St Helen's ( or ) is one of the fifty or so uninhabited islands in the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

of the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the Great Britain, British mainla ...

and has an approximate

area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

of . On the south side of the island is one of the earliest Christian sites in Scilly, an early

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

religious complex, which is thought to be the remains of St Elidius Hermitage, an 8th-century chapel lived in by Saint Lide, (also known as Elid or Elidius). There are also the remains of an isolation hospital used to quarantine sailors with plague. The island is the major part of a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

and some features have been given the designation of

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. Access to the island is through chartered or private boat, although there are some season trips throughout the summer. St Helen's is currently managed by the

Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, formed in 1985, is a Wildlife Trust covering the Isles of Scilly, a group of islands off the coast of Cornwall. It became the 46th member of The Wildlife Trusts in 2001 and is dedicated to ensuring that the a ...

Geography

St Helen's is the third largest of the uninhabited islands and is situated in the northern part, between

Tresco Tresco may refer to: * Tresco, Elizabeth Bay, a historic residence in New South Wales, Australia * Tresco, Isles of Scilly, an island off Cornwall, England, United Kingdom * Tresco, Victoria, a town in Victoria, Australia * a nickname referring t ...

and St Martin's. It has an area of and rises to . Some of the nearby islands are considered to be part of the St Helen's group, these are; Foreman's Island, Men-a-vaur, Northwethel, Round Island and

Teän Teän ( , sometimes written ''Tean'' without the Diaeresis (diacritic), diaeresis; ) is an uninhabited island to the north of the Isles of Scilly archipelago between Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Tresco, to the west, and St Martin's, Isles of Scilly ...

. The island mostly consists of a hill of coarse-grained, highly jointed Hercynian

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

. The landing site for the island is on a sandy beach on the south side where there are the remains of a granite quay and low

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

at the top of the beach. The ruined pest house is situated on a flat area behind the dunes and further inland the religious complex is based at the foot of the hill. To the east of the complex is a

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

and the walls of several fields.

Pre-history

Cairns

The platform

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

s on St Helen's make up a large amount of the total 387 surviving cairns on the Isles of Scilly, and so have been registered as an ancient monument. The remaining

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

cairn field on the island consists of four ring cairns on the slight north-west facing slope. The first cairn is 4 m in diameter with a ring of earth with protruding spaced stones, 1m wide and 0.2 m high. The second cairn is oval 4 m by 3 m with a ring 0.4 m wide and 0.2 m high, incorporate two contiguous slabs embedded on edge. The third cairn is 6 m in diameter with a ring with spaced stones averaging 1m wide and 0.3 m high. The fourth cairn is 4 m in diameter with a ring of spaced stones which averages 0.7 m wide and 0.2 m high.

History

Early Christian chapel

On the south slope of St Helen's there is an early

religious complex that is thought to be the remains of St Elidius Hermitage, an 8th-century chapel lived in by Saint Lide (also known as Elid or Elidius) which is also Saint Lide alleged burial place.

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

suggest that the site developed from a solitary

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

site, with a single round hut and oratory, to a communal hermitage with a number of rectangular huts for individual accommodation, surrounding the church and oratory buildings. Five graves from the early hermitage were also excavated east of the living section. A field system was also present providing food for the Hermitage/Chapel, and later the Pest House residents. In the early 11th-century a small church was built on the north east side of the living section and around 1120 AD the church was granted to

Tavistock Abbey Tavistock Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Mary, the mother of Jesus, Saint Mary and Saint Rumon, is a ruined Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey in Tavistock, Devon. The Abbey was surrendered in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monaste ...

. This increased the numbers of pilgrims visiting the site due to it being the shrine of Elidius, and many alterations and remodeling were made to the complex. Additionally, further excavations of the site have uncovered decorated ridge-tiles and parts of the 12th century Purbeck Marble shrine that is thought to have once housed Saint Elidius

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s. It is also said that there was once a causeway from abbey church at

across the downs to the church on St Helen's Isle. Currently there are yearly open air service on 8 August to celebrate the feast of St Elidius at the small ruined church.Parslow, R. (2007) ''The Isles of Scilly''.

