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January 15, 2025
Sublime Rambling
English Epistle #6
By Vicki L. George
The Bandera Prophet
English Epistle #6
Jan. 19-24, 1998
The next day we had decent weather and a cooperative tide, so we decided to go out to St. Michael’s Mount, the castle in the bay. The castle was built in the 14th century on the site of a 12th century priory. The priory was built there because the archangel Michael supposedly, in 495 AD, appeared to some fishermen lost and struggling in a storm off the coast. The spot where Michael appeared is marked by a stone pillar which is just a few yards from the front door of the castle. This is the “Great Vision of the Guarded Mount” in Milton’s poem, “Lycidas.” The castle became the home of the St. Aubyn family in 1659, and the last remaining family members still live there.
The castle can be reached by walking the causeway from the mainland at low tide. The cobbled causeway is one-half mile long and 12 feet wide. It’s completely under water at high tide, by at least 8-10 feet and, depending on the time of year, up to 16 feet. We were able to walk out at low tide at 11 a.m. The tour lasted almost three hours and we were warned to hurry as the tide was coming in. As we crossed the causeway the water began splashing over at the lowest point and I was compelled to stop to take pictures. Hubby kept telling me to hurry but I was too engrossed in what I was doing and didn’t notice the water lapping at the causeway where we were standing until suddenly we were in water up to our ankles! Then I hurried. But I got my pictures. It took Hubby’s leather shoes all night to dry.
We loved the castle. People were so short back then that Hubby had to duck to get through some of the doorways. We entered a foyer with a low ceiling and turned right to go into the entrance hall. Then turned left into the old garrison room with a collection of old weapons. So many twists and turns and even underground tunnels. And, yes, supposedly even a resident ghost! The great dining hall has an arched cathedral ceiling. There were so many beautiful paintings and a beautiful blue drawing room. A private chapel on the actual site of the old priory. The study was filled with family photographs and family paintings. Since the family lives in the east wing, we couldn’t see that part. And no photos are allowed of the interior.
The next day we took the A30 (highway) north and east and made straight for Boscastle. We stayed at the Wellington Hotel there. The Wellington was built in the 1500s and we were able to stay in the original wing on the third floor right under the roof. During the night the heat went out and a storm blew in and we woke up freezing. We found out they heat with boilers which pipe hot water to “radiators” in the rooms and they routinely turn the heat off about 11:30 each night and it automatically comes back on at 5:30 a.m. But it’s computer programmed and the storm must have done something because they had to call the manager in to deal with the computer to get it going again. By that time we had checked out.
However, the room was interesting. The huge roof beams were exposed which was beautiful. The stairs were so steep Hubby had to duck his head going up or down. The door was so low, again causing him to duck. (I’m too short to ever have to duck for anything here. Sigh…) The floor sagged from all sides to a depression in the middle of the room, although it was very solid — it just made all the furniture lean and walking was an interesting challenge!
The castle can be reached by walking the causeway from the mainland at low tide. The cobbled causeway is one-half mile long and 12 feet wide. It’s completely under water at high tide, by at least 8-10 feet and, depending on the time of year, up to 16 feet. We were able to walk out at low tide at 11 a.m. The tour lasted almost three hours and we were warned to hurry as the tide was coming in. As we crossed the causeway the water began splashing over at the lowest point and I was compelled to stop to take pictures. Hubby kept telling me to hurry but I was too engrossed in what I was doing and didn’t notice the water lapping at the causeway where we were standing until suddenly we were in water up to our ankles! Then I hurried. But I got my pictures. It took Hubby’s leather shoes all night to dry.
We loved the castle. People were so short back then that Hubby had to duck to get through some of the doorways. We entered a foyer with a low ceiling and turned right to go into the entrance hall. Then turned left into the old garrison room with a collection of old weapons. So many twists and turns and even underground tunnels. And, yes, supposedly even a resident ghost! The great dining hall has an arched cathedral ceiling. There were so many beautiful paintings and a beautiful blue drawing room. A private chapel on the actual site of the old priory. The study was filled with family photographs and family paintings. Since the family lives in the east wing, we couldn’t see that part. And no photos are allowed of the interior.
The next day we took the A30 (highway) north and east and made straight for Boscastle. We stayed at the Wellington Hotel there. The Wellington was built in the 1500s and we were able to stay in the original wing on the third floor right under the roof. During the night the heat went out and a storm blew in and we woke up freezing. We found out they heat with boilers which pipe hot water to “radiators” in the rooms and they routinely turn the heat off about 11:30 each night and it automatically comes back on at 5:30 a.m. But it’s computer programmed and the storm must have done something because they had to call the manager in to deal with the computer to get it going again. By that time we had checked out.
However, the room was interesting. The huge roof beams were exposed which was beautiful. The stairs were so steep Hubby had to duck his head going up or down. The door was so low, again causing him to duck. (I’m too short to ever have to duck for anything here. Sigh…) The floor sagged from all sides to a depression in the middle of the room, although it was very solid — it just made all the furniture lean and walking was an interesting challenge!