Astolat

A road to Astolat in Gustave Doré's 1867 illustration for Tennyson

Astolat (/ˈæstəˌlæt, -ˌlɑːt/) is a legendary city of Great Britain named in Arthurian legends. It is the home of Elaine, "the lily maid of Astolat", and of her father Sir Bernard and her brothers Lavaine and Tirre.

The city is called Shalott in many cultural references, derived from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott". It is also named Ascolat in the Winchester Manuscript and Escalot in the French Arthurian romances.

Attributed arms of the Knight of Escalot

Chapter nine of Sir Thomas Malory's book Le Morte d'Arthur identifies Guildford in Surrey with the legendary Astolat:

And so upon the morn early Sir Launcelot heard mass and brake his fast, and so took his leave of the queen and departed. And then he rode so much until he came to Astolat, that is Guildford; and there it happed him in the eventide he came to an old baron’s place.

Sources

• Sir Thomas Malory - Le Morte d'Arthur
• Michael Fulford, City of the Dead: the Roman Town of Calleva Atrebatum