New Naturalist The New Naturalist Library (also known as ''The New Naturalists'') is a series of books published by Collins in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Br ...

Library. London: HarperCollins

St Helen's Pool

St Helen's Pool is a stretch of water just off St Helen's island which provided sheltered anchorage for shipping, though there is a chance ships may experience swells near

high water High Water or Highwater may refer to: * High water, the state of tide when the water rises to its highest level. Film and television * Highwater (film), ''Highwater'' (film), a 2008 documentary * ''Step Up: High Water'', a web television series * ...

. There is evidence to show that during the later medieval period the

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s of Tresco may have collected tolls from ships for anchorage in St Helen's Pool, as it is considered that it was the main harbour of the islands in medieval times.

The Pest House

St Helen's Isolation hospital, also known as the ''Pest House'', was a

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

station built in 1764 to house plague cases from visiting ships calling at Old Grimsby and St Helen's Pool. It was constructed after an Act of Parliament in 1754 decreed that any plague-ridden ship north of

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; ; ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin , mean ...

heading for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

should anchor off this island. The station included the building of an isolation hospital as well as a

slipway A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving smal ...

and an extensive

quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

to serve it. The pest house was still open to receive patients from quarantined vessels. The hospital building is a rectangular, roofless building, 7 m by 5.5 m externally with a two–roomed extension on its east side. The walls of the building are 0.6 m wide and 3 m high, and are constructed of mortared rubble with other details picked out in larger stones. The building has recently been repaired and stabilized to prevent its collapse with the help of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

funding through the Isles of Scilly (IOS) Grant Scheme, administered by Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Community Grants Programme (CIOS). There is also a graveyard associated with the pest house which is known to include the grave of a 27-year-old naval

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

who was sent to treat the sick and died within a week himself, and various passengers from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

who also died at the station.

Wildlife and ecology

The island is part of the St Helen's (with Northwethel and Men-a-vaur) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is designated for its rare flora and breeding seabirds. The SSSI was first notified in 1971, re-notified in 1986 and covers all land above the mean high-water mark.

Flora

In 1940 the highest land on St Helen's was covered in maritime heath with ling (''

Calluna vulgaris ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wide ...

'') and bell heather (''

Erica cinerea ''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe. Description It is a low, spreading shrub growing to tall, with fine needle-like leaves long arranged in ...

'') which was destroyed by fires from incendiary bombs from German aircraft during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. There were further fires during the dry weather of 1949, and when J E Lousley surveyed the vegetation in 1957 the soil was only one or two inches deep, grey and with granite chips. The most abundant plant was buck's-horn plantain ('' Plantago coronopus'') and English stonecrop ('' Sedum anglicum''). The fires probably also affected the frequency and cover of the

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

and

bryophytes Bryophytes () are a group of land plants ( embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic division referred to as Bryophyta '' sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular land plants: the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. In t ...

. At the time of the publication of Lousley's flora (1971) the vegetation had still not reverted to heath and by 1987 Hottentot fig (''

Carpobrotus edulis ''Carpobrotus edulis'' is a creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus '' Carpobrotus'', native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, ice plant, highway ice plant, or vygie. Description ''Carpobrotus eduli ...

'') had spread over much of the area. By 2002 much of this plant had disappeared possibly because of salt spray, or because of unusually cold weather. At the last SSSI assessment in 2009, vegetation on the island including the heath was considered to be in ″''a favourable condition''″. Lousley found large areas of cliffs and rocks were also covered with Hottentot fig which is spread by gulls carrying the plant to their nests. It can then take root and spread over bare ground and vegetation. The lower lying ground to the south of the hill, has deeper soils with black

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

and white sand grains. The flora is dominated by a tangle of bracken (''

Pteridium aquilinum ''Pteridium aquilinum'', commonly called bracken, brake, pasture brake, common bracken, and also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North ...

