Glastonbury, Somerset

On 18 September 2019 we travelled from Luxembourg to Glastonbury in one long day.

This was Serena’s first day at Lycée, catching the 7:11am bus to Aline Mayrisch.  We caught the 6:58am 192 bus to Luxembourg Gare, the 16 bus to the Airport and KLM flight to Amsterdam.  There, we raced through the airport to Birmingham departure gate, running again at Birmingham to get surprise shuttle train to the Airport Station, train to New Street and really ran to just catch the Cross Country train to Bristol.  Scenery whizzed past: many row houses with front porch and back glass conservatory, ploughed fields, short corn.  

Arriving at Bristol Temple Meads, we searched for bus to Glastonbury. The 376 took over 90 minutes to travel through Wells, held up by road works.

Glastonbury town map showing High Street and St John's church

In Glastonbury we alighted at the Town Hall at 6:15pm.  Found High Street and our hotel – just behind us in the Market Square.

George and Pilgrim Hotel.
Photo by Diana Heins 19 September 2019.

The George and Pilgrim Hotel was built in 1479.  The entry is through an archway to an alley with bar, restaurant to the left and reception and narrow circular stairs to the right.  It smells of old wet towels.  Room 10 has bathroom which is part of the hall to the fire stairs.  The floorboards squeak.  We phoned Hassel and spoke briefly to Serena explaining we had arrived in Glastonbury. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant.  It was very warm at night; Terry propped open the window with a wooden prop.

Glastonbury air photo showing location of 50 High Street (red pin) and Glastonbury Abbey.
Photo by Diana Heins, 20 September 2019

High Street, Glastonbury
Photo by Diana Heins, 20 September 2019

In the 1851 Census, Henry Goodfellow aged 27 and his wife Grace (Fitzpatrick), a school mistress aged 27, were living at 50 High Street Glastonbury with three children, George aged three years, Elizabeth aged one year and baby Arthur aged one month were all born in Glastonbury. 

Henry's birthplace was Wincanton.  Grace was a British subject born in France.  Also living with them were a school governess and a house servant.

Fabric shop, Glastonbury
Photo by Diana Heins, 20 September 2019

Thursday 19 September 2019. 

In the morning we were woken by the sound of barrels rolling down steps.  After breakfast, we walked back through Market Square to Northland Street and round the back to discover the Gauntlet alleyway, then up High Street to the Post Office next to the Wool Shop.  Opposite this fabric shop is number 50 High Street, where Henry and Grace were living in 1851.  This location is now the Avalon Club, built in 1897.

Friday, 20 September. Glastonbury

 After a late breakfast, we walked up High Street again taking photos of the old Tribunal building.  I talked to the owner of the Wool Shop, which had been a barber shop.  She didn’t know of any Goodfellow druggist business.  The Post Office next door was more recent; the man at the Information Centre told us 1900s; the plaque was 1938.  The previous post office had been up High Street and in the street to the right.  I took photos of High Street from both sides.  We walked back to the Information Centre which opened at 10am.  They gave us maps of the town and I told them about the Goodfellow family in the 1851 Census.

St John's Anglican Church, High Street, Glastonbury.
 Photograph by Diana Heins 19 September 2019.

Glastonbury has a product to sell.  Along High Street are many shops catering for alternative, mystical, crystals, elaborate long dresses, books on magic mushrooms and magic generally and much about the mythical King Arthur seem to predominate.  Being there on the eve of the Autumn Equinox may have increased the numbers of gongs, drums and bodhrans.

The previous day we had been disappointed to find the Church is being renovated so we just took photos from outside and walked back to the Town Hall to wait for the bus to Wincanton.

Photo by Diana Heins, 20 September 2019

We bought tickets for the bus up to Glastonbury Tor which left at 11am.  It was a steep and winding road so we were glad we had not walked.  There was still a steep path with many steps to the top of the Tor with its 15^th century tower.  It was very windy but a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside.  Amazing to realise this Tor was an island with the flooded Somerset Levels all around.  There were people sunbaking, one man playing a huge gong.  We took photos towards Glastonbury and Street.  Down the hill we sent a birthday text message to Greg.

 

Glastonbury town from the Tor. 19 September 2019. Photograph by Diana Heins

Glastonbury Abbey ruins Photo by Diana Heins, 20 September 2019

Back on the bus to the town at midday, we walked to the park next to the playground east of the Abbey.  There were squirrels running across the grass and up the trees.  We returned to the Abbey where we spent a long time surveying the ruins, wondering where we took slide photos in 1971.  There was a herb garden, a deep pond, which had been part of the Abbey water supply and the old abbey kitchen on a very warm sunny afternoon.