The abbey was dissolved because King Henry VIII took the entire treasury of the abbey and stripped the Abbey of all valuables that decorated the structure. In 1907 The Church of England purchased the Abbey and the surrounding area and started to repair it. In 1910, behind the alter the repairers found a hole. In the hole there were relics and bones that are believed to be King Arther's bones. It is believed that the monks knew of King Henry's desire to strip the Abbey and they hid the bones and relics that would identify the bones.
When they began to rebuild the abbey, there wasn't much stone on site to use to rebuild. This is because in 1700, they started taking stones from the site to rebuild local roadways.
Near the Abbey there is a Tor on the hill. This is the Glastonbury Tor and a church. The church has often been destroyed, by fire, people or other forces. People have tried to rebuild the church, however there are nearly 30 laylines converging at that one point. The Wicca's believe that because of the laylines, that is the reason the church can't be rebuilt. The Tor has an illustration of Mother Earth on it and that also is believed to have some influence on why the church will not stay up. The church and the Tor were once one building, but all that remains is the Tor.
The Wiccan belief is very prominent in Glastonbury and it kind of felt like I have fallen into an odd version of a Harry Potter story as we wandered in and out of stores that offered palm readings and potion supplies.
Overall it was a very fun day! In addtion to learning about the Abbey and the Tor, and seeing the Wiccan lifestyle, The Chalice well is also in Glastonbury and the water there is red because of the amount of iron in it, but people believe that the Holy Grail was thrown into the waters there and that Christ's blood bubbles there. Many believe that if they can have a sip of the water there they will be healed of whatever ails them.
It was a very fun day, and a silly plus was that we found out Bart, our bus driver, took naps on the bus when we went to a location he has been to already! It was pretty adorable!
Here is the official link for the Glastonbury Abbey: http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/
The Glastonbury Tor: http://www.glastonburytor.org.uk/
The Chalice Well: http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/
And a link for festivals that take place in Glastonbury: http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/
And if you were wondering, our lovely tour guide, Alyce, was dressed and acted the part of someone who would have lived during the time that the Abbey was functional!
