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St Agnes - Isles of Scilly

St Agnes (Cornish: Aganas) is the southernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly — Troy Town Farm on the island is the southernmost settlement in the United Kingdom.


St Agnes joins the island of Gugh by a tombolo, a kind of sandbar, called the Gugh Bar, which is exposed only at low tide. The Gugh is inhabited, with some three residents. The two islands of St Agnes and Gugh together have a population of 85 residents recorded in the 2011 census (73 were recorded in the 2001 census) and a landmass of 366 acres (148 ha). Without the Gugh included, St Agnes is marginally smaller than Bryher in either population or area; however if Gugh is included with St Agnes, it is Bryher that is marginally smaller in area and population.

In earlier times many men from St Agnes earned a living as pilots, guiding transatlantic liners and other vessels through the English Channel. Now the mainstay of the economy is tourism, together with some bulb farming. Accommodation is limited, and St Agnes is the only populated island in the Isles of Scilly which has no hotel. However, it has a few B&Bs and self-catering cottages, an ice cream shop, a campsite, a small post office and general store and a gift shop. It also has a pub (the Turk's Head) and a café. .

The main population centre is in the north and middle of the island. The southern end of the island is covered by the heather moorland of Wingletang Down.
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  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    Porth Conger moorings.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    View towards Gugh

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    L1140353

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    L1140352

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes is dominated by its distinctive lighthouse. The Trinity House lighthouse was built in 1680 and was coal fired until 1790, when it was converted to oil, with copper lamps and twenty-one revolving reflectors. A plaque records the original construction by Captains Hugh Hill and Simon Bayly, builders of the 1676 Lowestoft lighthouse. There were two protests against the building of the St Agnes light. Officials from the Isle of Wight complained that they would lose revenue from harbour dues and victualling as shipping would prefer to use the Isles of Scilly, and the Governor of Scilly on the grounds that he would lose money from wrecks. The St. Agnes lighthouse was the second to be built in the western approaches (after the Lizard lighthouse of 1619). It stands 74' above the ground, and 138' above mean high water. It was superseded in 1911 by the Peninnis Lighthouse and St Agnes lighthouse now serves as a daymark for shipping and a residence.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    The Old Lifeboat Station at Periglis, Lower Town, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. St Agnes' Lifeboat Station was situated Periglis, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and was operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1891 to 1920. The lifeboat station and slipway have been identified by the Isles of Scilly Council as a Building of Local Significance. The station opened in 1891 with a single slipway. A new slipway was provided in 1904 at a cost of £5,000 (equivalent to £529,000 in 2018) to the designs of the Institution’s Architect, W.T. Douglass. From the back of the boat house to the toe of the slip it was 1,068 feet (326 m). It was built of Jarrah wood from Western Australia, bolted to granite and concrete pillars, with the exception of a short piece at the upper end, built on the rocks. Two rails ran the entire length of the slip, on which rested the double bogey trolley that carried the boat. Rails were also laid down the old slip which could be used at high tide.[5] On 13 December 1907, the THOMAS W LAWSON of Boston was in distress off Annet. The St Agnes Lifeboat put William Thomas Hicks on board to act as pilot. But the schooner foundered at Minmanueth and he was lost together with fifteen of the vessel’s crew. His son, Frederick Charles Hicks, put off with seven other men in the gig SLIPPEN which rescued the schooner’s captain and engineer form Hellweather rock. Frederick Charles Hicks was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery, when swimming from a gig to save the captain of the Thomas W Lawson. The United States government gave him a gold watch, and gold medals to all the crew of the gig SLIPPEN.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    The Old Lifeboat Station at Periglis, Lower Town, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. St Agnes' Lifeboat Station was situated Periglis, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and was operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1891 to 1920. The lifeboat station and slipway have been identified by the Isles of Scilly Council as a Building of Local Significance. The station opened in 1891 with a single slipway. A new slipway was provided in 1904 at a cost of £5,000 (equivalent to £529,000 in 2018) to the designs of the Institution’s Architect, W.T. Douglass. From the back of the boat house to the toe of the slip it was 1,068 feet (326 m). It was built of Jarrah wood from Western Australia, bolted to granite and concrete pillars, with the exception of a short piece at the upper end, built on the rocks. Two rails ran the entire length of the slip, on which rested the double bogey trolley that carried the boat. Rails were also laid down the old slip which could be used at high tide.[5] On 13 December 1907, the THOMAS W LAWSON of Boston was in distress off Annet. The St Agnes Lifeboat put William Thomas Hicks on board to act as pilot. But the schooner foundered at Minmanueth and he was lost together with fifteen of the vessel’s crew. His son, Frederick Charles Hicks, put off with seven other men in the gig SLIPPEN which rescued the schooner’s captain and engineer form Hellweather rock. Frederick Charles Hicks was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery, when swimming from a gig to save the captain of the Thomas W Lawson. The United States government gave him a gold watch, and gold medals to all the crew of the gig SLIPPEN.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    The Old Lifeboat Station at Periglis, Lower Town, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. St Agnes' Lifeboat Station was situated Periglis, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and was operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1891 to 1920. The lifeboat station and slipway have been identified by the Isles of Scilly Council as a Building of Local Significance. The station opened in 1891 with a single slipway. A new slipway was provided in 1904 at a cost of £5,000 (equivalent to £529,000 in 2018) to the designs of the Institution’s Architect, W.T. Douglass. From the back of the boat house to the toe of the slip it was 1,068 feet (326 m). It was built of Jarrah wood from Western Australia, bolted to granite and concrete pillars, with the exception of a short piece at the upper end, built on the rocks. Two rails ran the entire length of the slip, on which rested the double bogey trolley that carried the boat. Rails were also laid down the old slip which could be used at high tide.[5] On 13 December 1907, the THOMAS W LAWSON of Boston was in distress off Annet. The St Agnes Lifeboat put William Thomas Hicks on board to act as pilot. But the schooner foundered at Minmanueth and he was lost together with fifteen of the vessel’s crew. His son, Frederick Charles Hicks, put off with seven other men in the gig SLIPPEN which rescued the schooner’s captain and engineer form Hellweather rock. Frederick Charles Hicks was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery, when swimming from a gig to save the captain of the Thomas W Lawson. The United States government gave him a gold watch, and gold medals to all the crew of the gig SLIPPEN.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    The Old Lifeboat Station at Periglis, Lower Town, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. St Agnes' Lifeboat Station was situated Periglis, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and was operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1891 to 1920. The lifeboat station and slipway have been identified by the Isles of Scilly Council as a Building of Local Significance. The station opened in 1891 with a single slipway. A new slipway was provided in 1904 at a cost of £5,000 (equivalent to £529,000 in 2018) to the designs of the Institution’s Architect, W.T. Douglass. From the back of the boat house to the toe of the slip it was 1,068 feet (326 m). It was built of Jarrah wood from Western Australia, bolted to granite and concrete pillars, with the exception of a short piece at the upper end, built on the rocks. Two rails ran the entire length of the slip, on which rested the double bogey trolley that carried the boat. Rails were also laid down the old slip which could be used at high tide.[5] On 13 December 1907, the THOMAS W LAWSON of Boston was in distress off Annet. The St Agnes Lifeboat put William Thomas Hicks on board to act as pilot. But the schooner foundered at Minmanueth and he was lost together with fifteen of the vessel’s crew. His son, Frederick Charles Hicks, put off with seven other men in the gig SLIPPEN which rescued the schooner’s captain and engineer form Hellweather rock. Frederick Charles Hicks was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery, when swimming from a gig to save the captain of the Thomas W Lawson. The United States government gave him a gold watch, and gold medals to all the crew of the gig SLIPPEN.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    The Old Lifeboat Station at Periglis, Lower Town, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. St Agnes' Lifeboat Station was situated Periglis, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and was operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1891 to 1920. The lifeboat station and slipway have been identified by the Isles of Scilly Council as a Building of Local Significance. The station opened in 1891 with a single slipway. A new slipway was provided in 1904 at a cost of £5,000 (equivalent to £529,000 in 2018) to the designs of the Institution’s Architect, W.T. Douglass. From the back of the boat house to the toe of the slip it was 1,068 feet (326 m). It was built of Jarrah wood from Western Australia, bolted to granite and concrete pillars, with the exception of a short piece at the upper end, built on the rocks. Two rails ran the entire length of the slip, on which rested the double bogey trolley that carried the boat. Rails were also laid down the old slip which could be used at high tide.[5] On 13 December 1907, the THOMAS W LAWSON of Boston was in distress off Annet. The St Agnes Lifeboat put William Thomas Hicks on board to act as pilot. But the schooner foundered at Minmanueth and he was lost together with fifteen of the vessel’s crew. His son, Frederick Charles Hicks, put off with seven other men in the gig SLIPPEN which rescued the schooner’s captain and engineer form Hellweather rock. Frederick Charles Hicks was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery, when swimming from a gig to save the captain of the Thomas W Lawson. The United States government gave him a gold watch, and gold medals to all the crew of the gig SLIPPEN.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    View to the Western Rocks and Bishop Rock Lighthouse

