On Top of the Island
One of Cornwall, England’s most famous
natural landmarks is St. Michael’s Mount. It sits 200’ above the bay on the
highest point of the granite and slate island rising out of the water. St.
Michael’s Mount was built by the same French monks who created Normandy’s Mont
St. Michel. Built over the site of a Benedictine chapel, it has been a church,
fortress, and private residence. It was
one huffing hike over a very rough cobblestone path to the top, but the views
were spectacular, the castle was lovely, and it certainly was worth the climb.
One can walk the causeway, built in
1425, only at very low tide,
otherwise it was a pound fare for the ‘ferry’ ride, which was an open row boat
with outboard motor that held twelve people. Eight boats run continuously. At the top of one of the pair of stairs at
the island loading pier is a gold footprint marked VC in commemoration of Queen
Victoria’s visit in 1846. I wondered if she made the climb to the top.
The castle was a defense against
several skirmishes over the ages, and in 1588 it was on St Michael’s Mount that
the first beacon was lit to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada. During
the Civil War (1642-1646) Royalists held the Mount against the forces of Oliver
Cromwell.
It was a thriving port for the
booming tin industry. Around two thousand years ago trading ships sailed into
the Mount’s harbor and exported Cornish tin to the rest of Europe. In its
heyday as a busy port the island population swelled to three hundred. Today it
is small motorboats that come and go, and the seafront cottages are still home
to more than thirty islanders, whose jobs range from boatman to gardener, guide
to handyman.
Legend says that a mythical giant,
Cormoran, once lived on the Mount, and used to wade ashore and steal
cows and sheep from the villagers to feed his gargantuan appetite. One
night
Jack, a local boy, rowed out to the island and dug a
deep pit while the giant slept. As the sun rose, Jack blew a horn to wake the
angry giant who staggered down from the summit and blinded by the sunlight fell
into the pit and died.
For all its remote beauty, living on
an idyllic island can be challenging. Weather and tides dictates life. When the causeway is under water, the
mainland with its shops, pubs and medical assistance seems far away. At
its best, the location provides peaceful isolation, but at its worst, supplies
are cut off during winter storms, the school run is disrupted, and high seas
smash against flood defenses of
harbor-side homes.
In 1659 Colonel St Aubyn purchased
the Mount, which then became a private home. In 1873-1878 the Victorian Wing of
the castle was built and is where the family now resides. In 1954 the Gift of St Michael’s Mount, with a large
endowment fund, was made to the National
Trust. James is the twelfth generation of the St Aubyn family who have occupied
the castle since the 17th Century. James and Mary play an integral role in the
running of the island.
The
organ in the present chapel is circa 1791.
The castle houses period furniture and old maps. Lovely wooden floors
are throughout, and the castle is bright inside because of its rather large
windows, certainly large for its day.
After
viewing the castle and having interesting conversations with a couple of the
docents I made my way back to the bottom. Fortunately it did not rain, because
if it had that cobblestone walkway would have been very slippery. I walked all through the gardens surrounding the
base of the castle and containing many unusual plants. It was an interesting
morning.
