St Michael's Mount

About the museum

St Michael's Mount is a tidal island in Mount's Bay, linked to Marazion by a cobbled causeway that can be walked at low tide, while boats cross when the sea covers it. By the Norman Conquest of 1066 the island belonged to the Benedictine abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, and building of the church and priory on the summit began in 1135. Legend says that seafarers were guided to safety by an apparition of St Michael from around the year 495, and pilgrims and monks came for centuries. Local tradition also tells of the giant Cormoran, who lived on the Mount and was tricked by Jack the Giant Killer.

The Mount became a stronghold as well as a place of pilgrimage. It was seized in 1193, held by the Earl of Oxford during the Wars of the Roses, and defended by Royalists against Cromwell's forces in the Civil War. The church tower carried the first beacon of the chain that warned London of the Spanish Armada. The island was sold in 1659 to Colonel John St Aubyn, and the St Aubyn family, now the Lords St Levan, has lived in the castle ever since.

In 1954 the 3rd Baron St Levan gave most of the island to the National Trust with an endowment, keeping a long lease to live in the castle and the right to show its historic rooms to the public. Visitors today see the castle rooms, church, harbour and village, and a gallery with works by Newlyn School artists, and the family still lives in the castle.

Highlights

• Medieval priory church and castle on a tidal island
• Rooms including the Blue Drawing Room and the Chevy Chase, a former monks' refectory
• Samurai armour, a tide clock and a mummified Egyptian cat among the castle objects
• Battlements with views across Mount's Bay
• Steward's House Art Gallery with the Sheila Hichens Collection of Newlyn School works

Permanent exhibitions

• The Castle – Winding corridors and rooms lived in by the St Aubyn family, with objects such as a samurai suit of armour, a clock showing the tide and the battlements with views over Mount's Bay.
• Steward's House Art Gallery – Gallery with the Sheila Hichens Collection of works by Newlyn School artists.

Operated by

St Aubyn Estates, with the National Trust

Admission & discounts

Access to the island itself is free from 13 September, but castle tickets are required until 30 October. The advance prices are shown; tickets bought on the day cost more. The island is exempt from National Trust schemes, vouchers and promotions, including the Explorer Pass, although members of reciprocal National Trust organisations can book free admission online. Residents of local parishes can use a Locals' Pass during the main season.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchairs and pushchairs cannot be taken up to the summit, and the harbour village and castle path are cobbled, steep and uneven, with no handrails in places and unguarded edges. Ramps are available on request at the shop and the Island Café. A Tramper all-terrain mobility scooter can be hired for a small fee and collected at the Change House. Accessible toilets are on the east side of the island next to the Island Café and on the harbour front. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere, including inside the castle. There are 20 disabled bays in the Marazion car park, and an access guide can be downloaded from the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities

Children can follow the Giant's footsteps and search for the hidden Giant's heart, and the Island Café and the Harbour Loft have children's food. There are baby changing facilities and highchairs. The causeway and the steep paths are hard for pushchairs; a baby carrier is suggested, all-terrain pushchairs can be used in the village, and there is a pushchair park opposite the Mount Shop. Steep drops and high walls mean that parents must keep a close watch on children.

Getting there & parking

The island can be reached on foot over the cobbled causeway at low tide or by boat when the tide covers it; boats leave from Chapel Rock, Gwelva or Top Tieb depending on the tide, and the walk from the car park to the landings takes 5 to 20 minutes. Check tide times before you travel. Boats do not run in winter. The nearest bicycle racks are in the car park next to The Godolphin, opposite the Mount.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The Harbour Loft restaurant and the Island Café serve food, with summer pop-ups for takeaway drinks and snacks. The Mount Shop and the Island Shop sell gifts, including a toy shop. Toilets are next to the Island Shop and in the courtyard by the Mount Shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit