The British Castle That Refused Migrants

Inside the Cornish town that told the government “no,” and what it reveals about Britain today

“You’re young lady—you wouldn’t be able to walk down the road like that. She’d get stoned to death.”

That’s what one man in Tintagel told me, as I arrived in the small Cornish village that has found itself at the centre of a very modern British battle.

Known for its King Arthur legends and cliffside views, Tintagel recently made headlines for something very different: its rejection of a government offer to house illegal migrants in its grandest hotel. The deal was worth millions. But hotel owner John Mappin said no.

In this post, I’ll share what I saw, what I heard, and what most of the media hasn’t reported about this story. I travelled to Tintagel, met the locals, went inside Camelot Castle, and sat down with Mappin himself.

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“It would have ruined the place”

The plan was as straightforward as it was utterly mental: house hundreds of asylum seekers in Camelot Castle Hotel, a four-star resort with sea views and ornate chandeliers. The government had been doing the same in towns across the UK. Few mainstream journalists noticed. Fewer resisted.

But in Tintagel, resistance came quickly.

One particularly eccentric individual said, “It’s not their fault, but it’s not our fault either. We’ve let it get to this point. Now what do we do with it?” She had a sign up waiting for me, which I loved.

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Most people I spoke to didn’t seem angry. They seemed tired. Not cruel. Just weary of being told they must absorb the consequences of decisions they never agreed to.

One hotel worker told me that had the deal gone ahead, 30 people would have lost their jobs. In a village of just 1,500 people, that’s enough to cripple the local economy.

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Who is John Mappin?

John had been on my podcast to discuss this - at which point he invited me to come stay in his hotel. The experience was a luxury that most of the British public and I can rarely afford. Some said he was a free speech champion. Others called him a conspiracy theorist - he and I disagree on some of our beliefs. But isn’t that how it should be? When I met him, he was surprisingly calm and well-spoken.

He told me he rejected the migrant housing deal not out of hatred, but out of principle.

“You can’t play with cultures like this,” he said. “It doesn’t work. And it’s not fair on the people already here.”

According to Mappin, the government wanted the staff sacked, the hotel cleared out, and up to 300 migrants brought in. No discussion. No consultation.

“If we hadn’t pushed back,” he said, “it would have just happened quietly.”

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A local perspective

I spent hours going around the town trying to find anyone who thought it would have been good for the economy and culture of Tintagel.

Most echoed a different concern. Safety. Jobs. Tourism. Culture. And the fear that speaking up would earn them a label.

“They’d call us racists,” one woman said. “But it’s not racism. We’re just saying enough is enough.”

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Except for ONE!

This man was very different. But refused to be filmed when my wife and dog accompanied me into his shop. But I can reveal…

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