THE GUARDIAN of St Michael's Mount has been described as an "absolute gentleman" following his death at the age of 94.
Tributes have poured from all over west Cornwall to the late Lord St Levan, the man who once said modestly that his greatest contribution to the upkeep of the island in Mount's Bay was "to do nothing".
Born John St Aubyn in London in 1919, he served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. As a veteran of the Arctic convoys, he received the newly instituted Arctic Star medal on April 1 this year, just days before he died.
Councillor Sid Thomas, a former mayor of Marazion, said: "Lord St Levan was an absolute gentleman with a wonderful sense of humour and, while he lived on St Michael's Mount, he had a great affinity with the town of Marazion.
"He attended all our civic functions and others, missing very few. He was always very supportive towards the town and he will be sadly missed.
"Unfortunately gentlemen such as his lordship are becoming increasingly difficult to replace."
A long-time supporter of the National Trust, which runs St Michael's Mount in partnership with St Aubyn Estates, the charity awarded Lord St Levan its highest honour, the Octavia Hill medal, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the charity.
In 1970 he married Sue Kennedy and eight years later he succeeded his father as the fourth Baron St Levan, moving to the family's seat of St Michael's Mount, where together the couple set about modernising the ancient property.
Lord St Levan became a supporter of numerous charities.
While in residence, up to 30,000 people a year would go through the family home, always welcomed by a man who believed his role was as custodian of St Michael's Mount.
In an interview for the Daily Telegraph in 2005, Lord St Levan said: "By and large they were wonderful and we welcomed them. I have often said that my greatest contribution to St Michael's Mount was to do nothing."
The National Trust's director for the South West, Mark Harold, said: "Lord St Levan was scrupulous in his support of all things Cornish and St Michael's Mount is perhaps Cornwall's most iconic site. For Lord St Levan and his father to give the Mount to the trust in 1953, along with a substantial endowment for its future care, was a hugely generous gift. Personally, I remember Lord St Levan as a charming and very approachable gentleman, kindly and welcoming to everyone. His passing marks the end of an era and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
Tim Hubbard, a former BBC Radio Cornwall presenter, interviewed Lord St Levan a number of times and remembered him as someone who "could look severe, but that belied a kind of mischievous sense of humour".
In an interview with Mr Hubbard he once said: "We were never certain that we would succeed (to the family seat) before the war because my great uncle was widowed; then he married again, at the age of 75, a lady of 70.
"I remember we were always told stories of Rachel in the Bible who had children at a very old age and I was always worried the story might come true again."
Mr Hubbard said one of the main things that struck him was Lord St Levan's enjoyment in owning the Mount.
John Mathews, whose family lived and worked on the Mount for generations, also remembered a gentleman, who valued loyalty.
He said: "He was always thoroughly down-to-earth – an honest-to-goodness human being. They were really, really supportive of all the people on the island.
"If the causeway was just starting to lap, they would walk through the water and their feet would be wet. He transformed the old, feudal system to more modern times."
Lord St Levan lived on the Mount until his retirement in 2003.
He died at home in Marazion on Sunday.
Some family members continue to live on the Mount, including Lord St Levan's nephew James St Aubyn with his wife Mary, who now succeeds to the title and said of his uncle: "He touched the hearts of many during his long life and will be much missed by his family and many friends in west Cornwall and beyond."
