In the quiet coastal village of Tintagel, a historic hotel has become the center of a heated debate. john Mappin, the owner of Camelot Castle Hotel, says he was offered an eye-watering government-backed deal worth up to £20 million to house asylum seekers — but he refused.
According to Mappin, the arrangement would have filled his 100-room hotel with migrants on a rolling contract that could have lasted a decade. While the money was tempting, he insists he had no hesitation in saying no.
The Proposal That Sparked Alarm
Mappin says the first approach came two years ago in an email from a company “representing” the Home Office.
A second message followed this year.
Curious, he picked up the phone and soon learned what the government wanted — full occupancy of Camelot Castle as part of the asylum housing program.
The catch? He claims he was told most of his 30 local staff would have to go, leaving only two or three in place.
Even more worrying to him was the idea that if the property were damaged, taxpayers would cover the repairs.
“That’s the people’s money, not the government’s,” he said.
A Hotel with a Storied Past
Camelot Castle Hotel isn’t just any building.
Perched above the rugged Cornish coastline, it carries the romantic atmosphere of King Arthur legends.
Over the years, it has hosted guests like Winston Churchill and actress Ava Gardner.
Mappin argued that such a historic and listed building was not the right place for a scheme that could transform the entire village.
“This is a community of just 1,500 people,” he explained. “If you add 3,000 or 4,000 migrants, the demographics change overnight.”
The Numbers Behind the Rejection
Breaking down the sums, Mappin estimates he would have earned about £3 million per year — possibly more as the years went by.
Over a decade, that could have reached £20 million.
But he insists it was never about the money. “If I’d taken it, I might have ended up a billionaire,” he said with a shrug.
“But I couldn’t do that to the village.”
Personal Convictions on Immigration
Mappin is no stranger to political causes. A well-known supporter of Nigel Farage and Reform UK, he once won £100,000 betting on Donald Trump becoming U.S. president.
Still, he stresses his rejection of the offer wasn’t about opposing immigration itself.
“My wife is from Kazakhstan — she’s a legal migrant,” he explained.
“So how could I be against immigration? This was about community and common sense.”
Conversations with Farage and Wider Support
After receiving the offer, Mappin says he spoke directly to Farage, who told him, “Sadly, I believe it — 350 other hotels have already taken the money.”
That only reinforced Mappin’s belief that he had to say no.
Since then, he claims letters have poured in from across the UK and even from the U.S., praising him for his stance.
Safety Concerns and Cultural Impact
Mappin also raised concerns about safety and security, questioning what happens when migrants leave these housing schemes unsupervised.
“They can just walk into the community,” he said. “It’s not fair on local residents.”
He called the wider scheme “cultural destruction,” insisting that relying on hotels to house asylum seekers has gone too far.
A Stand That Divides Opinion
While critics may see his stance as politically motivated, Mappin is clear that, for him, it was about protecting Tintagel’s heritage, tourism, and people.
“This is about more than a business deal,” he said.
“It’s about the survival of a community.”
The Home Office has yet to comment on his claims.