I have collected texts, images and weblinks about the Holy Places of Great Britain and summarized them on this page.
Since so many articles have been written by others I see no use on summarizing summaries while leaving out other information of interest.
Instead I just added short articles on this page with links to the complete site to follow.
General Sites of Interest
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![[WWW]](/classic/img/moin-www.png)
English Heritage
"It is our job at English Heritage to make sure that the historic environment of England is properly maintained and cared for... "
The Places in alphabetical order (native names first)
Avebury
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Ninety miles west of London and twenty miles north of Stonehenge stands Avebury, the largest known stone ring in the world. Older than the more famous Stonehenge, and for many visitors far more spectacular, the multiple rings of Avebury are cloaked with mysteries which archaeologists have only begun to unravel.
Similar to Stonehenge and many other megalithic monuments in the British Isles, Avebury is a composite construction that was added to and altered during several periods. As the site currently exists, the great circle consists of a grass-covered, chalk-stone bank that is 1,396 feet in diameter (427 meters) and 20 feet high (6 meters) with a deep inner ditch having four entrances at the cardinal compass points. Just inside the ditch, which was clearly not used for defensive purposes, lies a grand circle of massive and irregular sarsen stones enclosing approximately 28 acres of land. This circle, originally composed of at least 98 stones but now having only 27, itself encloses two smaller stone circles. The two inner circles were probably constructed first, around 2600 BC, while the large outer ring and earthwork dates from 2500 BC. The northern circle is 320 feet in diameter and originally had twenty-seven stones of which only four remain standing today; the southern circle is 340 feet across and once contained twenty-nine stones, of which only five remain standing.
...more here
...or here (site map)
Material from http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/avebury.html
and http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/brughmap.html
Bru na Boinne (Newgrange)
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Newgrange, one of three passage tombs in Bru na Boinne, was built over 5,000 years ago. The tomb is exactly positioned so that at dawn on Winter Solstice, a shaft of light penetrates the passageway and illuminates the inner chamber. The passage to the center of the tomb is about 20 metres long, the inner chamber is about 5 metres deep / 6.5 metres wide, and the ceiling of this inner chamber is spiraled upward using huge stones that were stacked in a corbelled roof pattern, about 6 metres high. Inside are many etchings, the most significant of which is the tri-spiral design, which you can see here on the entrance stone. Nobody knows exactly what these designs meant to the original artists, why the tomb itself was constructed, and how it was so carefully aligned with the solstice.
Material from http://home.earthlink.net/~laurieyoung/newgrange.html
Callanish (Calanais)
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Calanais I is almost always a confusing jumble of megaliths when seen in photographs, as it is difficult to distinguish between stones that make up the circle, those that make up the main avenue, and those that are part of the other rows. In reality it is a truely stunning and beautiful monument--but perhaps still a jumble of megaliths.
Excavations have shown that the area was farmed more than 5000 years ago. Around 3000 BC the stone ring was set up and the central megalith erected. Sometime later a chambered cairn was constructed between this monolith and the east side of the ring. Sometime in the next two thousand years, stone rows were added to the south, east and west, and a long avenue to the north. The whole site was abandoned around 800 BC and gradually began to disappear beneath the peat.
The horizon to the southeast forms a silhouette like a person lying on their back, known sometimes as the "Sleeping Beauty" or "Cailleach na Mointeach" (The Old Woman of the Moors).
...more here (with nice pictures)
...or here (virtual tour along the place)
Material from http://www.ancient-scotland.co.uk/site.php?a=38 and
http://ferncase.com/calanais/
Canterbury cathedral
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The Norman cathedral still dominates the skyline as you approach the city, giving 21st century visitors the same sense of awe as their medieval counterparts.
Making a pigrimage was an important part of medieval life and pilgrim's flocked to the city to visit the shrine of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, who was murdered in his cathedral.
Material from http://www.canterbury.co.uk/cgi-bin/buildpage.pl?mysql=296
Dintagell (Tintagel)
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If you want to give your imagination a treat, take it to Tintagel Castle. Tristan and Isolt, King Mark, Uther Pendragon, Merlin the Magician and King Arthur were all here according to legend - and at Tintagel legends have greater potency than facts, for there are few historical certainties here - most remains a mystery.
