In 2000 bc Mounts Bay, previously marsh forest, was flooded by the sea and St Michaels Mount became an island. A Christian grave, dating from ca 900 indicates possible Saxon religious settlement of the island. Following the Norman Conquest, in 1075 the Mount was ceded to the French Mont St Michel.

In 1262 four miracles are reputed to have taken place in the church, which encouraged the growth of pilgrimages. In the 15th century The Lancastrain Earl of Oxford held the Mount during a 6-month Yorkist siege. Perkin Warbeck made it his base in 1497 before his ill-fated bid for the throne. In 1548 the Mount clergy were pensioned off following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1588 a beacon was lit to warn of the approaching Spanish Armada. In the Civil War 1642-46 Sir Francis Basset installed new fortifications but finally capitulated to the parliamentarians. In 1659 Colonel St Aubyn purchased the Mount and his family still live there today. A small harbour was built in 1726 which still serves the community today. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert ‘dropped’ in for tea in 1846. Edward VII visited in 1902.

The Mount is open 26 March-29 October (exc Sats) and Nov-March when weather and tide favourable. Admission to this Cornwall attraction is adults £6/children £3. No dogs.

Website: www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk