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Tresco - Isles of Scilly

Tresco (Cornish: Enys Skaw, meaning "island of elder-trees") is the second-biggest island of the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall, England. It is 297 hectares (1.15 sq mi) in size, measuring about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) by 1.75 kilometres (1.09 mi).

In early times one group of islands was in the possession of a confederacy of hermits. King Henry I gave it to Tavistock Abbey which established a priory on Tresco; it was abolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The priory was given the care of souls in the secular islands by the lord of the fief. In 1233, a prior here, known as Alan of Cornwall, was made abbot of Tavistock.

The original name for the island (including Bryher) was the Cornish: Ryn Tewyn meaning "promontory of sand-dunes". In 1193 when the island was granted to the abbot of Tavistock by Pope Celestine III the island was known as St. Nicholas's island and by 1305 it is called Trescau (farm of elder-trees). By 1540 this has changed to Iniscaw (island of elder-trees). The island was named as Trescaw in an 1814 publication.

The island is administered for the Crown by the Duchy of Cornwall and is leased to the Dorrien-Smith estate, which runs it as a timeshare business. The Dorrien-Smith family (descended from Augustus Smith) held the position of Lord Proprietors of the Scilly Islands between 1834 and 1920.

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. The development included rental cottages, a swimming pool and spa and the Flying Boat Bar & Bistro.

In 2012 the Island Hotel was closed. Parts of the complex were converted into luxury holiday cottages; other parts of the hotel were demolished with new cottages built in its place. The Sea Garden Cottages now offer flexible accommodation with an on-site spa and tennis court.
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  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 30, 1996

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 30, 1996

    View from King Charles' Castle, Tresco towards the island of Bryher. King Charles' s Castle, Tresco, Isles of Scilly. King Charles's Castle is a ruined artillery fort overlooking New Grimsby harbour. It was constructed between 1548 and 1551 to protect the islands from French attack, it would have held a battery of guns and an accompanying garrison, designed to prevent enemy vessels from entering the harbour. The castle is polygonal in design, constructed from granite, with the gun battery at the front, and a dining room, kitchen and living accommodation at the rear. An additional defensive earthwork was constructed around it during the 17th century. The design of the castle is unusual for the period, and is only seen elsewhere in blockhouses along the River Thames. The castle's design was unsatisfactory, as its guns could not be angled so to fire down into the harbour, and its defences were considered vulnerable to attack. To mitigate this, an additional blockhouse was probably constructed below, closer to the water, but eventually a new fortification, the Star Castle, was built instead on the neighbouring island of St Mary's, which became the main fort in the Scilly Isles. In the aftermath of the English Civil War, the Scilly Isles were held by the Royalist sympathisers of King Charles I, who gave the castle its current name. The islands were then attacked by a Parliamentary force led by Sir Robert Blake in 1651, who landed on Tresco but bypassed the fort as he took the island. Its Royalist defenders blew up parts of the castle as they left, and some of its stone appears to have been used to build the newer Cromwell's Castle by the harbour. Although King Charles's Castle was being used to house soldiers in 1660, by the 18th century it was described as ruinous. After 1922, the castle passed into the guardianship of the Ministry of Works, and archaeological excavations were carried out in 1954. In the 21st century the site is controlled by English Heritage and is open to visitors. It is protected under UK law as a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 30, 1996

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 30, 1996

    Cromwell's Castle, Tresco, Isles of Scilly. Cromwell's Castle is an artillery fort overlooking New Grimsby harbour . It comprises a tall, circular gun tower and an adjacent gun platform, and was designed to prevent enemy naval vessels from entering the harbour. The castle was built in two phases; Sir Robert Blake constructed the tower between 1651 and 1652 in the aftermath of the Parliamentary invasion of the islands at the end of the English Civil War, and Master Gunner Abraham Tovey added the gun platform during the War of Jenkins' Ear around 1739. The tower fell into disuse soon afterwards, and in the 21st century is managed by English Heritage and open to visitors.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 30, 1996

