Bridge selected for Cornish castle associated with King Arthur 4 comments Engineering firm Ney & Partners and architects office William Matthews Associates have been selected to design a bridge for the historic English castle village of Tintagel where, according to legend, King Arthur was conceived. Located on the Cornish coastline, the £4 million bridge will provide a new pedestrian crossing between Tintagel Castle and the adjacent headland, which once were linked but have separated as a result of erosion. Brussels-based Ney & Partners and London-based William Matthews propose a slender structure, supported by two cantilevers that together form an arch. Its decking will be slate, while its structure will be created using steel, including some pre-rusted elements. The aim is create a variety of textures that allows the bridge to sit comfortably in its rugged coastal setting. "We believe the experience of visiting Tintagel Castle is all about discovery and revelation, so it is important to us that our bridge lets the majesty of the site do the talking, that it is not too intrusive," said Laurent Ney, managing director of Ney and Partners.

The castle that stands at Tintagel today was built in the 13th century, but the site has been has been inhabited since at least the late Roman period. In the 12th century, Tintagel was named as the place of conception for King Arthur, the legendary ruler said to have led Britain's defence against Saxon invaders in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. Related story Terry Farrell proposes six new bridges across River Thames in east London The new bridge references the site's rich history by combining elements of historic Celtic structures with the design of Tintagel Castle's original drawbridge. "Just as a good art museum recognises that the art is greater than the building so the new bridge needs to make the visitor's reading of Tintagel – its history and cultural power – as strong as possible," added Ney. The proposal was selected by a panel of judges led by Allies and Morrison director Graham Morrison, who described it as "a strong and confident concept design with a thoughtful geometry". It was selected ahead of four other shortlisted teams, including London Eye designer Marks Barfield and Gardens by the Bay architect Wilkinson Eyre .

Related story King Arthurs Camelot Castle | King Arthur | Tintagel | North Cornwall King Arthur's page is sponsored by Camelot Castle Hotel in Tintagel The above view was taken from Camelot Castle Hotel at Tintagel in North Cornwall. King Arthur's Castle is shown above. Both the mainland and the island are shown. If you look you can see Arthur's profile clearly defined in the cliff face of the Castle Island. Castle cove at Tintagel is shown below at high tide. Merlin's cave is located to the left of the picture right on the tide line. Below left, is a close up of Merlin's cave entrance at high tide. Below right is a shot across from Barras showing the beach and the island bridge. At low tide you can walk through the cave and if you look closely you will find a hidden seam where the smugglers used to hide. It is well worn now, but you can still hide and not be seen by all the people who traverse the cave. Below is an aerial shot of Castle Island. In the centre is a fresh water well.

If you look closely at the right hand bottom corner of the picture, you can see the impressions of a civilisation that once dwelled here long before the island became such a grand and opulent location. Slaughter bridge is famous for being the location of Arthur's last battle. There is an interesting alternative name for Slaughterbridge, that of ï¿½Slovens bridgeï¿½. It is possibly a corruption of ï¿½Sloe-vaen, from loe, a tumulus, and vaen, a stone, preceded by is ï¿½ under, or below ï¿½ . (JIRC 1850: 39) The JIRC suggests that the stone may have stood upon the ï¿½follyï¿½ mound above where it now lies. In 823AD there was an actual known battle in this area between the Saxon King Egbert and the Cornish Britons. Camelford had a chancery chapel established so that a priest, could say masses for the souls of the slain. Castle Cove Timelapse Here is where it all began. Castle Island at Tintagel in North Cornwall. The Legendary birthplace of King Arthur.

Can you see the profile of King Arthur in the cliff face? Several years ago a new footbridge replaced the old bridge after it fell to the sea. St Knightons Keive (St Nectan's Glen) above. St Knightons Keive is said to be the place were men became Knights by passing through the lower circle to be reborn again cleansed in the pool below. The Keive itself was seen has a potent Pagan symbol of Gaia and has been a place of reverence since before the times of Christ. The 6th century ï¿½Arthurï¿½s Stoneï¿½ is inscribed with ogham and latin. The stone is alleged to mark the spot near Slaughterbridge, where King Arthur fell mortally wounded after the battle of Camlann. 24. Mordrede Below are a couple of picture of Dozmary Pool on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Arthur was carried away over Dozmary pool in the vessel of the Lady of the Lake. King Arthur - The Mythology and the Legend. King Arthur King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship both in war and peace.

He is the central character in the cycle of legends known as the Matter of Britain, which portrays him as a leader of the Sub-Roman Britons during the Saxon invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries. Originally celebrated as a culture hero by the Brythonic peoples, by the 12th century his fame had spread to the Briton's relatives in Brittany, and from there to France, Anglo-Norman England, and the rest of Europe. King Arthur remains a household name throughout the Western World today. There is disagreement about whether he, or a model for him, ever actually existed, or whether he is a mythic figure who has been given a historicised setting.[1] His title of 'King' is disputed: in the earliest mentions and in Welsh texts, he is never given the title 'King'. An early text refers to him as Dux Bellorum ('Duke of Battles'),[2] and medieval Welsh texts often call him ameraudur ("emperor" in the pre-Medieval sense of the Latin imperator, i.e. "commander"). The historicity of the King Arthur legend has long been debated by scholars.

