Glastonbury Abbey
Hidden away in the centre of the ancient market town of Glastonbury are the awe-inspiring ruins of what was the largest abbey in England. Set amongst 36 acres of beautiful Somerset parkland and ponds, Glastonbury Abbey is traditionally the first Christian Sanctuary in Great Britain, and one that is steeped in 2000 years of history and legend. Due to the heavy pilgrimage trade, Glastonbury Abbey was to become the richest in England by the late Middle Ages.
It was in 704, at the direction of King Ine of Wessex, who put up much of his own money to have a Christian church and abbey built at Glastonbury to be populated by Benedictine monks, but It was under St Dunstan, who became abbot in 943, that Glastonbury Abbey became the largest and wealthiest monastery in the land after Westminster Abbey. Its reputation was such that its monks went on to become abbots and bishops. The Abbey owned one eighth of the land in Somerset as well as land in four other countries. Fire destroyed the churches and much of the monastery in 1184, and although re-built and extended many times throughout its history, in September 1539, on the orders of Henry VIII the Abbey was stripped of its valuables and destroyed. Abbot of the time Richard Whyting, who had been a signatory to the Act of Supremacy that made Henry VIII the head of the church, resisted and was hung, drawn and quartered as a traitor atop Glastonbury Tor on 15th November 1539.
The Abbey today is entered through the Abbey Gatehouse, an imposing arched gateway located on Magdalene Street, with the abbey tithe barn now serving as a rural museum depicting life at Glastonbury during the Middle Ages. St Mary's Chapel is a roofless structure that boasts wonderful architectural details, from the recessed arches of the door to the repetitive arcading that rings the interior. Above are small towers at each corner of the chapel which appear to be almost Georgian in style. The Abbot's Kitchen, a subject of numerous postcards, is probably the most recognized symbol of the Abbey. A peculiar building, it has a high octagonal tower over a square base bedecked with gargoyles. The interior is notable for the very large ovens and the high dome supported on reed-thin vaulting ribs.
Today, the Abbey hosts two annual pilgrimages, both Catholic and Anglican, and is still used for weekly services either in the crypt of the 12th Century Lady Chapel or in the tiny medieval church of St Patrick, which once served the almshouses. Nestled at the foot of Glastonbury Tor it provides a haven of peace and tranquillity for all. There are walks through the park which take the visitor past badger sets and ponds, through orchards and herb gardens, with the new plantings of native wildflowers and grasses bringing colour and life all year round. There are 250 mature trees in the arboretum which provide a colourful autumnal focus as well as shade on hot summer afternoons.
The Abbey is also famous for the Glastonbury Thorn tree, a variety common to the Middle East. It is said to have grown from the Staff of St Joseph of Arimathaea when he arrived. It flowers at Christmas as well as Easter and a cutting is sent to the Queen every year to decorate her Christmas table.