ANY eagle-eyed visitors to Tintagel Castle will be able to spot the new addition to the beach’s landscape — the sleeping face of the legendary wizard Merlin.

A place of myth and mystery, with legendary links to King Arthur, over the winter months the legends of Tintagel Castle have been given new life.

The face of Merlin was carved into the rocks by ‘Merlin’s Cave’ as part of a new project at the castle, with more to come in late spring.

Passing completely through Tintagel Island, the cave owes its name to Tennyson’s ‘Idylls of the King’. The poet’s retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Merlin explains that it was through this passageway in the cave that Merlin stole away the infant Arthur and carried him to safety.

Tintagel Castle rose to literary stardom in the 12th century when Scholar Geoffrey of Monmouth first made the links to Arthur in his ‘History of the Kings of Britain’.

He described it as the island fortress where Arthur was conceived thanks to the magic of Merlin.

The new project is the latest celebration of these literary connections — with Merlin’s face a striking and enigmatic first step.

Merlin’s reappearance at Tintagel is not the stuff of magic, but the work of experienced local craftsman Peter Graham.

He worked directly onto the stone, spending three months chipping away, carefully crafting the image of Merlin into the rock.

Peter said the task was not without its challenges: “Recreating Merlin has been a wonderful challenge.

“You are working in this amazing place, but with the elements too — enduring tides, gales, and winter storms.

“Usually you would choose the perfect stone from a quarry, but here I have worked into the rock of Tintagel’s landscape.

“Merlin has emerged organically out of that rock,. To see him now is really rather satisfying.”

The new artwork is the first phase of a larger project being undertaken by English Heritage. They hope to re-imagine Tintagel’s history and legends across the island site.

New sculptures and commissions will bring Tintagel’s stories to life and will be revealed in the late spring.

Property manager Matt Ward said: “Merlin’s face is just the beginning of our exciting new project here at Tintagel — but what a start”

“Tintagel is a place of landscape and legend, and Merlin, emerging so organically from the rock, sums that up perfectly.

“We’ve got lots more to come over the next few months and I can’t wait to see it all take shape.”