One school of thought believes that Arthur had no historical existence, that he originally was a half-forgotten Celtic deity that devolved into a personage, citing parallels with the following: a supposed change of the sea-god Lir into King Lear;[1] with the Kentish totemic horse-gods Hengest and Horsa, who were historicised by the time of Bede's account and given an important role in the 5th century Anglo-Saxon conquest of eastern Britain;[1] with the founder-figure of Caer-fyrddin, Merlin (Welsh Myrddin);[1] or with the Norse demigod Sigurd or Siegfried, who was historicised in Nibelungenlied by associating him with a famous historical 5th century battle between Huns and the Burgundians.[1] Supporters of this theory often instance the Welsh etymology of Arthur's name as derived from "bear", proposing the bear-god Artio (Proto-Celtic artos) as the precedent for the legend;however, these particular deities are known to have been worshipped by the continental Celts, and are not documented among the Britons.Another view holds that Arthur was an auth

entically historical personage, a Romano-British leader fighting against the invading Anglo-Saxons sometime in the late 5th to early 6th century.The late historian John Morris made the alleged reign of Arthur at the turn of the 5th century the organising principle of his history of sub-Roman Britain and Ireland under the rubric The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 450ï¿½650 (1973), even though he found little to say of an historic Arthur, save as an example of the idea of kingship, one among such contemporaries as Vortigern and Cunedda, Hengest and Coel.

If he existed, his power base would probably have been in the Celtic areas of Wales, Cornwall and the West Country, or the Brythonic 'Old North' which covered modern Northern England and Southern Scotland. However, controversy over the centre of his supposed power and the extent and kind of power he would have wielded continues to this day. In this vein, some scholars have noticed a pattern in Arthur's story that is echoed by historical kings, such as Alfred the Great. Both Arthur and Alfred are characterized as benevolent leaders who protect their local people from multiple invasions. The common idea, popularized by 20th century novelist Susan Cooper, is to the effect that invasions came one after another, to be beaten back by "Dukes of Battle" (Dux Bellorum) who could rally the people behind them.

One of the more famous records claiming Arthur's historical reality, the "history" by Geoffrey of Monmouth,[1] contains little trustworthy historical fact, and many scholars are tempted to agree with William of Newburgh, who wrote around 1190 that "it is quite clear that everything this man wrote about Arthur and his successors, or indeed about his predecessors from Vortigern onwards, was made up, partly by himself and partly by others, either from an inordinate love of lying, or for the sake of pleasing the Britons." Two sources of information on Arthur are available, through archaeology and through texts. The archaeology of sites can reveal names only through inscriptions. The so-called "Arthur stone" discovered in 1998 in securely dated 6th century contexts among the ruins at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, a secular, high status settlement of Sub-Roman Britain, created a brief stir. There is no other archaeological evidence for Arthur, though sites and places have been identified as "Arthurian" since the 12th century.

A number of unidentifiable historical figures have been suggested as the historical basis for Arthur, ranging from Lucius Artorius Castus, a Roman officer who served in Britain in the 2nd century; Roman usurper emperors like Magnus Maximus; and sub-Roman British rulers like Riothamus, Ambrosius Aurelianus, Owain Ddantgwynand Athrwys ap Meurig. The origin of the name Arthur is itself a matter of debate and is very much connected to the debates concerning his historicity. Some, like the above, see it as derived from the Latin 'Artorius', a Roman family name meaning 'plowman' which became 'Arturius', among other variants, in Roman inscriptions. The 5th to 6th century Welsh art (arth is a later form) means 'bear'. Thus, theories for the Welsh origin of the name Arthur have been proposed. One has art + ur, 'man of the bear' or 'bear-man', thus giving us Artur. Also, the Latin form of Arthur appears as Arturus in the earliest writings, never Artorius.

The supposition of the Latin '-us' could suggest the original name was the Welsh Artur. Yet "Artorius" in its later forms when pronounced in Celtic languages could have yielded "Arthur" as well as "Arturus", both of which forms do occur in the medieval literature. Toby D. Griffen, a scholar from the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, among others, links the name Arthur to Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boï¿½tes, and the third brightest in the night sky. The word Arcturus is in Classical Latin, and would have been Arturus in the Late Latin of the 5th ï¿½ 6th century. Griffen and others believe that Arthur might not be derived from a Latin original such as Artorius, as proponents of the above theories suspect, but could have been a nom de guerre used by or an epithet bestowed upon the leader who fought against the Saxons. Griffen goes on to state that the star Arcturus was associated with the Great Bear.

Its position in the sky, near Ursa Major, led people to call it the 'guardian of the bear', and it was regarded as the leader of the other stars in Boï¿½tes. In Welsh, the conveniently similar Artur (or possibly Arturos) meant 'bear-man'. If the man we call Arthur used Arturus (and Artur[os]) as his nom de guerre(s), its meaning(s) would have been easily understood by both the Romano-British and native British alike; a stout bear-like defender against the invaders.[3] In similar manner, if a capable war leader exhibited astonishing ability, speakers of Saxon might have understood his nom de guerre to mean "Ar Thur," or the Eagle of Thor, the god of thunder. Phillips and Keatman argue for their variant of the nom de guerre theory in their book, King Arthur: The True Story. For them, the name has two components. The first would be the Welsh art meaning bear, and the second a repetition in Latin, ursus, making the original name "Artursus". According to their theory this name was a title rather than the name of a person.

In any case, the name Arthur and its variants was used by at least four leaders who lived after the traditional dates of Arthurï¿½s battles, suggesting to Griffen and others that it was not used as a personal name until ï¿½theï¿½ Arthur himself did so. This idea is reinforced by the fact that Arthur's father is named Uther, phonetically similar to Arthur. The creator of the familiar literary persona of Arthur was Geoffrey of Monmouth, with his broadly fictionalized Historia Regum Britanniae written in the 1130s, widely copied and read by the English, as well as Europeans at large. All the textual sources for Arthur are divided into those that preceded Geoffrey and those that followed him, and could not avoid his influence. Arthur first appears in Welsh literature. In a surviving early Welsh poem, The Gododdin (ca. AD 594), the poet Aneirin (ca. 535ï¿½600) writes of one of his protagonists: "Like a wild boar's fury, was Bleidig ab Eli's, yet he was no Arthur, and he fed black ravens, on Cattraeth's walls".

