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St Michael's Mount, Cornwall

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St Michael's Mount in Mount's Bay Cornwall may once have been a port for Cornwall's early tin industry. But in the eleventh century the Mount was given to an order of Benedictine Monks by Edward the Confessor. St Michael's Mount has a beguiling appearance which made it suitable as a spiritual site. It was a very clearly defined hill in a flat landscape of sea and mudflats - very similar to Glastonbury Tor or Mount Saint Michel in Normandy which have also been invested with religious significance. Hills have long been places of sanctuary to which people fled in time of trouble. Often castles were built on hills to improve their already favourable defensive position. As a place of sanctuary it also made sense to view hills in a spiritual way. Interestingly the hill of St Michael's Mount has served both as a spiritual and physical refuge. There is both a church and a castle on the top of the hill, and at high tide the island is surrounded by water, providing a ready made moat. We see this combination of military and religious use in the fact that inspite of a religious background, there have been many sieges and battles here. In 1549 for example there was a rebellion against changes to traditional forms of worship instituted by the government of Edward VI. As rebels in the south west gathered strength, Cornish nobles who remained loyal to the crown fled to St Michael's Mount. Sadly for them an assault on the castle saw the loyalists defeated. Fittingly St Michael's Mount has continued in this dual role of church and fortification into modern times. Defensive positions were built during World War Two to oppose any attempted German invasion. Three pill boxes still remain.

St Michael's Mount today is run by the National Trust, in partnership with the St Auybn family who own the island.

Please note access is on foot via a causeway when tides permit, or by ferry.

 

Opening Times: Opening hours for National Trust properties can be complex. Please use contact details below.

Directions: St Michael's Mount is half a mile south of the A394 at Marazion. Click here for an interactive map centred on St Michael's Mount.

Address: St Michael's Mount, Marazion, Cornwall TR17 0HT

Access: The castle would not be easy for someone with moblity problems. Grounds are partly accessible. Adapted toilet facilities are available at eastern end of harbour.

Contact:

telephone: 01736 710507 or 710265

e-mail: stmichaelsmount@nationaltrust.org.uk

web site: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-stmichaelsmount/

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