Glastonbury and Wells

History and Archaeology http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/history.php?&dx=1&ob=3&rpn=events&sid=62474e5ecd6f4cfbe831b6f1be76e482

St Patrick's Chapel on the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey

Legendary visitors to Glastonbury

St Patrick's Chapel and lavender

Just from the remains, you can imagine how spectacular the abbey was. King Henry VIII ordered this abbey, among many others, destroyed in 1539. He hung and quartered the Abbot on a nearby hill after the Abbot protested the order.

The only intact building on the Glastonbury Abbey grounds - the kitchen

Remaining floor tiles of the Abbey

Was there a King Arthur and if so, is he and Guinivere really buried here? I'd like to think so. That's the magic of Britain.

PICNIC time - everything from cider, to pasties, to cheeses. YUM

Wells Cathedral - first complete Gothic church from about 1200 AD

Wells Cathedral pew cushion back.

Beautiful and bright inside. The color on the ceiling and other parts of the Abbey was beautifully restored.

I wish I could have heard the organ music.

Another beautifully restored ceiling

The Wells clock is the second oldest in Britain and maybe the world to have survived in its original condition. Every quarter hour knights joust as the mechanism above the clock turns.

Quarter Jack bangs the quarter hour with his heels.

Stairs leading to the Chapter House and Cloisters. On the left you can see seating for the church officials to sit and wait their turn.

Chapter House was finished in 1306 and was the meeting place for cathedral affairs.

This is what I'd call a really HIGH back chair

Vicar's Close - 14th century houses line the quaint cobblestone street and houses church officials. Some houses can be rented for a holiday stay.

View of Wells Cathedral from the Vicar's Close

Towering chimney shafts top each house. Imagine walking home each day along this peaceful street.

From the mid fifteenth century each house has had an arched gateway and walled in garden to welcome you home.

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Getting ready for the Olympics, we saw several fields like this.  

Phyllis Nethercot  bluebirde@att.net