King Arthur's Great Halls

A monument to the Arthurian legend, built in the heart of Tintagel

King Arthur's Great Halls stands on Fore Street in Tintagel, the North Cornwall village whose name has become almost synonymous with the legend of King Arthur. The building was the creation of Frederick Thomas Glasscock, a philanthropist millionaire who founded the Fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table in 1927 to promote what he saw as the Christian ideals and chivalric values embodied in Arthurian legend. Built as an extension of Trevena House on the site of Tintagel's former Town Hall and Market Hall, and completed using 53 different types of Cornish stone, the Great Halls opened in 1933 as the Fellowship's headquarters - Glasscock died the following year, shortly after seeing his project completed.

The centrepiece of the Great Halls is its collection of 72 stained glass windows, designed by the artist Veronica Whall to tell the story of King Arthur and depict the coats of arms and weapons of his knights - regarded as the largest collection of 20th-century stained glass devoted to Arthurian legend anywhere in the world. The hall also displays paintings by William Hatherell illustrating scenes from Arthur's life, alongside an authentic round table and granite thrones that visitors can see up close.

A laser light show with narration by actor Robert Powell brings the legend to life for visitors, tracing the story of Arthur, Excalibur and the Knights of the Round Table through sound and light within the hall itself. Since 1952 the building has also served as a Masonic Hall, home to several Masonic lodges including one named King Arthur Lodge - alongside its continuing life as a public visitor attraction, bookshop specialising in Arthurian literature, and wedding venue.