Watercolour on paper
11x9"

Description: A lonely ghost stands at the very tip of Cornwall, looking out towards the spires of of her lost land, sunk beneath the waves.

Taken from my own personal photographs of Cornwall

"...Then rose the King and moved his host by night,
And ever push'd Sir Mordred, league by league,
Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse--
A land of old upheaven from the abyss
By fire, to sink into the abyss again;
Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt,
And the long mountains ended in a coast
Of ever-shifting sand, and far away
The phantom circle of a moaning sea."
...Tennyson, Idylls of the King

Lyonesse is believed to be the tragically sunken, western most realm of King Arthur.
In many old Cornish Legends this lost land is said to extend from beneath the waves off Lands End, all the way to the Isles Of Scilly in the West; which are supposedly all that is left of the once spectacular mountain regions of the lost land.

The legend includes the picturesque Mounts Bay, which is home to the world famous St Michael's Mount. A magical rocky Island upon which perches a mysterious medieval castle.
This is said to have also been a part of Lyonesse with great forests stretching for miles. Although the Mount is now separated from the beach & only accessible by boat or via the causeway at low tide there are historical remnants of a forest to be found along the adjoining coastline.

There are also a number of local tales in which people claim to have heard church bells ringing out at sea. Even as late as the 1930's the bells of Lyonesse were being heard, and others describe how they have seen great spires & battlements beneath the waves, while standing atop the cliffs.
Many fishermen tell stories of dredging up windows, doors, and other domestic items from an area off Lands End known as The Seven Stones. This set of rocks is believed to be the remains of one of Lyonesse's many great cities.

This magical & much lamented legend is but one of the many Arthurian myths to be connected with Cornwall & I consider myself lucky to live right here, in the very heart of King Arthur's country.