It is not possible, though, to determine if this passage is a later interpolation on the current manuscripts of the poem, or not. The following poems attributed to Taliesin are possibly of a similarly early date: The Chair of the Sovereign, references "Arthur the Blessed"; The Treasures of Annwn, mentions "the valour of Arthur", as well as, "we went with Arthur in his splendid labours"; and the poem Journey to Deganwy contains the passage, "as at the battle of Badon, with Arthur, chief holder of feasts, his tall blades red from the battle all men remember". Another reference to Arthur is in the Historia Britonum, attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius, who is said to have written his compilation of early Welsh history around the year 830. In this work, Arthur is referred to as a "leader of battles" rather than as a king. Two separate sources within this compilation of Nennius' list twelve battles that he fought, which culminate, in 516, with the Battle of Mons Badonicus, where he is said to have single-handedly killed 960 men.

The Annales Cambriae of the 10th century, suggests that Arthur was slain at the Battle of Camlann, dated to 537. Arthur makes appearances in a number of well known vitae ("Lives") of 6th century saints, most of them written at the monastery of Llancarfan in the 12th century. For example, in the Life of Saint Illtud, from internal evidence apparently written around 1140, Arthur is said to be a cousin of that churchman. Many of these appearances portray Arthur as a fierce warrior, and not necessarily as morally impeccable as in later romances. According to the Life of Saint Gildas (died ca. AD 570), written in the 11th century, by the monk, Caradoc of Llancarfan, Arthur killed Gildas' brother Hueil, a pirate on the Isle of Man. Around 1100, Lifris of Llancarfan writes in his Life of Saint Cadoc that Arthur was put to task by the man of the book to which Arthur paid little due, Cadoc.

Cadoc gave protection for a man who killed three of Arthur's soldiers, and Arthur took a herd of cattle as wergeld for his men. Cadoc delivered them as demanded, and when Arthur had possession of the animals, they were made to transform into bundles of ferns. Such episodes serve to portray a holy man besting a man of sins. Similar incidents are described in the late medieval biographies of Carannog, Padern, Goeznovius, and Efflam. Arthur appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, a narrative usually associated with the Mabinogion. Culhwch visits Arthur's court to seek his help in winning the hand of Olwen. Arthur, who is described as his kinsman, agrees to the request, and the hero fulfils the demands of Olwen's giant father Ysbaddaden, which include the hunt for the great boar Twrch Trwyth described at length by the author. This may be related to legends where Arthur is depicted as the leader of the Wild Hunt, a folk-loric motif that is also recorded in Brittany, France; Galicia, Spain; as well as Germany.

Roger Sherman Loomis has listed a number of these instances (Loomis 1972). Gervase of Tilbury in the 13th century and two 15th century writers assign this role to Arthur. Gervase states that Arthur and his knights regularly hunt along an ancient trackway between Cadbury Castle and Glastonbury (which is still known as King Arthur's Causeway [4], and that he with his company of riders may be seen by the moon-light in forests of Britain or Brittany or Savoy. Loomis alludes to a Scottish mention in the 16th century, and that many of these beliefs were still current in the 19th century at Cadbury Castle, and in several parts of France. Later parts of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, or, Welsh Triads, mention Arthur at length, as well as locate his court, in Celliwig, in Cornwall.

Celliwig was identified with Callington by the Cornish antiquarians, but, Rachel Bromwich, an editor, and the author of the book Trioedd Ynys Prydein: the Welsh Triads, matched it with Kelly Rounds, to say a hill fort, in the parish of Egloshayle. Excalibur In Robert de Boron's Merlin, Arthur obtained the throne by pulling a sword from a stone. In this account, this act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword is thought by many to be the famous Excalibur and the identity is made explicit in the later so-called Vulgate Merlin Continuation, part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle. However, in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign.

According to many sources, Arthur broke the sword pulled from the stone while fighting King Pellinore, and thus Merlin took him to retrieve Excalibur from the lake (as cited in many novels including Howard Pyle's King Arthur and His Knights, King Arthur and the Legend of Camelot, and indeed most modern Arthurian literature). In this Post-Vulgate version, the sword's blade could slice through anything, including steel, and its sheath made the wearer invincible in that the wearer could not die so long as they bore the scabbard. Some stories say that Arthur did indeed pull the sword from the stone (Excalibur), giving him the right to be king, but accidentally killed a fellow knight with it and cast it away. Merlin told him to undertake a quest to find another blade, and it was then that Arthur received his sword from the hand in the water, and named it Excalibur, after his original sword. The first appearance of the sword named Caliburn is in Geoffrey of Monmouth, who asserted that in battle against Arthur "nought might armour avail, but that Caliburn would carve their souls from out them with their blood.".

The Alliterative Morte Arthure, a Middle English poem, gives mention of Clarent, a sword of peace meant for knighting and ceremonies as opposed to battle, which is stolen and then used to kill Arthur. The legend of King Arthur has remained popular into the 21st century. Though the popularity of Arthurian literature waned somewhat after the end of the Middle Ages, it experienced a revival during the 19th century, especially after the publication of Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King. The subsequent period saw the creation of hundreds, perhaps thousands of books, poems, and films about King Arthur, both new works of fiction and analyses of the relevant historical and archaeological data. A spoof on Arthurian mythology, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, was made in 1975. Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early.

