Wearyall Hill

Wearyall Hill

Wearyall Hill, also known as Wirral Hill, is a tall, narrow hill located on the southern tip of Glastonbury. From there, one can look out at the Glastonbury Tor and the Somerset Levels on one side and the entire town of Glastonbury on the other.

The hill is associated with the legend of the Glastonbury Holy Thorn. According to the legend, the first Glastonbury thorn grew from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, a follower of Jesus Christ who reached Glastonbury after Jesus’s crucifixion. At that time, Glastonbury was an island surrounded by marshes and open water, with only a small strip of land connecting it to the mainland. It could be reached by navigating up the tidal River Brue. The legend says that when Joseph landed, he stuck his staff into the ground, and it bloomed to become the famous Glastonbury Thorn.

By the beginning of the 18th century, the tale was widely known in the area. According to Thomas Hearne’s History and Antiquities of Glastonbury, published in 1722, Mr. Eyston recalled a conversation with an innkeeper who stabled his horses. The innkeeper was a landlord who leased most of the lands previously owned by the now-defunct abbey. The innkeeper said that Joseph arrived in the town’s vicinity and came to rest under a special oak tree called the Oak of Avalon. Joseph then went with his companions to a hill about one mile south of the town. Tired from the trip, they rested on the hill, which was then called “Wearyall Hill.” The innkeeper said that it was there that Joseph put his staff into the ground and saw it bloom immediately.

Regardless of the veracity of this story, Wearyall Hill is still a pleasant place to stroll and take in the sights.