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 30, 1996

    Cromwell's Castle, Tresco, Isles of Scilly. Cromwell's Castle is an artillery fort overlooking New Grimsby harbour . It comprises a tall, circular gun tower and an adjacent gun platform, and was designed to prevent enemy naval vessels from entering the harbour. The castle was built in two phases; Sir Robert Blake constructed the tower between 1651 and 1652 in the aftermath of the Parliamentary invasion of the islands at the end of the English Civil War, and Master Gunner Abraham Tovey added the gun platform during the War of Jenkins' Ear around 1739. The tower fell into disuse soon afterwards, and in the 21st century is managed by English Heritage and open to visitors.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 1994

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 1994

    Towns Hill, Tresco

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 1994

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 1994

    Towns Hill, Tresco - Infra red filter

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October, 1994

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October, 1994

    New Grimsby

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 09, 1995

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 09, 1995

    British International Helicopters S61NM G-BCEB ECHO BRAVO at Tresco Heliport after arrival from Penzance.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 09, 1995

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 09, 1995

    New Grimsby Harbour viewed from Abbey Hill, Tresco.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - August 1994

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - August 1994

    A flowering Agave Americana plant which dies after it flowers after a period of sudden growth. This one appeared outside cottages at New Grimsby on Treasco during 1994. A description from Wikipedia: Although it is called the century plant, it typically lives only 10 to 30 years. It has a spread around 6–10 ft (1.8–3.0 m) with gray-green leaves of 3–5 ft (0.9–1.5 m) long, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply. Near the end of its life, the plant sends up a tall, branched stalk, laden with yellow blossoms, that may reach a total height up to 25–30 ft (8–9 m) tall. Its common name derives from its semelparous nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. The plant dies after flowering, but produces suckers or adventitious shoots from the base, which continue its growth.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - August 1994

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - August 1994

    A flowering Agave Americana plant which dies after it flowers after a period of sudden growth. This one appeared outside cottages at New Grimsby on Treasco during 1994. A description from Wikipedia: Although it is called the century plant, it typically lives only 10 to 30 years. It has a spread around 6–10 ft (1.8–3.0 m) with gray-green leaves of 3–5 ft (0.9–1.5 m) long, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply. Near the end of its life, the plant sends up a tall, branched stalk, laden with yellow blossoms, that may reach a total height up to 25–30 ft (8–9 m) tall. Its common name derives from its semelparous nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. The plant dies after flowering, but produces suckers or adventitious shoots from the base, which continue its growth.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    Unusual earth seat near Tresco Heliport

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    British International Helicopters Sikorski S61N G-BFFJ resting between flights at Tresco Heliport. It was somewhat unusual to see one of the helicopter's actually static at Tresco as the usual pattern was to land with passengers disembarking and embarking with engines running. I think on this day there had been quite a few day trippers from Penzance with it being the bird watching season and an extra flight had been operated.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    British International Helicopters Sikorski S61N G-BFFJ resting between flights at Tresco Heliport. It was somewhat unusual to see one of the helicopter's actually static at Tresco as the usual pattern was to land with passengers disembarking and embarking with engines running. I think on this day there had been quite a few day trippers from Penzance with it being the bird watching season and an extra flight had been operated.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    SCY_0882

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 1999

    LILLY OF LAGUNA arriving at Carn Near - it is obvuiously the birding season as can be seen by the "twicher" with his spotting scope!

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 13, 2001

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 13, 2001

    SAPPHIRE arriving at New Grimsby Quay, Tresco on a crossing from St Mary's.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 2000

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 2000

    Tresco School, Old Grimsby

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 2000

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 2000

    New Grimsby Harbour

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 2000

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - October 26, 2000

    New Grimsby Harbour

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - August 23, 1995

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - August 23, 1995

    Aerial Photograph of Old Grimsby, Tresco

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 1999

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 1999

    Isles of Scilly Boatmen's Association BUCCANEER off New Grimsby Quay showing off her new livery.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 22, 2000

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 22, 2000

    Approaching New Grimsby Quay, tresco.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 22, 2000

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 22, 2000

    Approaching New Grimsby Quay, tresco.

  • Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 22, 2000

    Tresco, Isles of Scilly - April 22, 2000

    Cromwell's Castle, Tresco viewed from the water.

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