Thorne Island is a rocky islet and part of the community of

Angle, Pembrokeshire Angle ( cy, Angl) is a village, parish and community on the southern side of the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The village school has closed, as have one of the two pubs, the village shop (with a post office) a ...

, Wales, with an area of , dominated by a coastal artillery fort built to defend the Milford Haven Waterway in the mid-19th century. It has been the site of a number of

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

s, including one in 1894 that was carrying a cargo of

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

History

Fortification

Thorne Island commands the entrance to the anchorage of Milford Haven and access to the former

Royal Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial ...

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

. A proposal was made to fortify the island in 1817, but it was not implemented. In the 1850s, there was growing concern about the increasing strength of the French Navy and the expansionist policy of the Emperor Napoleon III. Work started on the existing fort at some time after 1852 and '1854' is carved above the entrance. The fort is an irregular polygon in plan and was designed with a seaward facing

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

for five RBL 7-inch Armstrong guns and four

68-pounder gun The 68-pounder cannon was an artillery piece designed and used by the British Armed Forces in the mid-19th century. The cannon was a smoothbore muzzle-loading gun manufactured in several weights, the most common being , and fired projectiles of ...

s, all mounted ''en barbette'' (i.e. in an open mounting, firing over a parapet). The landward side of the fort consists of a defensible barracks, with a loopholed parapet overlooking the entrance. In 1860, the report of the

Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom was a committee formed in 1859 to enquire into the ability of the United Kingdom to defend itself against an attempted invasion by a foreign power, and to advise the British Government on ...

commented that "Although these batteries e: Thorne Island Fort, Dale Fort and West Blockhouse Fort">Dale_Fort.html" ;"title="e: Thorne Island Fort, Dale Fort">e: Thorne Island Fort, Dale Fort and West Blockhouse Fortwould prevent an enemy from making use of the anchorage at the mouth of Milford Haven, they would not prevent the passage of steamers of war, and therefore would not suffice to protect the dockyard or the haven itself." This was due to the limited number and size of guns that the existing fort could bring to bear on any fast moving target. The report recommended to Lord Palmerston that further forts should be strengthened or constructed to counter the potential threat of the French Navy. Eventually twelve forts were constructed around the entrance to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven including

Fort Hubberstone Fort Hubberstone, on the west side of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, is a Grade II* Listed Building which belongs to a series of forts built as part of the inner line of defence of the Haven following the Royal Commission on the Defence of the Un ...

Popton Fort Popton Fort, a Grade II* Listed Building,Fort Popton, Angle
British Listed Buildings, access ...

and

Stack Rock Fort Stack Rock Fort is a fort built on a small island in the Milford Haven Waterway, Pembrokeshire, Wales. A 3-gun fort was built between 1850 and 1852, and then upgraded from 1859 to 1871 with a new building that completely encased the original gun ...

20th century

The fort was converted into a hotel in 1947 and was sold in 1999 for £275,000. In 2001 it was owned by the Von Essen hotel group who intended spending four million pounds to reopen the hotel with a five star rating and a cable car to allow access from the mainland. In 2001 a competition was successfully held to find a family who would serve as caretakers for a year. The island was sold in November 2011 for 'significantly less' than the guide price of £750,000 to the owner of

Chislehurst Caves Chislehurst Caves are a series of intersecting man-made tunnels and caverns covering some 22 miles (35.4 km) in Chislehurst in southeast London, England. From the mid-13th to early 19th centuries the 'caves' were created from the mining of ...

who put it back on the market in 2016 for £550,000. The fort became a Grade II* Listed building in 1996, because it was "a well-preserved fort of Palmerston's Haven defences".

Wrecks

Thorne Island and the rocks around it were a hazard to shipping. Divers recognise over twelve wrecks that are worth diving in the area of the island, but of special interest is the 1878 built sailing ship '' Loch Shiel'' that sank in 1894.Ship wrecks of Pembrokeshire
dive-pembrokeshire.com, accessed 31 August 2008(some say 33) 27 passengers and crew were rescued from the ship which had run into rocks off the island. Two Angle lifeboat crew members and the honorary secretary received RNLI silver medals. The rescue is particularly noteworthy as it is described as Wales' " Whisky Galore". The ''Loch Shiel'' was carrying goods from Scotland to Adelaide and included gunpowder, beerLoch Liel
Pembrokeshire wrecks and 60 (some say 7,000) cases of Glasgow whisky. The cargo was partially recovered by

Customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

, but some of the bottles are still amongst the wreck and are described as "undrinkable".letters
wrecksite.eu, accessed 30 August 2008 Two local men from the same family drowned whilst attempting to bring a keg ashore, and another one died from alcohol poisoning. Divers still investigate the wrecks off the island and have auctioned full beer bottles that came from the ''Loch Shiel''.Treasures of the deep bring £10,000
29 April 2000, BBC, accessed 31 August 2008 The beer is reported to be untainted by salt water, flat, but drinkable. Bottles have sold for £1,000 at auction.Diver sinks £1,000 pint
BBC, accessed 30 August 2008

References

{{Commons category, Thorn Island Islands of Pembrokeshire History of Pembrokeshire