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Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset , England , situated at a Dry Point on the Somerset Levels , 50km (31 Mile s) south of Bristol . The town has a Population of 8,800 ( 2002 Estimate ). It is in the Mendip district. The town is known for its history, including Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor , the many myths and legends associated with the town, and the Glastonbury Festival which takes place in the nearby village of Pilton . On 5 May 2003 , Glastonbury was granted Fairtrade Town status. HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY The town is particularly notable for the myths and legends surrounding a nearby hill, Glastonbury Tor , which rises up from the otherwise flat landscape of the Somerset Levels. These myths concern Joseph Of Arimathea and the Holy Grail , and also King Arthur . Glastonbury is also said to be the centre of several Ley Line s. The Joseph Of Arimathea legend relates to the idea that Glastonbury was the birthplace of Christianity in the British Isles, and that the first British Church was built there at Joseph's behest to house the Holy Grail , 30 or so years after the death of Jesus . The legend also says that earlier Joseph had visited Glastonbury along with Jesus as a Child. The legend probably has its origins in the Mediaeval period when religious relics and pilgrimages were profitable business for abbeys. However William Blake believed in this legend and wrote the poem that became the words to the most patriotic of English songs, 'Jerusalem' (see And Did Those Feet In Ancient Time ).
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