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St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England
Author: David Wogan (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island jutting out of Mount's Bay in Cornwall, England. It is part of the town of Marazion, with which it is connected via a man-made causeway which is passable during low to mid tide.
St Michael's Mount is an island of slate and granite. According to Cornish folklore, Mount's Bay, the sea that today surrounds St Michael's Mount, was once dry land. Geologists have confirmed the verity of this, having discovered remains of ancient wood embedded in Mount's Bay during low tide. Radiocarbon dating established that the wood dates to 1,700 BC.
Causeway to St Michael's Mount
Author: Whitelined (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
According to period chronicle John of Worcester in 1099, St Michael's Mount was five or six miles from the shoreline, and was surrounded by forest land. On the third day of the half moon of November, the sea came to shore, destroying the town and drowning many people. It engulfed the forest and turned St Michael's Mount into an islet. It could only be speculated that the account by John of Worcester pointed to a tsunami in 1099.
A tsunami did come ashore at St Michael's Mount, following the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. It caused the sea at Mount's Bay to rise by six feet in just 10 minutes. It ebbed and rose for a few times over five hours, causing great loss of property and many casualties.
St Michael's Mount, as seen from Marazion
Author: Pam Brophy (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Less likely to be believed is the legend of a giant cormorant that lived on the Mount and would often visit Marazion to steal cows and sheep. A local boy put an end to this regular assault when he dug a hole and caused the cormonant to fall to its death in it.
St Michael's Mount looks like and was indeed associated with Mont Saint-Michel of Lower Normandy, France. It was given to the Benedictine monks of Mont Saint-Michel in the 11th century by Edward the Confessor. The monastic buildings on the Mount was built in the 12th century.
The castle on St Michael's Mount
Author: Rurik (public domain)
St Michael's Mount was a priory of the Mont Saint-Michel abbey until 1414, when alien priories in England were dissolved by King Henry V. In the late 19th century, the skeleton of an ascetic hermit was discovered inside a chamber beneath the St Michael's Castle. It is believed that the chamber was sealed after the hermit died.
In 2009, a discovery was made of Bronze age weapons on Saint Michael's Mount. These include parts of an axe head, dagger and metal clasp. They provide evidence of human habitation on the mount three thousand years ago.
Gardens at St Michael's Mount
Author: Pam Brophy (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
During the Second World War, the British military built pillboxes along the shore of St Micheal's Mount, to act as the first line of defense against enemy attack. Today three of these pillboxes are still standing. Visitors are now allowed to enter and explore them.
St Michael's Mount was owned by the St Aubyn family. They are descendants of Colonel John St Aubyn who bought it in 1659. In 1954, St Michael's Mount was gifted by Francis St Aubyn, the third Lord St Levan, to the National Trust, along with a large endowment fund for its maintenance. He retained a 999-year lease to the castle for his family to continue dwelling there. The resident of the Mount since 2004 is James St Aubyn.
St Michael's Mount Harbour
Author: Wigulf (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
Visiting St Michael's Mount
To go to St Michael's Mount, make your way to the town of Marazion. There are car parks along the beach. From the town, you can walk across to St Michael's Mount along its cobblestone causeway. It takes just a few minutes to walk across the bay. This can be done only during low and mid tide.During high tide, there are boat rides to and from the ancient harbor of St Michael's Mount. The one-way fare is £1.50 for adults and £1.00 for children.
The castle and gardens on St Michael's Mount is open for guided tours. For exact timing, get details from www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk. The adult fare is £7.00 for the castle, £3.50 for the gardens and £8.75 combined. Access is free to National Trust members.
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