In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch. The name Excalibur came from Old French Excalibor, which came from Caliburn used in Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1140) (Latin Caliburnus). There are also variant spellings such as Escalibor and Excaliber (the latter used in Howard Pyle's books for younger readers). One theory holds that Caliburn[us] comes from Caledfwlch, the original Welsh name for the sword, which is first mentioned in the Mabinogion. This may be cognate with Caladbolg ("hard-belly", i.e. "voracious"), a legendary Irish sword (see below). Another theory (noted in The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, 1995) states that "Caliburnus" is ultimately derived from Latin chalybs "steel", which is in turn derived from Chalybes, the name of an Anatolian ironworking tribe. This is noted and used by the historian Valerio Massimo Manfredi in his novel The Last Legion (2002: the English translation has Calibian instead of the intended Chalybian).

According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, Excalibur was originally derived from the Latin phrase Ex calce liberatus, "liberated from the stone". In Malory, Excalibur is said to mean "cut-steel", which some have interpreted to mean "steel-cutter". In surviving accounts of Arthur, there are two originally separate legends about the sword's origin. The first is the "Sword in the Stone" legend, originally appearing in Robert de Boron's poem Merlin, in which Excalibur can only be drawn from the stone by Arthur, the rightful king. The second comes from the later Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, which was taken up by Sir Thomas Malory. Here, Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake after breaking his first sword in a fight with King Pellinore. The Lady of the Lake calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel," and Arthur takes it from a hand rising out of the lake. As Arthur lies dying, he tells a reluctant Sir Bedivere (Sir Griflet in some versions) to return the sword to the lake by throwing it into the water.

Bedivere thinks the sword too precious to throw away, so twice only pretends to do so. Each time, Arthur asks him to describe what he saw. When Bedivere tells him the sword simply vanished underwater, Arthur scolds him harshly. Finally, Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake. Before the sword strikes the water's surface, the hand reaches up to grasp it and pull it under. Arthur leaves on a death barge with the three queens to Avalon, where as his legend says, he will one day return to save Britain from a threat. Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d'Arthur, and confusingly calls both swords Excalibur. The film Excalibur attempts to rectify this by having the Lady of the Lake only repair the sword after it is broken. Uther Pendragon - The father of King Arthur. Uther Pendragon is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur.

A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh poems, but his biography was first written down by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions. He is a fairly ambiguous individual throughout the literature; he is described as a strong king and a defender of the people. Uther, through circumstances (and Merlin's help) tricks the wife of his enemy Gorlois, Lady Igraine and sleeps with her. Thus Arthur, "the once and future king," is an illegitimate child. This act of conception ironically occurs the very night Uther's troops dispatch her Gorlois. This theme of illegitimate conception is repeated in Arthur's siring of Mordred on his own sister Morgause in the later prose romances. It is Mordred who will eventually mortally wound King Arthur in The Last Battle. Uther is best known from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136) where he is the youngest son of King Constantine II.

His eldest brother Constans succeeds to the throne on their father's death, but is murdered at the instigation of his adviser Vortigern, who seizes the throne. Uther and his other brother Aurelius Ambrosius, still children, flee to Brittany. After Vortigern's alliance with the Saxons under Hengist goes disastrously wrong, Aurelius and Uther, now adults, return. Aurelius burns Vortigern in his castle and becomes king.With Aurelius on the throne, Uther leads his brother's army to Ireland to help Merlin bring the stones of Stonehenge from there to Britain. Later, while Aurelius is ill, Uther leads his army against Vortigern's son Paschent and his Saxon allies. On the way to the battle, he sees a comet in the shape of a dragon, which Merlin interprets as presaging Aurelius's death and Uther's glorious future. Uther wins the battle and takes the epithet "Pendragon", and returns to find that Aurelius has been poisoned by an assassin. He becomes king and orders the construction of two gold dragons, one of which he uses as his standard.

He secures Britain's frontiers and quells Saxon uprisings with the aid of his retainers, one of which is Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. At a banquet celebrating their victories, Uther becomes obsessively enamoured of Gorlois' wife, Igerna (Igraine), and a war ensues between Uther and his vassal. Gorlois sends Igerna to the impregnable castle of Tintagel for protection, while he himself is besieged by Uther in another town. Uther consults with Merlin, who uses his magic to transform the king into the likeness of Gorlois and thus gain access to Igerna at Tintagel. He spends the night with her, and they conceive a son, Arthur; but the next morning it is discovered that Gorlois had been killed. Uther marries Igerna, and they have another child, a daughter called Anna. She later marries King Lot and became the mother of Gawain and Mordred (in later romances she is called Morgause, and is usually Igerna's daughter by her previous marriage).

Uther later falls ill, but when the wars against the Saxons go badly he insists on leading his army himself, propped up on his horse. He defeats Hengist's son Octa at Verulamium (St Albans), despite the Saxons calling him the "Half-Dead King." However, the Saxons soon contrive his death by poisoning a spring he drinks from near Verulamium.Geoffrey based some members of Uther's family on historical figures. Constantine is based on the historical usurper Constantine III, a claimant to the Roman throne from 407ï¿½411; Constans is based on his son. Aurelius Ambrosius is based on the legendary Welsh figure Ambrosius Aurelianus, though his connection to Constantine and Constans is an invention. It is less likely, however, that Uther ever existed outside of Britain's mythical history. Merlin Merlin is best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures.

