Man banned from Cornish island for singing 'threatening' song

Terry Roderick was singing a song called 'Burn the Castle Down' when he was escorted off the island

Terry Roderick has become the first person in history to be banned from the island ( SWNS.com)

A Cornish artist has become the first person in history to be banned from one of the county’s landmarks.

Terry Roderick, 48, has been banned from St Michael’s Mount after “causing a nuisance” by singing.

He was singing a song called “Burn the Castle Down” when he was booted off the island – which sits in Mount’s Bay, just outside Penzance – and was subsequently told he would be fined up to £40,000 if he sets foot on the premises again.

Roderick, who lives in Marazion, the closest mainland village to St Michael’s Mount, said he visited in August out of curiosity, and that he was “just having fun” when he was escorted from the premises.

“I was walking around the castle singing ‘Burn the castle down’ by New Model Army when security approached me,” he said.

“They escorted me off the island and when I drove off from the car park, I accidentally crushed a traffic cone.

”A couple of weeks later they sent me a letter saying they would be fining me £30-£40,000 if I ever set foot there again.“

St Michael's Mount is one of Cornwall's most famous sights (Wikimedia Commons)

Although he admits singing the song was “wrong”, Roderick calls the decision “barmy” and insists “I didn’t really do anything to warrant getting banned for life.”

A spokesperson for St Aubyn Estates, which leases the island from the National Trust, confirmed that Roderick is the first person to be banned from the island, and told Mail Online that he was banned for “threatening behaviour towards our staff on a number of occasions.”

St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island linked to the Cornwall mainland by a cobbled causeway that is only accessible at low tide. The rest of the time, visitors must arrive by boat. Formerly a monastery, its buildings date back to the 12th century, and the castle – where Roderick was caught singing his song – has been home to the St Aubyn family since 1650.