Book excerpt: Tintagel is a grand and spectacular site on the Cornish coast; its name conjures up Arthurian legend and it has been much visited and written about since the Middle Ages. The site consists of the Island; the castle; and the church and churchyard each with its own history, some of which is only partly known. The author, Charles Thomas, is excavating at Tintagel and in this book he brings all the strands together, deciphering the clues, deconstructing some of the myths and building a model of this multi-faceted site.