Geoffrey combined existing stories of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlinus Caledonensis), a northern madman with no connection to King Arthur, with tales of Aurelius Ambrosius to form the figure he called Merlin Ambrosius. Geoffrey's version of the character was immediately popular, and later writers expanded the account to produce a fuller image of the wizard. His traditional biography has him born the son of an incubus and a mortal woman who inherits his powers from his strange birth.[1] He grows up to be a sage and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic. Later Merlin serves as the king's advisor until he is bewitched and imprisoned by the Lady of the Lake. Merlin, from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) For more in depth information about the legendary Ruler follow the link below. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License . Wikipedia Camelot Castle Hotel Cornwall Tour - An illustrated guide to Cornwall the legends of King Arthur.

The Legends of King Arthur Unwinding Fact from Fiction Myths of the legendary King Arthur abound in mysterious Cornwall, he is rumoured to have been born at spectacular Tintagel Castle in North Cornwall and to have received his fatal wounds at Camelford. The legends do have a basis in fact. Arthur did exist, a Celtic chieftain who came to lead the struggle against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the late fifth to early sixth century and there is a strong tradition that he arose in Cornwall. It is difficult to unravel legend from fact. Arthur was probably not a king but a nobleman of mixed Roman - Briton heritage who rose to prominence as a war leader, rather than a king, who lead his fellow Celts against their common enemy. In the earliest recorded mentions of Arthur, in sixth century Welsh texts, he is never referred to as a king but as 'dux bellorum' a Roman military title for war leader, specifically applied to a cavalry commander.

In the Historia Britonum, written in the ninth century, by a Welsh monk, Nennius, Arthur is referred to as the 'leader of battles' rather than a king, this source lists twelve battles against the Saxons in which he is reputed to have taken part. The tenth century Annales Cambriae makes reference to one of his most famous victories, Mons Badonicus, or Mount Badon, it was fought as near as can be established, about 495 and is mentioned by Gildas, writing but 40 years or so later. There is no doubt that Badon was a decisive British victory. The Arthurian legends were made popular by the Medieval monk and writer Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 'History of the Kings of Britain' written in 1135. Geoffrey dealt at length with Arthur's reign, embroidered the tale and introduced Merlin to the story, a character possibly based on the prophet Myrddin, mentioned in several old Welsh poems. Geoffrey claimed to have acquired his information from an ancient British manuscript given to him by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford.

Geoffrey introduces all the famous names which were to appear vividly in the later Arthurian legends, his sword, Caliburn, his wife Ganhumara, Kay, Bedevere and Gawain. He also takes Medraut, a name that occurs in the old Welsh annals, and turns him into Mordred, Arthur's nephew and implacable foe. Sir Thomas Malory's 'Le Morte d'Arthur' became one of Caxton's first publications after the invention of the printing press in the late Middle Ages and enjoyed huge popularity. Succesive ages added and embroidered the legend. Camelot There are many candidates for the legendary Camelot in the county of Cornwall. A place name which appears often in Arthurian legend is that of Carlyon, this is an earthwork south of the River Fal. Atmospheric Tintagel Castle on the North Cornish coast has long been associated with Arthur and his father Uther Pendragon although no archaeological evidence has been unearthed to support the theory. The present castle is in fact medieval, built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, the brother of King Henry III, but occupies the site of an earlier Dark Age fortress.

The castle stands on a dramatic and atmospheric site, perched high on a rocky headland rising high above the Atlantic which is linked to the mainland by a ithmus of rock. The Dark Age remains stand on the exposed headland known as the island and are reached via a bridge. They appear as low drystone walls. Geoffrey of Monmouth describes the castle of Arthur's legendary conception as 'built high above the sea which surrounds it on all sides' . Although historical facts are scarce, concerning the Dark Age Castle, legend surrounds it, which relate that Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, fell in love with the beautiful Igraine, the wife of Gorlois of Cornwall and was determined to have her. Arthur was concieved as a result of Uther's entering the castle secretly at night with the aid of Merlin. Excavations in the 1930's confirmed Dark Age occupation of the site and uncovered the remains of a sixth century monastery. Pottery found at the Tintagel site was dated to the 5th and 6th centuries - the time of Arthur.

In the 1990's excavations lead to the discovery of an inscription on a piece of slate which reads 'ARTOgNOV' a Latin form of the Celtic name Arthnou, derived from the Celtic word Arth, meaning bear. . The finest hill fort in Cornwall is that of Castle-an-Dinas , near St. Magwan, which has also been suggested as a candidate for Arthur's base. Standing seven hundred feet high it occupies a commanding position. Many writers asscociate Arthur's fabled stronghold with Cadbury Castle in Somerset, originally an Iron Age fort. Excavations took place there in the 1960's and the fort was proved to have been re-fortified in the era of Arthur. At a cross roads around two miles from Castle Dore, the fortress of King Mark of Cornwall, near Fowey, stands a seven feet long stone pillar known as the Tristan Stone on which is carved the Latin inscription 'Drustans Hic lacit/Cunomori Filius' (Here lies Drustan son of Commorus) Comnmorus has been identified as Mark of Cornwall and Drustan as the Tristram of Arthurian legend.

The stone did not always stand in its present position, but is known to have been moved from nearby the exact position has not been recorded. Opposite the Jamaica Inn there is a road which leads to one of Cornwall's mysteries - Dozmary Pool can be reached via a road opposite the Jamaica Inn. The pool is reputed to be where the reluctant Bedevere tossed Arthur's sword on the orders of the mortally wounded king following his last battle. The Pool is said to have been fourteen fathoms deep, but it's existence is an enigma, as no stream flows into the pool nor does it drain any part of the moor. Dozmary was first used by Neolithic man and many artefacts relating to their habitation have been found at the site. Dozmary possesses a strange unearthly beauty, the legends of King Arthur and his famous sword Excalibur are firmly associated with it. Slaughterbridge- the Site of Arthur's Last Battle?

