbury Tor: Panorama from the Top http://www.glastonburytor.org.uk/torpanorama.html