'') and bramble (''

Rubus ulmifolius ''Rubus ulmifolius'' is a species of wild blackberry known by the English common name elmleaf blackberry or thornless blackberry and the Spanish common name ''zarzamora''. It is native to Europe and North Africa, and has also become naturalize ...

'') and is comparatively rich compared with many of the other islands; probably because St Helen's has less salt spray due to its comparatively sheltered position being surrounded by other islands. The long history of human settlement has also allowed for the establishment of additional species, either by human introduction, or by

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

which has helped to develop deeper soils on the lower ground. Around the pest house there is rank grassland and scrub with flowering plants such as hemlock (''

Conium maculatum ''Conium maculatum'', commonly known as hemlock (British English) or poison hemlock (American English), is a highly poisonous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. It is Herbaceous plant, herbaceous, wi ...

''), hogweed (''

Heracleum sphondylium ''Heracleum sphondylium'', commonly known as hogweed or common hogweed, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, which includes fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and Heracleum mantegazzianum, giant hogweed. It is native to m ...

'') and good populations of balm-leaved figwort ('' Scrophularia scorodonia'') which is spreading in one area. Unusually for a small Scillonian island there is also grey willow (''

Salix cinerea ''Salix cinerea'' (common sallow, grey sallow, grey willow, grey-leaved sallow, large grey willow, pussy willow, rusty sallow) is a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain ...

''), wood spurge ('' Euphorbia amygdaloides'') and small reed (''

Calamagrostis epigejos ''Calamagrostis epigejos'', common names wood small-reed or bushgrass, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae which is native to Eurasia and Africa. It is found from average moisture locales to salt marsh and wet habitats.

''). In the past the areas around the buildings would have been cultivated or grazed and North reported the island was uncultivated during his visit in 1850. To allow access for visitors to the August church service, the tall vegetation is cut around the ruined buildings and on the path from the landing place. On the north-west side of the island there is an area of maritime grassland with abundant thrift ('' Armeria maritima''), sea beet ('' Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima'') and tree mallow ('' Lavatera arborea''). Also on the north side and directly opposite Round Island, Issac North (1850) found a chasm richly covered in sea spleenwort ('' Asplenium marinum'').

Shore dock

Shore dock (''

Rumex rupestris The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of Annual plant, annual, Biennial plant, biennial, and perennial plant, perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennia ...

'') is one of the rarer

docks The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engli ...

and a

BAP BAP or bap may refer to: Food * Bap (bread), a bread roll * Bap (rice dish), of Korea People * Bap Kennedy (1962–2016), Northern Irish singer-songwriter * Bronze Age Pervert, Romanian-American right-wing writer and podcaster Music * BAP (Germa ...

species; it is one of the reasons why the Isles of Scilly is a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SAC). It was recorded in 1957 by Lousley, but has not been seen since and is thought to be extinct on St Helen's. It was recorded nearby on Teän in 2005.

Fauna

The

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

of the outer islands of the Isles of Scilly is generally poorly recorded because of, both the difficulty of reaching them, and the length of the time spent.

Mammals

St Helen's has a long history of habitation and when Issac North visited the islands in 1850 he reported goats (''

Capra aegagrus hircus The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bo ...

'') and

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. The deer were still present in 1865, and in 1870 sheep ('' Ovis aries'') were said to run wild. A 1919 guide book recorded St Helen's only inhabitants as goats, deer, rabbits and sea fowl. The Scilly shrew ('' Crocidura suaveolens'') was seen on low cliffs in 1964 and rabbit ('' Oryctolagus cuniculus'') has not been recorded since 1980.

Birds

Cooper (2006) recorded a few great black-backed gull (''Larus marinus'') nesting, a scattering of herring gull (''Larus argentatus'') and an overflow colony of kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') on the eastern cliffs, while Parslow (2007) records a large colony of lesser black-backed gull (''Larus fuscus'') and a small colony of puffin (''

Fratercula arctica The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin being found in the northeast ...

''). The Seabird 2000 breeding seabird survey recorded five occupied nests of Manx shearwater ('' Puffinus puffinus'').

