Tintagel Castle

Tintagel castle is quite a peculiar castle. It is rumored to be the birthplace of King Arthur. Well, the legend of King Arthur is just a legend and he may or may not have existed for real. And, if Arthur existed he may or may not have been born at Tintagel. Whether or not any of this is true is up for debate. But the castle and its grounds still remain albeit in ruins. It is a fascinating castle and one of the most visited places in Britain.

Photo: Kerry Garratt

About The Grounds and Castle - It is a rather unusual site for a castle or fortress because of the way it actually stretches across two pieces of land. Long ago it was renamed Din Tagell which means "The Fortress of the Narrow Entrance".

The Castle has over the course of centuries spent much time abandoned and uncared for . It has been deserted for a very long time when Richard acquired it in the 13th century. And after his reign it also once again was abandoned around the 15th century. Eventually it was taken over by the Government in 1928.

There have been excavations on the site in recent years and in 1998 a 1,500 year old piece of slate was found with the latin words written on it: ‘Artogonou, father of a descendent of Coll, has had this made'.

The History of the Castle - Timeline

4th Century -It was first established as a fishing village
5th Century - It was fortified as a fortress and became an important shipping and trading port
12th Century - Geoffrey of Monmouth rewrites the story of Arthur and claims Tintagel as the place where Arthur was born.
13th Century - Richard, The Earl of Cornwall acquires the grounds of Tintagel and builds a castle. He was enamored by the legend of Arthur.
1699 - Tintagel appears on official cornwall maps as "King Arthur's Castle"
1928 - Care of Tintagel is taken over by the State
1930's - Excavations are begun on the site

Visiting the Site

Tintagel is a very popular tourist site and it is open to the public. It now has a nearby visitors center. You can walk the grounds and even visit the cave called "Merlin's Cave". You can get more information about visiting on the official English Heritage website here: Tintagel

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