Glastonbury Abbey

Our next stop . . Glastonbury Abbey. As we wandered through the drizzling rain toward the abbey location, we wondered at our sanity at wanting to tour the abbey in this kind of weather. But we were sure that the weather would remain at a drizzle and so we trekked onward.

For those of you who have visited the website, you know that David and I have toured a few abbeys while we've been here. So what makes Glastonbury so special?

Glastonbury is the legendary burial place of King Arthur and Lady Guiniverre.

While whether or not it can be proven to have actually been Arthur still remains a mystery. Since the uncovering of Arthur's remains came during a time when the Abbey needed some additional funding there has been some rumblings that it was all a hoax to gather the necessary funding. Needless to say, David was anxious to see the location despite the potential shadiness of the circumstances of the uncovering.

Glastonbury is England's largest abbey in 36 acres of parkland. Below is a model of the ground the Abbey would have covered before it's dissolution in 1539. The statistics of Glastonbury claim the "Abbey was known for its great length - 177m (580') from East to West - thus making it the longest known monastic church in this country. . . In comparison, Canterbury Cathedral is 167m, Ely Catheddral is 164m and Wells Cathedral is 127m." In addition, the "height of the central tower woul dhave been 66m (21.7') which compares with Canterbury's 72m and Wells' 49m".


Glastonbury legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea built a simple place of worship which became the site of the abbey's Lady Chapel.

There was no doubt in my mind as I surveyed the remains of the Lady Chapel that it was quite spectacular in it's day and it was the smallest part of the Abbey.

I found the buildings to be beautiful with a grace and peace that I never expect to find in stone

And there were carvings of angels and saints and the like at the archway doors

Some of the medieval mosaic tile floor has been uncovered and can be viewed as well.

Although we were all suitably miserably wet and chilled, the kitchen still is in tact, complete with roof and so we took solice in there briefly enough to be impressed with the set up.

At the entrance to the Kitchen there was a poem which I was impressed with:

Give me good digestion Lord

and also something to digest

Give me a healthy body Lord

with sense to keep it at its best.

Give me a healthy mind O'Lord

or keep the good and pure in sight

Which seeing wrong is not appalled

But finds a way to put it right.

Give me a mind that is not bored

That does not wimper, whine or sigh

Don't let me worry overmuch

About that fussy thing called I.

Give me a sense of humor Lord

Give me the grace to see a joke

To get some happiness from life

And pass it on to other folk.

To view all the pictures taken at this wonderful place, please click on the slideshow below: