Tintagel, village (“parish”) on the northwestern coast of the Cornwall unitary authority, Eng. It lies north of Tintagel Head, a rugged promontory joined to the shore by a narrow isthmus. Its Norman castle, the ruins of which stretch across the isthmus, was built on the site of an earlier keep that appears to have existed from about 350 to 850 ce. Legend has it that King Arthur was born there. The earls of Cornwall occupied the castle in Norman times and built the chapel. The old post office, a 14th-century stone house, stands in the village.