Glastonbury

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Market town in Somerset, southwest England, on the River Brue, 8 km/5 mi southwest of Wells; population (2001) 8,400. Light industries include injection moulding, and the production of footwear and leather goods. Tourism and warehousing are also important. Glastonbury Tor, a hill crowned by a ruined 14th-century church tower, rises to 159 m/522 ft. Glastonbury lake village, occupied from around 150 BC to AD 50, lies 5 km/3 mi to the northwest.

Glastonbury Abbey, originally established in the 4th or 5th century, is thought to be on the site of the earliest Christian foundation in England, traditionally established by St Joseph of Arimathaea in about AD 63. Glastonbury has been associated with Avalon, said in Celtic mythology to have been the burial place of the legendary King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. The Glastonbury Festival is a pop music festival held outside the town most Junes; in 1998 it received the Best Musical Event award in the NME (New Musical Express) Awards.

The national colours are taken from the Rusyn arms of 1848. Effective date: 28 January 1992. >>