St. Agnes (Isles of Scilly)
| St. Agnes | ||
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| Waters | Celtic sea | |
| Archipelago | Isles of Scilly | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 53 '28 " N , 6 ° 20' 34" W | |
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| surface | 3.66 km² | |
| Residents | 73 (2001) 20 inhabitants / km² |
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St. Agnes ( Cornish : Aganas ) is an island in the Scilly group . The 3.66 km² island is connected to the neighboring island of Gugh by a tombolo .
The most famous landmark of St. Agnes is the lighthouse , which was built in 1680 by Trinity House , about 23 m high . As one of Cornwall's oldest lighthouses, it was fired with coal until 1790 , before it was operated exclusively with oil until it was decommissioned in 1911. The Peninnis Lighthouse takes over its function today .
Other landmarks on the island are the Church of St. Agnes, the Menhir Nag's Head and the Troytown Maze stone circle .
The residents of St. Agnes used to live from the pilotage services that they provided for ships that wanted to sail the English Channel. Today the most important source of income, besides tourism, is kelp fishing.
Flora and fauna
About a quarter of the island is the Site of Special Scientific Interest . Rare grass species such as Ophioglossum lusitanicum , Poa infirma , Juncus gerardii and the common beach ledges grow here. You can also find fruit clover , common adder's tongue and Ophioglossum azoricum .
A variety of birds can be seen on the island, especially in October. These include Eastern Bonelli's Warbler , killdeer , magnolia warbler , racing birds , Rotkopfwürger , serpent eagles , sparrows , banks Warbler and Little Bustards .
Web links
- Website of the island (Engl.)
- About the flora of the island (English; PDF; 69 kB)