Glastonbury Tor is one of the most famous landmarks in Somerset, if not the whole of the West Country. It's not just famous because it can be seen for miles and miles around, but also because it has huge spiritual significance for many people.
The conical shape of Glastonbury Tor is natural. Thousands of years ago it was an island. Before modern drainage, the Tor in winter would have towered above the flooded Somerset Levels. The terracing on the hillside has been dated to Neolithic times, around the same time as when Stonehenge was constructed. It has been suggested that the terraces form a kind of maze that guided pilgrims up the sacred hill. The hill has a long religious history with evidence of Pagan and early Christian settlement on it. If you walk to the top of of it today you will find the partial ruins of a church. The top of the Tor was levelled at some point in the 10th or 11th century to build a large stone church. In 1275 an earthquake levelled this church. A smaller church was rebuilt on the site in 1323 and lasted until the demise of Glastonbury Abbey in 1539. The church was quarried for stone and now only the tower survives. | 
