Fantastic Camelot, capital of Arthur's realm
Camelot, the starting point of the Quest for the Holy Grail, is at the very centre of the Arthurian legend.
But where was Camelot?
In the twenty first century we aren't looking under stones for missing medieval castles and lost kingdoms. We understand that life in the early sixth century was not like that portrayed on the silver screen, that the turreted keeps and delicate towers of poetic imagination are fairytale and Arthur himself is no majestic monarch- in- residence.
Still, we have been looking a long time for Camelot.

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Best Books on the Legend of King Arthur
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From the faraway days of Britain come the stories rooted in ancient Celtic and Germanic imagination, stories of the strongest, the bravest and the best. Tales that have been told and endlessly retold, tales of a chivalrous knight, a powerful warrior...
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Arthur and Britain : Lensography of Legends
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Who was King Arthur? Well, to begin with, there was not one Arthur, but many. There was an historical Arthur, or, if you prefer, a folkloric or mythological Arthur who came to be mistaken for a living person. Christopher Snyder : The World of King A...
Winchester
The historic city of Winchester in modern Hampshire lies at the centre of the Anglo-Saxon heartland of Southern England and is mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth as the home of the High King Ambrosius Aurelianus. Geoffrey makes no mention of Camelot, and calls Winchester by its old name in Welsh, Kaer Guenit.But Winchester is the choice of Sir Thomas Malory. In his Le Morte D'Arthur (written in 1469), he placed the Castle of Camelot in Winchester, ..and within five days' journey they came to Camelot, that is called in English, Winchester.
Winchester is home to the Great Round Table, built about 1270, at the beginning of the reign of Edward I, much later than the time of Arthur. Although its place in the Great Hall of Winchester Castle certainly pre-dates Malory, it's not King Arthur's Round Table.
Caerleon Castle
The ancient history of Caerleon in Wales has given rise to many legends. Geoffrey of Monmouth states Caerleon Castle is Camelot in his History of the Kings of Britain .Caerleon, on the River Usk, was once a legionary fortress and the headquarters for Legio II Augusta (known for its disgrace during the uprising of Boudicca).
The name Caerleon is commonly thought to be from the Welsh for 'fortress of the legion' although the Romans called it Isca Silurum, Usk of the Silures, after the Celtic tribe, Silures, who lived in the area.
Perhaps the still-visible Roman amphitheatre is the source of the Round Table.
Castle of Dinerth
Those who believe Dinerth to be Camelot use etymology as their base. I don't pretend to understand their argument at all, this is discussion for scholars, but Dinerth translates as Fort of the Bear ~ and we all know that Arthur is the Bear.
Tintagel
The castle on Tintagel Head, a jutting peninsula located on the north Cornish coast, was built by Reginald, Earl of Cornwall, where the ancient Kings of Cornwall held their court.Both Geoffrey of Monmouth and Tennyson say Camelot is Tintagel.
Whether it is the actual legendary home of Arthur or not, Tintagel headland was the site of a high status Celtic monastery, a princely fortress or and/or a trading settlement of the 5th and 6th centuries, in the period immediately following the withdrawal of the Romans from Britain.
Cadbury

