There are legends that in pre-recorded history The Isle of
Avalon was a sacred burial ground. Legend also tells us of the arrival of
Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion of Jesus in historical times the
great Benedictine Abbey of Glaston dominated the town. In prehistoric times Glastonbury Tor and some
of the surrounding land was an island joined to the mainland by a narrow
peninsula. The island was surrounded by tidal marshes which gave good natural
protection. In Neolithic times there were people living in Lake Villages near
the island but there seem to have been few if any resident inhabitants. The
island appears to have been treated as a sacred place from the earliest days.
In the middle ages Glastonbury emerged as a great centre of pilgrimage. There is a great site giving a timeline of
Glastonbury’s history here. In 1539
Henry VIII’s men wrecked the abbey as Henry dissolved the monasteries and
claimed their wealth. I’ll show some
photos of the abbey on another occasion.
As so the present day - in the 1970s Glastonbury became a major centre
for the New Age movement in the UK, a place it retains.
Near our car park is St John’s Church, a fairly typical
Somerset church. These large churches
were built as a result of the money generated by the wool industry.
In the grounds there is this maze.
It’s good to see that both new and second-hand book shops
can still be found in Glastonbury.
Even the florist is ‘enchanted’ in this magical town.
Whoever did the artwork for the van got the detail perfect
in this Small Tortoiseshell.
And there is plenty of artwork on the walls, as in this
alleyway by the Blue Note café where we had our first coffee of the day. The Blue Note is a vegetarian café and we
made it our favourite on our last visit to the town.
And in streets a bit off the beaten track.
Barber’s poles are one of the few signs that remain from the
days when tradesmen labelled heir shops with visual representations of their
craft, not words. Pubs and pawnbrokers
are among the few remaining trades to do the same.
The George and Pilgrim Inn dates back to the 1400s and is
the oldest purpose-built pub in the South West of England, located right in the
heart of Glastonbury. The hotel maintains many of its original features such as
the panelled stone frontage, mullion windows and old oak beams.
More inn signs.
The Crystal Man occupied a bit of our time and some of our
money but most of the crystals were a bit expensive.
Another coffee was then called for –
One thing that can be said for Glastonbury is that it is full
of characters. I love the fact that
people can be themselves here and do their own thing.
Yes, she really is skipping along!
Little and Large.
I would prefer it if buskers didn’t feel the need to be
backed by loud boom-box type music.
These two managed quite well without it.
Sorry about the format and angle but I was taken by surprise - those are not the clothes Partner-who-loves-tea went into
the shop wearing!
Till next time - keep smiling...
What a great post! Love PWLT's new fuscia clothes. A great colour! xoxox
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a great post, I like the subjects of your photos from churches to book stores and pub and inn signs. The photos of people are compelling too, especially the black and white ones.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great photographic essay here. People being themselves and doing their own thing. It's a great collection of photos. I've never been to Glastonbury and now I feel I know it much better. But those photos have such a story to tell. I love it.
ReplyDeleteJohn, this has to be one of the best posts I've seen. The people are interesting amusing and beautifully portrayed.
ReplyDeleteLove the character studies! And how kind of all these people to have given you permission to use their pictures on your blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat puzzles me is the difference in clothing. I don't mean style, but warmth. Some are walking about sleeveless, while others are in heavy woolly jumpers or coats. It looks sunny, so I tend to think the sleeveless people were making the most of what they thought could have been one of the last few warm days before the onset of winter.
That is one of the best sets of character photos I can ever recall seeing in a blog post CJ. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI agree! xoxo
DeleteGahh... so many lovely pics, it's hard to start commenting! The blonde with the boots on sort of looks like she might be Clemence Poesy...
ReplyDeleteGlastonbury is one of my favorite places, thanks for all the great photos.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a place i would enjoy living. Thank you for the tour!
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant set of street photos. I'm quite envious of the photographer who caught them!
Take care, McGregor
:0)
ReplyDeleteWow, CJ, what a lovely assortment of photos documenting your enchanting trip to Glastonbury.
ReplyDeleteThe artwork on the streets off the beaten path and the myriad of characters that you encountered all made it well-worth the trip.
Loved "The Who'd a Thought It" inn, and the maze,and the buskers (new word for me) and to top it all off Jo smiling in a new outfit....who could possibly ask for more?
What a great series of "people photos" - well done! And I too love that Who'd a Thought It sign :)
ReplyDeletewow, wow, wow! it's surreal about the age of the one pub! I would love to visit this place. a glorious assortment of people shots! if I had taken this gems, I would definitely make a small scrapbook of them.
ReplyDelete