Other islands in the St Helen’s group

Foreman’s Island

Foreman's Island () is a low-lying island on the south side of St Helen's Pool between Teän and Tresco. It is one of a group of rocks and islets of importance for breeding seabirds. The common froghopper ('' Philaenus spumarius'') has been recorded on Foreman's.

Men-a-vaur

Men-a-vaur () is to the north-west of St Helen's and consists of three granite slabs covering an area of and rising to . It is part of the SSSI for its seabirds with eight breeding species. The razorbill (''

Alca torda The razorbill (''Alca torda'') is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinus impennis''). Historic ...

'') population is of national importance and together with fulmar ('' Fulmaris glacialis'') and guillemot ('' Uria aalge'') are the largest in the Isles of Scilly; the other species are kittiwake, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, shag ('' Gulosus aristotelis'') and puffin. Peregrine falcon ('' Falco peregrinus'') and raven ( ''Corvus corax'') breed in some years. Lousley recorded common scurvygrass (''

Cochlearia officinalis ''Cochlearia officinalis'', common scurvygrass, scurvy-grass, or spoonwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. The plant acquired its common name from the observation that it cured scurvy. Description ''Cochlearia offic ...

''), tree mallow and a species of orache ( ''Atriplex'' spp) although flowering plants are not a permanent feature. The rare

rove beetle The rove beetles are a family (biology), family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 66,000 species in thousand ...

, ('' Omalium allardi'') has been recorded.

Northwethel

Northwethel () is a and high island in Old Grimsby Channel, off Grimble Porth, Tresco. The island consists of two hills connected by a low stretch of land. There is a sandy beach at the landing area on the south and a small brackish pool behind the sea bank. Human habitation dates back to the

with a cairn field of up to nine cairns including one that has a chamber in diameter with two cover stones still in place. The chamber is oriented east to west and long, wide at the centre and at the entrance. There is also a prehistoric field system and a settlement with (probably) six hut circles. Some of the hut circles are integrated into the field walls of which there are three or four irregular shaped fields to across. The hut circles have an internal width of to . A number of finds of flint, bone and pottery of unknown date have been deposited with the Isles of Scilly Museum on St Mary's. It is said that 1,500 Parliamentarians landed on the island in the mistaken belief they were on Tresco and a roughly rectangular enclosure with two sides of drystone walling is a possible ″Parliamentary army shelter″. On the west side of the island are the remains of a rusting ship. The botanist J E Lousley visited the island one afternoon in May 1957 and recorded fifty-four species of plant, despite finding most of the island covered in a tangle of bracken and bramble to high and difficult to penetrate. Unusual plants (for the Isles of Scilly) in the brackish pool are sea-milkwort ('' Glaux maritima''), fennel-leaved pondweed (''

Stuckenia pectinata ''Stuckenia pectinata'' ( syn. ''Potamogeton pectinatus''), commonly called sago pondweed or fennel pondweed, and sometimes called ribbon weed, is a cosmopolitan water plant species that grows in fresh and brackish water on all continents except ...

'') and red goosefoot (''

Chenopodium rubrum ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoot, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifi ...

''). A visit by John Hunt in the 1980s found a ″healthy″ growth of bracken. The fern soft shield-fern ('' Polystichum setiferum'') once thought to be very rare on the islands has now been found on all the inhabited islands (except Bryher) and curiously also on Northwethel.

Round Island

Round Island () is a island to the north of St Helen's with an unmanned

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on the summit. It is part of the ''Pentle Bay, Merrick and Round Islands Site of Special Scientific Interest'' (SSSI).

Teän

Teän () is a island between St Helen's, to the north-west and St Martin's to the east. The island has a long history of habitation and was designated as the ''Teän Site of Special Scientific Interest'' (SSSI) in 1971. It is included in the Isles of Scilly

Geological Conservation Review The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee. It is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological ...

for the linking of islands by a sandy bar or

tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. It is a deposition landform by which an island becomes attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island. The word ''t ...

References

External links

The Isles of Scilly Wildlife TrustThe Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding BeautyIsles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project
{{SSSIs Cornwall biological Uninhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the Isles of Scilly Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1971