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    Lichens at Porth Coose

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    The Church at Pelistry

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes is dominated by its distinctive lighthouse. The Trinity House lighthouse was built in 1680 and was coal fired until 1790, when it was converted to oil, with copper lamps and twenty-one revolving reflectors. A plaque records the original construction by Captains Hugh Hill and Simon Bayly, builders of the 1676 Lowestoft lighthouse. There were two protests against the building of the St Agnes light. Officials from the Isle of Wight complained that they would lose revenue from harbour dues and victualling as shipping would prefer to use the Isles of Scilly, and the Governor of Scilly on the grounds that he would lose money from wrecks. The St. Agnes lighthouse was the second to be built in the western approaches (after the Lizard lighthouse of 1619). It stands 74' above the ground, and 138' above mean high water. It was superseded in 1911 by the Peninnis Lighthouse and St Agnes lighthouse now serves as a daymark for shipping and a residence.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes is dominated by its distinctive lighthouse. The Trinity House lighthouse was built in 1680 and was coal fired until 1790, when it was converted to oil, with copper lamps and twenty-one revolving reflectors. A plaque records the original construction by Captains Hugh Hill and Simon Bayly, builders of the 1676 Lowestoft lighthouse. There were two protests against the building of the St Agnes light. Officials from the Isle of Wight complained that they would lose revenue from harbour dues and victualling as shipping would prefer to use the Isles of Scilly, and the Governor of Scilly on the grounds that he would lose money from wrecks. The St. Agnes lighthouse was the second to be built in the western approaches (after the Lizard lighthouse of 1619). It stands 74' above the ground, and 138' above mean high water. It was superseded in 1911 by the Peninnis Lighthouse and St Agnes lighthouse now serves as a daymark for shipping and a residence.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    Gatepost covered in lichen on St Agnes

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - July 31, 2005

    Porth Killier

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    Turk's Head Inn, St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly. April 17, 2003

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    L1030882

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    Bishop Rock Lighthouse

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    Remains of the buildings associated with the construction of the Bishop Rock Lighthouse on Rosevear.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    Remains of the buildings associated with the construction of the Bishop Rock Lighthouse on Rosevear.

  • St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - April 17, 2003

    Razorbills on the Western Rocks near St Agnes.

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