The San Francisco call., 1896-12-20
Dissertation Of the Famos Old Castle Of Tmtag the Birthplace King

The sad news comes that another spot OF
legendary and poetic interest and sanctity
is in danger of desecrat ation. 1t is Tintagel
''by the Cornish Sea-" Tintagel is primi-
tive county seacoast place on the north
shore of Corr vail, and its castle, now in
the last stages of ruin. was oEce mighty
stronghold. King Arthur was born in
the Castle of TintageI, according to the
accounts of Godfrey OF Monmouth.
and of the poets and chronicIers OF
the Court of King Henry II, while
Lord Tennyson, not wishing for his
own reasons to accept this view ex-
actly, devised a story of the baby Ar
thur being washed ashore in the midst
of remarkable elemental disturbances in
the little cove below the castle. King
Mark of Corn wall lived in the Castle of
Tintagel. Thence he sent Tristram to
bring the fair .IsoIt from Ireland to be his
bride, and it was on the way thither that
the knight and the Princess drank the
love potion that made them forget the
King and the world and all else in gazing
at each other 1t was i'll the burial
ground of the castle that they were finally
buried.
TintageI is a spot Of wild and romantic
beauty, but it has been hitherto SO inac-
cessble, and the accommodations which
it offered for visitors have been so limited,
that it has had comparatively few of
them-that is TO say, few in comparison
with many other places of no greater at
tracti7eness. For there is a hotel there
which, though not very large, is uncom-
monty good, and the railway now comes
to Camelford, only six niles away, whence
the ride to TintageI by carriage or coach
is delightful. So of late years good many
people who knew of the place have gone
there, and have been glad that they went
and sorry that they did not arrange their
plans of travel so that they could stay
longer.
Many OF them have been Americans of
course, who are always the first to find
places that are worth visiting. There was
no objection 10 this, any. more than there
is ever any objection to any beautiful place
being seen by as manv people as can see it
without hurting it. But now it is pro.
posed to disfgure Tintagel by big new
fashioned summer hotel, and to build
some sort of structures or other on Barras
Head, which commands the best view OF
the castle. All this will interfere with
the present beautiful simplicity and pic.
turesqueness of the place, and if it could
be prevented it would be desirable that it
should be.
If the plan TO build hotel at Tintagel
is really serious it will probably be carried
out, but something can be done to save
Barras Head, and that ought to be done.
The National Trust for the Preservation
of Natural Beauty and Historic Interest
has the matter in hand. and asks for sub.
scriptions for the purpose of buying Bar.
ras Head and keeping it away from the
touch of vandalism forever. Americans
who feel an interest in preserving SO beau.
tisul spot for the future enjoyment of
themselves and their countrymen are
asked to help. and they will no doubt do
so. The project ought to interest
them no less than Englishmen, and
it is we'll toat those who care
for such things should know that one
of the loveIiest spots hallowed by the
poetry of the common language of the
two countries is in danger, and that the
address of the treasurer of the fund that
must save it is No. Great College street,
Westminster, s. w. 1t should be added
that the time for which the option of buy.
ing the property was given has nearly ex-
pired, and that subscriptions should be
sent early. The castle itself, with the
ground on which 1t stands and the whole
of the big peninsula called Tintagel Head,
belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall, and is
therefors the property of the Prince of
Wales. So the castle is not in danger.
The village Of TiDtagel is on high