The medieval writer, Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his famous 'History of the Kings of Britain' informs us that the legendary King Arthur's last battle, known as the Battle of Camlann, which legend states was fought against against his nephew and mortal foe, Mordred, took place at a site beside a river in Cornwall. No river with such a name exists in modern day Cornwall, but the reference is understood by many to refer to the River Camel. Local legends abound that the Dark Age battle was fought in a water meadow beside the Slaughter Bridge . On the stream bed lies a sixth century inscribed stone, said to mark the spot were Arthur fell after meeting Morded in battle. Discrepancy exists as to the actual date of the battle. The Annals of Wales claim it was fought in 539 A.D. , whilst the Annals of Ulster record it by another name, the Battle of Manann, and date its occurence as 582 A.D. Adomnal, a monk who wrote in the seventh century, describes Arthur's death in the battle.

Later accounts of the battle occur in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'History of the Kings of Britain' and the thirteenth century Welsh tale 'The Dream of Rhonabwy. ‘Maybe King Arthur will finally come home.’ Tintagel’s chance to bridge gap of centuries | UK news | The Guardian The Observer ‘Maybe King Arthur will finally come home.’ Tintagel’s chance to bridge gap of centuries Locals and visitors in the Cornish village give their views on the six options for a new bridge to Arthur’s legendary birthplace The ‘Bronze Blade’ design by Marks Barfield. Photograph: © MRC/Emily Whitfield-Wicks Saturday 5 December 2015 19.03 EST Last modified on Saturday 5 December 2015 19.05 EST Close This article is 1 year old “That one frightens me to death,” said Mary Dyer, the 80-year-old chairman of Tintagel parish council . “It looks terrifying. I’m not sure if I’d be brave enough to walk across it, especially if it is windy. Now this one I like. It looks much safer and very spectacular too.

I could see myself on that – on a nice day at least.” Dyer was the first resident of this wave-battered, wind-lashed village on the coast of north Cornwall to cast her eye over an exhibition of six dramatic new designs for a footbridge that will link the mainland with the island fortress of Tintagel Castle where – legend has it – King Arthur was conceived. For hundreds of years – since a narrow natural land-bridge that used to reach out to the rocky headland on which the castle sat crumbled into the Atlantic – tourists, poets, hikers and King Arthur enthusiasts have had to scramble up and down hundreds of steps and trip-trap across a modest wooden bridge to visit the attraction. So testing is the exercise that a tough old manager of Tintagel football team used to harden up his players by getting them to run up and down the steep slopes. It is simply beyond many people now. English Heritage, the custodian of the site, has decided enough is enough and has launched a competition to build a 72-metre long footbridge that will cross high above the waves and the current wooden structure and retrace the line of that lost land bridge.

It will cost £4m and should be ready for the spring of 2019. “It will be wonderful,” said Dyer, who moved from London in the 1950s. “It’s really too difficult for people like me to get there. But I also see parents with young children struggling up and down those steps. The designs look so good that I’m sure the bridge will be an attraction in itself. It will bring more people, which can only be good for the village.” More than 100 architects from 27 countries expressed an interest in the project. This has been whittled down to a shortlist of six , who have provided their concept designs. The winner will be chosen in the new year. They have clearly had fun with the scheme. Marks Barfield, the creator of the London Eye, has suggested a bridge called the “Bronze Blade”, evoking King Arthur’s sword Excalibur, supported by twin pillars designed to remind the viewer of natural stone stack formations and Cornish tin mine chimneys.

Niall McLaughlin’s design is a stone arch of Cornish granite and “seemingly tethers the island to the mainland”, while Wilkinson Eyre proposes using oak and stainless steel for a bridge made of small components “wheeled to site by hand”. One not for the faint-hearted, by Belgian firm Ney and Partners, leaves a small gap in the middle to represent “the transition between the mainland and the island ... the present and the past, the known and the unknown, reality and legend”. Catherine and Ian Sandbrook, who live at nearby Camelford, liked the Ney design when they viewed the exhibition at Tintagel visitors’ centre. “It doesn’t mean I’d walk across it,” said Ms Sandbrook, “but it is elegant. We like the more minimal designs.” Pinterest The design by Ney & Partners. Photograph: © MRC/Emily Whitfield-Wicks Roger Wickett, who was born and bred in Tintagel and for years ran a caravan site here, admitted he had harboured reservations about the project. “It will have a huge impact on a very beautiful spot; it will change it for ever.” But he was impressed when he saw the designs.

“The castle is vital for the economy of the village. Anything that helps that has to be a good thing.” He also liked the Ney concept, not so much for the dizzying gap but for the way it framed the sea. Some in the village cannot believe the bridge scheme is real. “It feels more like a dream to me,” said Chris Grose-Callan, who runs the Cats Whiskers gift shop. “I walk my dogs up there. It seems odd to think there’ll be a bridge.” John Mappin, co-owner of the Camelot Castle Hotel , an extraordinary Victorian pile complete with a round table, was reassured that because the site is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince Charles will run an eye over the design. “If Prince Charles likes it, it will be fine by me. It’s his land and I’m sure it won’t be a carbuncle.” Opinion is divided on English Heritage’s Tintagel Facebook page . “Amazingly beautiful,” one fan posted. “Please don’t, plain ugly,” said another. “Keep it old school, we need the exercise,” pleaded a third. “Maybe Arthur will finally come home,” added another.