Cadbury Castle, the best known and most interesting of the reputed sites of Camelot, is a Neolithic earthwork fort in Somerset. It overlooks the Vale of Avalon to Glastonbury, the River Cam, and the old village of Queen Camel, once known as Camel.
A Celtic ceremonial shield dating back to 1200 BCE was unearthed in 1998, indicating that a wealthy clan, king or military lord once lived there. Why was it left behind?
Iron age hill forts date from pre-Roman times and mostly were still in use at the time of the Roman conquest of Britain. Most were abandoned when the Romans came, but can still be recognised today by the series of ditches and banks dug as defenses. There are hundreds all over Britain, but Cadbury Castle is deserving of a closer look.
Excavations reveal that, most unusually, the fort was re-occupied after the Romans left in 410 . (The ramparts were strengthened using masonry from derelict Roman buildings). Since Arthur is thought to have existed in the 5th or 6th Century, this would seem to be promising evidence.
It's been a busy place over the centuries. Saxons fortified it once again for protection from Vikings and there was an Anglo-Saxon church on the hilltop.
It is said that on Midsummer's Day the hill turns to glass and the King can still be seen inside the hollow hill, where he sleeps, waiting for the day when he will return to protect his people in their hour of greatest need.
Glastonbury, Somerset, from Stazjia
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Legendary Glastonbury in Somerset
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Glastonbury, Somerset in South West England is heavily associated with the legends of King Arthur and Camelot. There are many other legends connected to the town and its surrounding area. This has made it a centre for 'new age alternative' culture an...
Colchester
Camelodunum was an Iron Age settlement, a busy place and home to the powerful Trinovantes. It's the oldest recorded town in Britain and served as the first Roman capital until it was destroyed during Boudicca's rebellion in 61.
It's been suggested that, as the descendants of the Romanised Britons looked back to a golden age of peace and prosperity under Rome, the name "Camelot" of Arthurian legend was probably a reference to Camulodunum in Roman times.
Viroconium
It was a busy, thriving place, over 70 hectares, with a forum, public baths and all the trappings of a civilised Roman town.
The last legions went home in 410 and, at this point, the fortunes of Viroconium changed.
However, in the early 5th Century, the basilica was tidied up, and a substantial new hall together with a number of barns and other buildings constructed within the old Roman city. We don't know who instigated this work, but given the time period and the close proximity of the site to Wales, it has been suggested that Arthur used it as his main base during his campaigns.
Whether Viroconium really was the Camelot of legend or whether some other local prince or king carved a domain for himself amid the remnants of the old capital of the civitas will perhaps never be known.
Viroconium seems to have been simply abandoned sometime in the late 6th Century.
Poll on Camelot
Do you have a theory?
Does it really matter?
Camelot is an Ideal

It doesn't really matter where Camelot may be, for in these modern times, it has come to mean not just a place, but a reflection of a glorious and lost ideal.
There are still many stunning castles to be seen in England. When Camelot is mentioned, what first springs to mind is the images of these architectural mult-purpose buildings (for that's what castles are, part home, part fort, part factory and very good jobs they did of it too).
But for Arthur, castles were almost 500 years in the future.
The Arthurian Collection

The All About Arthur Group features a lens collection from many lensmasters on the Matter of Britain.
Drop by and have a look!
A Postcard from Tintagel

Lensmaster WhichCraft sent me this gorgeous postcard all the way across the seas from Cornwall.
This card took 6 days to reach Australia, it took my g-g-grandparents 6 months!
Feedback for Camelot
WhichCraft wrote...
I'm off to visit Tintagel in a few days ... even if Camelot was elsewhere, I'm sure Arthur was born there, and it's going to be MAGIC! :^)
KarateKatGraphics wrote...
Nice work! Concise, but with a lot of great stuff packed in. Fascinating question. 5***** and favorited.
Snozzle wrote...
As I live in Cornwall I've got to say Tintagel but it's all a fascinating romantic story. Great 5* lens, very interesting.
Mike.
10% of my income goes to continue the work of Fred Hollows in treating avoidable blindness and improving indigenous health.Photo : Khim Rath, who can now see after a successful cataract operation, Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia.
Blindness is a significant public health issue in Cambodia. Over 160,000 people are blind and an additional 20,000 become blind each year. The main cause of blindness is cataract, which can be treated by a simple 15 minute operation at an average cost of $25 (AUD$35).
Thanks for dropping by ....
Thanks very much for dropping by to read about Magical Camelot. You're more than welcome to leave a note in the guest book above and, if you're a member of Squidoo, you can also rate this lensIt's all much appreciated, Susanna :)
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About Susanna Duffy
My Bio
G'day from Melbourne, Australia where I write about King Arthur, Mythology, Legendary Beasts, Ancient Rome, Books, Fairy Creatures, Australiana and Adventures in my Kitchen. And now I'm an Angel (Please bear with me as I test the new wings). I'm also the GroupLeader of these vibrant communities -
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