Throughout England, the countryside is picturesque.
And it hides a fascinating history,
a history that goes back thousands of years
to prehistoric times.
Mysterious figures carved into hillsides,
curious man-made mountains,
ancient bridges,
and legends that go back to Camelot and beyond.
Glastonbury, a modest market town today,
has long had a holy aura.
It was a religious sight back in the Bronze Age.
That's about 1500 B.C.
It's also considered the birthplace
of Christianity in England
and the burial sight of the legendary King Arthur.
Centuries before Christ, this hill,
called a "tor," marked Glastonbury.
For thousands of years,
pilgrims and seekers have climbed it.
Today, it's capped by the ruins of a church
dedicated to Saint Michael.
Remember, because Saint Michael
was the Christian antidote to paganism,
it's a good bet this church sits upon
a pre-Christian holy site.
Seen by many as a mother goddess symbol,
the Glastonbury tor has long attracted
a variety of travelers and seekers.
And the tor has a Biblical connection, as well.
For centuries, pilgrims have come here
to Glastonbury on a quest for the legendary Holy Grail.
You see, Joseph of Arimathea,
who was an uncle of Christ, was a tin trader.
And even back in Biblical times,
Britain was well known as a rare place
where tin could be mined.
Considering that, Joseph could have sat right here
with the chalice that Jesus drank from
at the Last Supper -- in his satchel.
Near the base of the hill is a calm and meditative garden
built around a natural spring.
According to legend, the Holy Grail lies
at the bottom of the Chalice Well.
In the past, people came here for physical healing.
Today, seekers still come for healing.
But it's more for a wellness of the mind and soul.
England's first church was built here,
at the base of the hill next to the Chalice Well.
Eventually, a great abbey
was built on the site of that church.
Mix the scant ruins of England's first church
with the mystique of King Arthur and the Holy Grail,
add the hard work of a busy monastery,
and, by the 12th century, Glastonbury Abbey
was the leading Christian pilgrimage site
in all of Britain.
It was huge, employing 1,000 people
to serve the needs of its pilgrims.
At its peak, Glastonbury Abbey
was England's most powerful and wealthy.
It was part of a network of monasteries that,
by the year 1500, challenged the King.
They owned about a quarter of all English land.
They had more money than the King.
To King Henry VIII, abbeys like this were political obstacles.
In 1536, he solved that by
dissolving England's monasteries.
He was particularly harsh on Glastonbury.
He not only destroyed its magnificent church,
but for emphasis, his men hung the abbot,
displayed his head on the abbey gates,
and sent his quartered body
on four different national tours... at the same time.
Without its wealthy abbey, the town fell into a depression.
But Glastonbury rebounded.
An 18th-century tourism campaign,
with thousands claiming that water from the Chalice Well
actually healed them, put Glastonbury back on the map.
Today, Glastonbury and its mysterious hill
are a center for "searchers,"
popular with those on their own spiritual quest.
Part of the fun of a visit here is just being in a town
where goddesses go for their conventions,
where every other shop has a New-Age focus
and where alternative is the norm.