Frank Kaslik World Travels

10 interesting things about St Michaels Mount

1. St Michael’s Mount has been in the St Levan family since 1659

2. The Change House is the first building on the left as you arrive onto the island.

3. It was from the Mount that the Spanish Armada was first spotted in 1588, and the beacon lit here was the first of a chain started along the south coast to warn of the threatened invasion.

4. A recent unearthing of Bronze Age artefacts on the island has cemented beliefs that it was a hub of trade during that period.

5. There are three pillboxes on the island, used as bunkers for soldiers in the Second World War.

6. Looking over the balustrades to the south, the drop is sheer but the view is spectacular, not only because of the rocks and sea, but also because of the subtropical gardens, which are designed to look glorious from above, too.

7. Underneath the chapel there’s a little room accessed by a steep narrow staircase. It is more of a cell than a room – there are no windows and the walls, ceiling and floors are all stone.

8. The only way to access the island on foot is via the causeway, but when the tide is high the island’s residents must take boats.

9. The north side of the island is also home to around 30 people who live in cottages overlooking a harbour of small boats – with at least one person from each household working on the island in the gardens, the house or on the water.

10. St Michael’s Mount is open every day from 10.30am until 5pm, except Saturday, until 3 November. The gardens are open until 27 September.