Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor Welsh: Ynys Wydryn
Glastonbury Tor in 2017
Location	Glastonbury, Somerset, England
Coordinates	51°08′40″N 2°41′55″W / 51.14444°N 2.69861°W / 51.14444; -2.69861
Governing body	National Trust
Scheduled monument
Official name	St Michael's Church, monastic remains, and other settlement remains on Glastonbury Tor
Designated	24 April 1954[1]
Reference no.	1019390
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	St Michael's Church Tower
Designated	21 June 1950[2]
Reference no.	1345475
Location of Glastonbury Tor Welsh: Ynys Wydryn in Somerset

Glastonbury Tor is a tor near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless St Michael's Tower, a Grade I listed building.^[2] The site is managed by the National Trust and has been designated a scheduled monument.^[1][3] The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in myths linked to King Arthur, and has several other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.

The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving a hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained.

Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. Artefacts from human visitation have been found, dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras. Several buildings were constructed on the summit during Saxon and early medieval periods; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, and the stone Church of St Michael was built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times.