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Coordinates: 49°57′23″N 6°19′55″W / 49.9563°N 6.3319°W / 49.9563; -6.3319

Tresco
A map of Tresco with Bryher to the west.
Tresco  Tresco shown within Cornwall
Population	180 (2001)
OS grid reference	SV893421
Unitary authority	Isles of Scilly
Ceremonial county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ISLES OF SCILLY
Postcode district	TR24
Dialling code	01720
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Isles of Scilly
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	St Ives
List of places: UK • England • Cornwall

Tresco (Cornish: Ynys Skaw), is the second largest island of the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, UK. It is 297 hectares (1.15 sq mi) in size, measuring approximately 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) by 1.75 kilometres (1.09 mi).

[edit] History

The island is named as Trescaw in an 1814 publication,^[1] and was described as 'St. Nicholas' when confirmed as as a grant to the abbot of Tavistock by pope Celestin in 1193.

The island is administered for the crown by the Duchy of Cornwall^[2] and is leased to the Dorrien-Smith estate, which runs it as a timeshare business.

Since 2001, the island has hosted a marathon run organised in aid of Cystic Fibrosis. The course consists of 7½ laps around the island. The event is always held on the same day as the London Marathon^[3]. Past winners include Dara O'Kearney and Bob_Brown_(runner)

In 2007 a rebuild of the Abbey Farm/Shed area was completed; this area served as RNAS Tresco, a seaplane base during the First World War.^[4] The development included rental cottages, a swimming pool, a health centre and the "Flying Boat Club" restaurant.

[edit] Geography

Aerial view of Tresco.

A variety of scenery is found on the island, including rugged granite outcrops, heathland of the exposed north coast and mainly shell beaches in the east and south. The variety of its scenery and geomorphology is partly a result of the last ice age, where the Devensian ice sheet clipped the north side of the island leaving deformation till deposits.^[5]

The main habitations are the villages of New Grimsby and Old Grimsby in the centre of the island, where there is a shop and post office, an art gallery, a pub, and a hotel, all of which are owned and run by the Tresco Estate. In the south of the island are the sub-tropical Tresco Abbey Gardens and Tresco Heliport.

[edit] Demography

These figures constitute permanent residents only. A large number of seasonal staff also reside on the island during the summer period.

[edit] Economy

The character of Tresco varies from that of the other islands in the Scilly archipelago as it is primarily run as a holiday resort^[6], with virtually all activity and employment being tourist-related. This contrasts with the other islands where tourism is important, but does not dominate to the same extent.

[edit] Landmarks

The Old Blockhouse

The arch from the wall of the mediæval monastery in Tresco Abbey Gardens

• King Charles's Castle dates from 1550-54, and was occupied by the Royalists during the English Civil War. It was later partially demolished to provide the building materials for Cromwell's Castle.
• A coastal tower known as Cromwell's Castle, was built 1651-52 with gun platform added c. 1740 by Abraham Tovey, Master Gunner.
• The Old Blockhouse gun tower protecting Old Grimsby harbour, vigorously defended during the Civil War. It was probably built between 1548 and 1552.
• Monument to Augustus Smith above Appletree Bay on the south west of the island.
• Arch from the wall of the mediæval monastery in Tresco Abbey Gardens.
• Oliver's Battery, in the south of the island, by the Carn Near quay, erected shortly after the capture of Tresco by Parliamentary forces in the English Civil War. It was built by Admiral Robert Blake.

[edit] Transport

Helicopter leaving Tresco at Tresco Heliport

Tresco is a car-free island. Farm tractors with passenger trailers are used to transport overnighting visitors to and from Tresco Heliport and from the various boat quays, and a few golf carts are available for disabled visitors.

British International Helicopters operate from Tresco Heliport, providing a year-round helicopter service to Penzance Heliport.

Bryher Boats run passenger boat services to and from the other inhabited islands, as well as occasional circular sightseeing tours.

[edit] Religious sites

• In early times one group of islands was in the possession of a confederacy of hermits. King Henry I gave it to the abbey of Tavistock who established a priory on Tresco which was abolished at the Reformation. The priory was given the care of souls in the secular islands by the lord of the fief.^[7]

• Anglican church, see St. Nicholas' Church, Tresco.

[edit] Landmarks

The Old Blockhouse

The arch from the wall of the mediæval monastery in Tresco Abbey Gardens

• King Charles's Castle dates from 1550-54, and was occupied by the Royalists during the English Civil War. It was later partially demolished to provide the building materials for Cromwell's Castle.
• A coastal tower known as Cromwell's Castle, was built 1651-52 with gun platform added c. 1740 by Abraham Tovey, Master Gunner.
• The Old Blockhouse gun tower protecting Old Grimsby harbour, vigorously defended during the Civil War. It was probably built between 1548 and 1552.
• Monument to Augustus Smith above Appletree Bay on the south west of the island.
• Arch from the wall of the mediæval monastery in Tresco Abbey Gardens.
• Oliver's Battery, in the south of the island, by the Carn Near quay, erected shortly after the capture of Tresco by Parliamentary forces in the English Civil War. It was built by Admiral Robert Blake.

[edit] Tresco in fiction

Because of its geography and history, Tresco has often featured in fiction. Most notably in the books of author Sam Llewellyn, a direct descendant of Augustus Smith who, after his appointment as Lord Proprietor of the Scillies in 1834 and living on the island, began to create the Abbey Gardens on land which surrounded the old Priory [1].

• Flora Castledine, lead character of the Georgie Gale novel Tread Softly, was born and brought up on the Isles of Scilly. Tresco is mentioned several times.
• Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo is set in the Isles of Scilly and features Tresco several times.
• Hell Bay, by Sam Llewellyn, is set on Tresco and fictionalises the events leading up to Augustus Smith taking ownership of the island.
• The Sea Garden, also by Sam Llewellyn, is set on a fictional island based heavily on Tresco. It features a stunning Sea Garden much like the Tresco Abbey Gardens and the history of the fictional island draws heavily from the real history of the island.
• Storm Islands, by Ann Quinton, is a mystery novel set on Tresco and in the Isles of Scilly.

[edit] Tresco in film and television

• In the 1989 BBC adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the scenes on the fictional Lone Islands were filmed on Tresco, with the on-ship scenes being filmed on a ship on the surrounding sea.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tresco

• Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust
• An illustrated history of Tresco from the Bronze Age to the present 'The Last Piece of England'
• Tresco360: panoramic landscape photos and sound recordings from Tresco

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