King Arthur’s Great Halls is an atmospheric and historic building in Tintagel, Cornwall, legendary birthplace of King Arthur. The Halls were built in the 1930s by Frederick Thomas Glasscock as the home of the Order of the Fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur.
Tintagel is the natural centre from which all things in connection with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table should radiate. King Arthur is a worldwide asset and it is fitting that at Tintagel, his birth place, something should be in existence which acts as the point to which thoughts of people can turn, and where the necessary inspiration can be disseminated to enable King Arthur's ideals to be a living force for all time.
To many, Tintagel is a hallowed spot, and the increasing number of people who visit it each year solely because of its association with this wonderful early King, testify to a desire to keep his ideals before them. The world would have been poorer in the past without King Arthur, and something less noble today or in the future.
Building on the halls commenced in 1929, being attached to Trevena House in Fore Street, Tintagel, a home that was originally built in the 1860s. Work was completed in 1933 and the official opening was at Pentecost the same year. It is possible to show within the building in a dramatic way, scenes which have been prepared and which refer to the principle symbolic events in the story of King Arthur, such as the choosing of Arthur to be King - the gift to him of the great Sword Excalibur - the presentation to him of the Round Table - the achievement of the Sangreal - the passing of King Arthur, etc.
Thus will the great story live again.
Local and Cornish workmen were employed during construction as far as possible, because of their love for the great King who once ruled over their land. The spirit of craftsmanship was revived so that the building is the result of the hands of those who have the personal interest that is given to good workmen.
The Halls stand as a central Temple of Chivalry where inspiration can be obtained by all who are interested in reviving the Ideal of Chivalry. This alone will enable the entire world to live in peace, which should be the foundation and standard of every civilised land, and yet will not interfere with the freedom of any person concerning their nationality or race, religion or creed or political opinion. When the Round Table was made it was said that all the world, Christian and heathen, could meet at it and that it was for the entire world to repair unto. Thus was forecast the means by which the Kingdom of God on earth should come to pass and our hope is that this centre may help to bring about that which is desired by so many.
Everything in these halls is based upon the Arthurian Romances; the whole of its symbols are directly associated with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
After the death of Glasscock in 1934, the Fellowship was wound up and the Halls could only be visited by prior appointment. The Freemasons of Tintagel purchased the building in 1952 and have looked after the building since that time. It is only since the early 1990s that the Halls have been opened on a full time commercial basis.
Over two million people have visited the Halls since they opened on 5th June 1933. The Hall was a venue in 1995 of the BBC's 'National Lottery Live' television programme. The producer wanted to shift the Granite Round Table but it is eight feet in diameter, is in five sections and weighs a ton, so he dropped this idea!
(The above details are taken from the official book 'King Arthur's Great Hall of Chivalry, Tintagel', available from King Arthur's Great Halls, Tintagel)
