St Michael's Mount, Cornwall
Off Marazion, near Penzance in west Cornwall, St Michael's Mount features both a castle and a priory. It is considerably smaller than its "twin" - Mont St Michel in Normandy, but is nonetheless most impressive. The church was built on the summit of the island after the Norman invasion when St Michael’s Mount was granted to the Benedictine Abbey of Mont St Michel in France. At low tide the island can be reached on foot via a causeway but when this is covered by the sea a small fleet of boats take visitors to the island.
The island was once a thriving port for the booming tin industry. Around two thousand years ago trading ships sailed into the Mount’s harbour and exported Cornish tin to the rest of Europe.
The Mount has survived sieges and battles throughout the ages. In 1193, it was seized by Henry La Pomeray, who disguised his men as pilgrims. In 1473, during the War of the Roses, the Earl of Oxford held the island under siege for six months. In 1588, it was on St Michael’s Mount that the first beacon was lit to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada. And during the Civil War, between 1642 and 1646, Royalists valiantly held the Mount against the forces of Oliver Cromwell.
St Michael's Mount, Cornwall
Off Marazion, near Penzance in west Cornwall, St Michael's Mount features both a castle and a priory. It is considerably smaller than its "twin" - Mont St Michel in Normandy, but is nonetheless most impressive. The church was built on the summit of the island after the Norman invasion when St Michael’s Mount was granted to the Benedictine Abbey of Mont St Michel in France. At low tide the island can be reached on foot via a causeway but when this is covered by the sea a small fleet of boats take visitors to the island.
The island was once a thriving port for the booming tin industry. Around two thousand years ago trading ships sailed into the Mount’s harbour and exported Cornish tin to the rest of Europe.
The Mount has survived sieges and battles throughout the ages. In 1193, it was seized by Henry La Pomeray, who disguised his men as pilgrims. In 1473, during the War of the Roses, the Earl of Oxford held the island under siege for six months. In 1588, it was on St Michael’s Mount that the first beacon was lit to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada. And during the Civil War, between 1642 and 1646, Royalists valiantly held the Mount against the forces of Oliver Cromwell.