St Michael’s Mount is Cornwall’s most famous landmark. The castle on the rock dates from the 14th century. At high tide St Michael’s Mount is an island. Then access is by ferry. At low tide the granite crag is approached  across a causeway.

In 1044 Edward the Confessor founded a chapel on the Mount. Around 1070 the Mount was granted to the Benedictine Abbey of Mont St Michel in Britanny. This place of religion and of war has a fascinating history. In 1588 a beacon was lit on the Mount to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada. During the Civil War it was held against the forces of Oliver Cromwell. In 1647 the Mount was bought by Sir John  St Aubyn and became a private home. Since that time it has had a peaceful existence. In 1964 the property was given to the National Trust by the St Aubyn family.