St Michaels Mount
An island mount, housing a medieval castle and Celtic monastery, St Michael’s Mount is steeped in romanticism, myth and legend.
High tide cuts the causeway connecting St Michael’s Mount to the mainland, giving the island a fabulous romantic air to add to the stunning vistas of the Cornish coast and the 14th Century castle.
As far back as the 4th Century BC, traders from the Mediterranean came to the Island of Ictis for its copper, tin and gold. The island was later renamed after St Michael, who according to Cornish legend appeared on the island in 495 AD, whereupon it became a place of pilgrimage. By the 8th century, a Celtic monastery was established on the mount, followed in the 11th century by a Benedictine Abbey, which was dissolved by Henry VIII and replaced by a coastal stronghold, to defend against the French and Spanish. During the Civil War of the 17th century, the island served as a Royalist stronghold holding out during a long siege before surrender in 1646 and the island was last garrisoned in WWII.
St Michael’s Mount was purchased by John St Aubyn after the Civil War and he and his descendants have converted the castle into a magnificent house. The castle is approached along a steep and winding path through woods before you come to the Tudor doorway embellished with the St Aubyn coat of arms.
The fabulous interiors notably include the rococo gothic Drawing Room, with paintings and furniture by Gainsborough and Hudson and the impressive Armoury, with collections of weapons and trophies relating to the St Aubyn family. In the centre of the house is the Priory Church, built at the island’s peak, decorated with fabulous 15th Century windows and Flemish chandeliers depicting St Michael killing the dragon.
The grounds also include hanging gardens of interesting sub-tropical trees and shrubs, which continue to thrive in the Cornish climate and the island holds regular events throughout summer.