There are some separatists who find it hard to accept that an organisation called English Heritage is in charge of a Cornish site. “Beautiful Cornish Heritage. That’s Cornish Heritage. Time for some little Englander organisations to jog on,” posted proud Cornishman Lee Sanders. Certainly, the place has a crucial part in the history of Kernow. It is believed to have been a seat of Cornwall and Devon’s dark-age rulers and a key trading settlement that linked the region with the Byzantine world. Then in the 12th century Geoffrey of Monmouth, arch-spinner of Arthurian legends, laid the foundations of its worldwide appeal by declaring the island fortress to be the place of King Arthur’s conception. Monmouth’s claims may have prompted Richard, Earl of Cornwall, younger brother of King Henry III, to build a castle on the spot in the 13th century. As early as the 17th century tourists started to visit and in the 19th century the explosion of interest in Arthurian legend and the arrival of the railways in Cornwall brought vast numbers to the site.

Tintagel is now one of English Heritage’s top five attractions, drawing around 200,000 visitors a year and up to 3,000 a day in the peak summer season. Down at the castle, Beata Dybala, a visitor from Poland, was taking photographs of her daughter, designer and illustrator Sonia Hensler, who was sporting a top hat and glittering red jacket for the shoot. Dybala was in favour of the idea. “I like the combination of the old and new.” Hensler wondered if it would be better if the new bridge were made of wood. “More natural, more in keeping with this place,” she said. But not practical. Property manager Matt Ward can’t wait to stride across the new bridge. “It will make the castle so much more accessible for more people.” But he also loves the idea that, for the first time since the land bridge eroded half a millennium ago, visitors will be able to precisely follow in the footsteps of their forefathers. “You’ll see a view of this magnificent coast that vanished centuries ago.

Incredible.” Press Release 5 TINTAGEL - KING ARTHUR COUNTRY ARTICLE IN 'CORNISH LIFE' MAGAZINE ON CAMELOT CASTLE HOTEL With its towering cliffs and wild seas Tintagel has always been a dramatic place but never more so than now. For when John Mappin and Ted Stourton bought the old King Arthur's Castle Hotel and turned it into Camelot Castle it was the beginning of something that might ultimately change the world. Built in 1899 by architect Silvanus Trevail the enormous granite hotel stands facing into the wind while waves crash relentlessly against the cliffs and seagulls fly round the forlorn ruins of another, older, castle further along the peninsula. This is the medieval Tintagel Castle - said to be the birth place of the legendary King Arthur - and both castle and king have inspired countless artists, writers and poets down through the centuries.

And now it is inspiring many more because Mappin and Stourton have turned their own castle with its 65 bedrooms into a haven where artists can stay free of charge as ï¿½artists in residenceï¿½ , to tap into the mythological and natural beauty "free from any evaluation or invalidation.ï¿½ "In other words," Mappin says, "Artists can stay here for as long as they wish, (at Camelotï¿½s discretion) no conditions imposed. In fact an artist is anyone who says they are one - writer, musician or whatever discipline - who is trying create a high quality of communication. We have had artists in residence from Africa, from Australia, indeed they arrive here from all over the world." John and Ted, bought the place for and undisclosed sum three years ago. They believe that the creative force of Camelot is strongly positive and that it is bringing peace to a world which sorely needs it. At the same time they know that the creative force of artists can be enhanced if they are given a chance to be in the right surroundings. "The energy at Tintagel is unique.

It is one of the most naturally beautiful places in the country but it is the mythology clinging to it that makes it a magnet for artists of all sorts and always has done. Tennyson wrote Idylls of the King on the cliffs in front of Camelot Castle. Turner painted here, J B Priestley and A A Milne wrote here and Elgar composed his Second Symphony in Room 103." Famous sportsmen, film stars and top supermodels have all stayed here and most recently Liam Gallagher brought his whole family as artists in residence to spend New Year's Eve at Camelot Castle with his wife Nicole Appleton of All Saints, while Kate Winslet of Titanic fame bought the cottage just below the hotel - and shares a ghost with them, that of a Victorian engineer who used to look after the hotels' electrical supply. But Tintagel is just the beginning of a huge project. The Mythological Hotels Group. For John and Ted intend to create Mythological Hotels all over the world and to host ï¿½artists in residenceï¿½ wherever there is a location with strong associated mythology. "Each country has its own myths and these myths are extremely important. They were used to educate people in a pre-literate society.

In fact mythology is one of the greatest aphrodisiacs known to man. That is, in the true sense of the word, ï¿½aphrodisiacï¿½ which means, ï¿½that which inspires loveï¿½. To inject love through the alignment of mythological vectors and the production of beauty is a very positive undertaking. So our next project will be in Cyprus at the Temple of Aphrodite, another will be at Troy in Turkey, followed by another at Delphi in Greece." John and Ted are both accomplished and respected artists in their own right. John, a songwriter and composer has just finished an album called "Ripples of Peace" which he created with an ongoing "Ripples of Peace" exhibition of sculpture and paintings by Ted Stourton. "The 500 meter sculpture on the Tintagel headland is made from 20 tonnes of Cornish Granite and is interactive. You listen to the music while ï¿½walking the ripplesï¿½," says Stourton. Many say that Stourton is becoming one of the greatest living painters in Britain today, and possibly is already the leading proponent of abstract-realism.

Over 2400 of his original paintings have ended up in collectors hands the last 24 months alone. His work is immensely popular both in England and the US. Plans are afoot for ï¿½The Ripples of Peaceï¿½ to be copied and recreated in the Saudi Arabian desert, the planned sculpture is so vast that it will be visible from the moon. Other artists are being invited to copy the Ripples of Peace symbol in many media and Ripples of Peace sculptures are manifesting in all sorts of locations. Huge global interest in the concept, the sculpture and ï¿½The Ripples of Peace Albumï¿½ is emerging. Johnï¿½s song ï¿½Inner Truthï¿½ is becoming a tool as a worldwide anthem and guidon (standard) for peace. But is there not a danger that self-styled "artists" will come flocking to sponge on Camelotï¿½s generosity? ï¿½It is important to understand that the project is not intended to be philanthropic. It is in fact an extremely practical program and essential to the survival of mankind.ï¿½ Explains Mappin.