When the conquering Normans reached the westernmost land of England they heard that the ancient seat of Cornwall's kings had stood atop this soaring headland, surrounded on three sides by the ceaseless surge of the Atlantic. So in propaganda terms it made sense for Earl Richard of Cornwall, younger brother of Henry III, to build a castle on the spot where his legendary predecessors had held court. There was no strategic reason for the choice, as there had been for the other Norman castles in Cornwall, Launceston and Restormel - and Earl Richard rarely stayed there.
...more here
...or here (nice pictures)
Material from http://www.cornwall-online.co.uk/english-heritage/tintagel.htm and
http://www.tintagelweb.co.uk/Tintagel%20Castle.htm
Cader Idris
South Snowdonia
In the midst of the Welsh countryside sits a mountain almost 3,000 feet in height.
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The locals claim that the mountain is haunted, and that anyone who spends the night on top of Cader Idris will wake up either a madman or a poet. Different legends surround the large 'hill', and one of the earliest claims that the giant Idris lived there. Three large stones rest at the foot of the mountain, and legend says that Idris got angry once and kicked them, sending them down the mountain.
Other Welsh legend states, however, that Arthur made his kingdom there, hence the name Cader Idris: or the Seat of Idris. No one really knows exactly how Cader Idris fits into all the legends, but the mystical presence cannot be denied when standing on top of the mountain, breathing the mist and watching the fog roll out from the giant peak...
Note the connection to Susan Cooper's novel The Grey King.
Material from http://www.garthyfog.co.uk/cader_idris.htm and
http://home.mtholyoke.edu/~jenlewis/cader.htm
Glastonbury Tor
Prominent hill overlooking the Isle of Avalon, Glastonbury and the Somerset Levels
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The dramatic and evocative Tor dominates the surrounding countryside and offers spectacular views over Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. At the summit of this very steep hill an excavation has revealed the plans of two superimposed churches of St Michael, of which only the 15th-century tower remains.
...more here
...or here (more of the esoteric and arthurian view)
Material from http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=346 and
http://www.glastonburytor.org.uk/tor-intro.html
Stonehenge
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There is nothing quite like Stonehenge anywhere in the world and for 5000 years it has drawn visitors to it. We shall never know what drew people here over the centuries or why hundreds of people struggled over thousands of years to build this monument, but visitors from all over the world come to marvel at this amazing feat of engineering.
Before Stonehenge was built thousands of years ago, the whole of Salisbury Plain was a forest of towering pines and hazel woodland. Over centuries the landscape changed to open chalk downland. What you see today is about half of the original monument, some of the stones have fallen down, others have been carried away to be used for building or to repair farm tracks and over centuries visitors have added their damage too. It was quite normal to hire a hammer from the blacksmith in Amesbury and come to Stonehenge to chip bits off. As you can imagine this practice is no longer permitted!
Material from http://accessibility.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?WCI=Node&WCE=8391&redirected=1
Teamhair (Hill of Tara)
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The Hill of Tara, known as Temair in gaeilge, was once the ancient seat of power in Ireland – 142 kings are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and historic times. In ancient Irish religion and mythology Temair was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods, and was the entrance to the otherworld. Saint Patrick is said to have come to Tara to confront the ancient religion of the pagans at its most powerful site.
One interpretation of the name Tara says that it means a "place of great prospect" and indeed on a clear day it is claimed that features in half the counties of Ireland can be seen from atop Tara. In the distance to the northwest can be seen the brilliant white quartz front of Newgrange and further north lies the Hill of Slane, where according to legend St. Patrick lit his Pascal fire prior to his visit to Tara in 433 AD.
Material from http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/tara/ and
http://www.users.bigpond.com/kirwilli/dolmen/tara.htm
Uffington White Horse (and Dragon Hill)
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The White Horse of Uffington is one of the most impressive sites close to the ancient Ridgeway path, which traverses the steep chalk downs brooding over the Vale of the White Horse. Other sites include Dragon Hill, The Manger and Uffington Castle, which have been the subject of legend and folklore for over a thousand years.
Material from http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/uffington.html and
http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/oxfordshire/ancient/uffington.htm
