Tennyson’s Tintagel, best washed down with a pint of Tribute and a pasty | Letters

The Disneyfication of Tintagel (Report, 25 April) is nothing new. I grew up in the village in the 80s and it was already a tacky paean to Arthur. For centuries, Tintagel was a small collection of hamlets where people either farmed or quarried slate. It was Tennyson’s Idylls of the King (and a new railway to nearby Camelford) that brought the first wave of tourists in search of Merlin & co in the late 19th century. While a statue to Tennyson or Geoffrey of Monmouth may be more appropriate, the Arthur connection is best seen as a bit of fun, and one that is best washed down with a pint of Tribute and a pasty.
Chas Bayfield
London

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