Scilly, Isles of
An aerial view of Tresco, one of the Isles of Scilly, a group of 140 small islands off Land's End, Cornwall. Tresco, one of the five inhabited islands, is the site of the world-renowned Abbey Gardens, created in the mid-19th century around the ruins of Tresco Abbey. Its many subtropical plants thrive in the island's mild climate.
Group of 140 islands and islets lying 40 km/25 mi southwest of Land's End, England; administered by the Duchy of Cornwall; area 16 sq km/6.3 sq mi; population (2001) 2,150. The five inhabited islands are St Mary's, the largest, on which Hugh Town, capital of the Scillies is situated; Tresco, the second largest, with subtropical gardens; St Martin's, noted for its beautiful shells; St Agnes; and Bryher. The islands are designated areas of outstanding natural beauty, heritage coasts, and conservation areas; under the European Union Habitats directive they are also a Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Produce includes vegetables and early spring flowers. Tourism is important and the islands are a famous birdwatching centre.
Early history
The islands are crowded with prehistoric burial chambers, menhirs (upright stone monuments), and hut villages. It is thought that the stone-chambered barrows located on the island may have been the home of the dead referred to in Celtic mythology. The islands contain remains of Bronze Age settlements; remains of the walls from an early field system are visible below sea level. Tin was worked in Cornwall in the early Iron Age and in Roman times, and the islands were used for export. The English antiquary
William Camden (1551–1623) identified the Scilly Isles with the fabled islands called the Cassiterides, ‘tin islands’ which were visited by Phoenician traders. There are numerous wreck sites off the islands including those of Cloudesley Shovell's fleet (1707).
Ownership The islands are the property of the Crown (with the exception of Hugh Town, St Mary's, the property was sold freehold to the occupiers in 1949) and are administered by the Duchy of Cornwall. However, the island of Tresco is leased to R A Dorrien-Smith (a descendant of Augustus Smith, the original lessee in 1834) together with the uninhabited islands of the group. |
Agriculture Farms are small, but well equipped. The average holding is approximately 8 ha/20 acres, with the land divided into small squares surrounded by tall hedges of Pittosporum, a New Zealand plant with a thick evergreen foliage. These hedges protect the crops from the Atlantic gales. Much land has been drowned by the encroaching sea and by slow subsidence. |
Industries In the past, fishing was one of the major industries, but there is little serious fishing done now. The islands are a popular holiday resort. The most popular sport among the local people is gig sailing, and races take place weekly during the season. The collection of tropical and subtropical plants and shrubs growing in the gardens of Tresco have been collected by the Dorrien-Smith family over many years, and have been grown for market with great success owing to the warm and equable climate of the islands. |
climate Frost and snow are a rare occurrence. The climate is an important factor in the islands' main industry, the growing of spring flowers for market. There are breeding sea birds in the summer and rare migrant birds in the spring and autumn. |
Transport There is an air service between Penzance airport on the mainland and St Mary's, and a boat service between St Mary's and Penzance. |
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