ï¿½The amount of beauty being produced in the world at any one time has a symbiotic link and in fact exists in direct ratio to the sanity of mankind. If as individuals we do not assist in the production of aesthetics then our world and indeed our own universe declines and dwindles.ï¿½ ï¿½There is a descending spiral and an ascending spiral of life. People choose which spiral they assist.ï¿½ ï¿½No-one has taken advantage of us so far, in fact the artists that have stayed here have greatly assisted our expansion as they contribute to the goodwill of Camelot and its word of mouth. The plan is that within five years as we acquire more mythological locations we shall be able to help more than 20,000 artists each year." ï¿½Imagine the delight of someone who comes here from the inner cities in Britain or indeed abroad and taps into what we have here. We believe that artists deserve a chance and that it is up to us as individuals to give them that chance.ï¿½ ï¿½Imagine how far and to whom their Ripples can reach.ï¿½ For further details Camelot Castle, Tintagel, Cornwall PL34 ODQ.

Tel 01840 770202 More Details of Camelot Castle Hotel Tintagel Castle was said to be the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur who, if he really existed, was probably a Romano Celtic chieftain and not the medieval king of the stories. Beyond is the dramatic Victorian Camelot Castle built in 1899 by architect Silvanus Trevail for the original hotelier a Mr Hardy. The Great Hall has columns of peach marble brought over from the Dolomites. No expense was spared in the building of the hotel which was the second most popular in Victorian England. The impressive fireplace is surrounded by Minton tiles . The Camelot has a Concert Grand piano - a Straad dating from 1830 used by Noel Coward - in the Great Hall. John Mappin is songwriter and composer and has just finished an Album "Ripples of Peace" which is "a unique type of music, a completely new sound." The Arthurian Bar, was designed and created in red by Patrick Rundle, the previous owner for 47 years, whom John describes as a very creative and very imaginative man, one of the most remarkable men I have ever met.

The fireplace in the Great Hall is surrounded by original Victorian Minton tiles. The Castle has a wealth of oak panelling, sweeping staircases and stone and marble fireplaces. John has always been fascinated by the stories of King Arthur and the Round Table and as a schoolboy at Winchester he saw the ancient wooden table which hangs in the Law Courts and which is said to be the "original". Now he has had a reproduction made in oak. King of the Castle. John Mappin and Ted Stourton bought the old King Arthur's Castle Hotel for and undisclosed sum three years ago and has turned it into Camelot, a haven for artists of all descriptions. Tintagel archaeologists unearth royal palace believed to be King Arthur's birthplace | Daily Mail Online Has the real birthplace of King Arthur been found?

Archaeologists unearth Dark Age royal palace - just where legends said he was born - but which had already vanished by the time they were written down Excavations have been taking place at the 13th century Tintagel Castle for five years In medieval tradition, King Arthur is believed to have been conceived and born at Tintagel in Cornwall Researchers have found 3ft (1 metre) thick palace walls and more than 150 fragments of pottery at the site The walls were built in the sixth century - around the time that the legendary king may have lived King Arthur sites, Cornwall King Arthur sites in Cornwall Not surprisingly Cornwall claims to be the home of many King Arthur sites, from Tintagel place of King Arthur's birth to his death. Plus many reference to sites with Merlin connections. Castle Dore is said to have been the chief residence of King Mark of Cornwall. Dozmary Pool is found in an atmospheric setting high on Bodmin Moor south of the Cornish town of Bolventor. According to local tradition, it was here that Sir Bedivere finally threw Excalibur. Killibury Castle in some legends is believed to be Kelliwic, which plays an integral role in the Battle of Camlann.

Loe Pool s located south of the town of Porthleven on Mounts Bay, Cornwall. Tennyson may have had Loe Pool in mind when he wrote his lines on Arthur's death. Lyonesse There is a legend of the lost lands off the coast of Cornwall, between Land's End and the Scillies. The Land of Lyonesse. Lyonesse was said to have been ruled by Tristan's father. Merlin's Cave, Tintagel Set below Tintagel Castle, local legend has long associated this cave with Merlin and King Arthur. Roche Rock is one of a number of sites around Cornwall that are linked with the lovers, Tristan and Isolde. It is a massive outcrop of granite near Bugle in Cornwall, on which is perched the remains of a fifteenth-century chapel. Slaughter Bridge is just north of the Cornish town of Camelford. The putative battle site of Camlann, where King Arthur faced his last battle, is in the grounds of Worthyvale Manor Tintagel Castle, home of King Arthur is on the north coast of Cornwall, set high on cliffs overlooking the sea, and is the legendary site of where King Arthur was born.

Really from early Welsh chronicles to the present day, Cornwall has been closely tied with King Arthur, and many of the Arthurian sites today are here. Contest is launched for new walkway to birthplace of King Arthur in Cornwall | Daily Mail Online A bridge fit for King Arthur: Contest is launched for new walkway to birthplace of mythical ruler in Cornwall English Heritage has shortlisted six designs for a new £4million footbridge linking Tintagel Castle to the mainland The new bridge will span 72 metres across 'one of the most spectacular historic sites in Britain' More than 200,000 people visit Tintagel Castle, reputedly the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur, every year The new bridge on the north Cornwall coast is scheduled for completion in 2019

Question: Which Cornish castle is said to be the place of conception of legendary King Arthur?
Answer: Tintagel Castle