Marazion

A port as long ago as the Bronze Age and for many centuries the most important settlement around Mount’s Bay, Marazion is one of Cornwall’s oldest chartered towns (the first charter was granted by Henry III in 1257 and reaffirmed in 1595 by Queen Elizabeth I). Its long history, through which the port continued to prosper with the export trade in tin and copper, has left a legacy of fine old inns and residential houses which overlook the fine expanse of sandy beach. Marazion Town Museum is housed in the town hall in the small Market Square, in what was once the fire brigade HQ and a jail. A typical cell of the period has been reconstructed within it. Another house in the square was where Charles II hid after his defeat at the Battle of Naseby in 1646.

To the northwest of the town is Marazion Marsh, an extensive area of wetland and reed beds behind Marazion Beach on the Penzance road, where there’s an RSPB reserve. Over 450 plant species have been recorded here, and the area is home to many nesting and roosting birds, including herons, reed and sedge warblers, and Cetti’s warbler. Guided tours with an RSPB warden are available from May until September each year. The beach, long favoured for its sunny aspect and safe bathing, is also a well-known windsurfing venue and the location of national and international surfing and sailing championships. Chapel Rock, on the beach, used to have a small chapel on it dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where pilgrims would stop to pray before continuing on to St Michael’s Mount in Mount’s Bay.

The jewel in Cornwall’s crown, the grandeur and wealth of history of St Michael’s Mount, with its fairytale castle, ancient harbour and church, make it a unique attraction in Britain. Situated just 400 yards offshore, access from Marazion is by foot along the cobbled causeway, or by ferry at high water.

Dominating Mount’s Bay, this remarkable slate and granite outcrop rises majestically almost 230 feet from sea level to the tower, chapel and battlement of the castle. The marvellous St Michael’s Mount Castle shows differing architectural styles from the 17th century through to the 19th. The house contains some impressive medieval remains, including the Chevy Chase Room, which was the original monks’ refectory, and there are other interesting details here such as the Strawberry Hill Gothic plaster work in the 18th century Blue Drawing Room, the artefacts in the Map and Museum Rooms and paintings and portraits by such artists as the Cornishman John Opie.

A vision of the Archangel St Michael to some local fishermen in the 5th century led to the construction of a church here. A place of pilgrimage for centuries, it was Edward the Confessor who, in 1044, founded a priory on the mount. It was Robert Mortian, Earl of Cornwall and William the Conquerer’s half-brother, who gave the priory to the Benedictine monks of the famous Mont St Michel in Normandy. The monastery was fortified after the Dissolution in 1539 and in 1660 it became the home of the St Aubyn family, who donated it to the National Trust in 1964. The present Chapel of St Michael is 15th century, and has a small tower which was used to guide ships in and out of local ports.

The steep sided islet has been inhabited since prehistoric times and its Cornish name, ‘Carrick luz en cuz’ (meaning ‘the ancient rock in the wood’), suggests that, at one time, the coastline here was covered in trees. Indeed, the fossilized remains of a forest that once covered the land can be seen at low tide. St Michael’s Mount is also not far from the legendary lost land of Lyonesse. The Mount was also the legendary abode of the giants Cormoran and his wife Cormelian. Jack the Giant killer eventually defeated Cormoran, after the giant terrorised the surrounding lands.