St Agnes (Scilly)Cornwall

St Agnes (Scilly) at a glance

St Agnes: the southernmost inhabited island of the Isles of Scilly, joined to Gugh at low tide

St Agnes is the southernmost inhabited island of the Isles of Scilly. It is joined to the smaller island of Gugh by the Gugh Bar, a sandbar that is exposed only at low tide. Troy Town Farm is the southernmost settlement in the UK, and Pednathise Head is the southernmost land.

St Agnes is one of the five civil parishes of the Isles of Scilly, and the parish also includes Gugh, Western Rocks, Annet, Rosevear, Pednathise Head and Bishop Rock. The settlements are Troy Town in the far west, Lower Town in the west, Middle Town in the centre and Higher Town in the east. Most people live in the north and middle of the island, while the south is heather moorland at Wingletang Down. The 2011 census recorded 85 people on St Agnes and Gugh together.

Many islanders once worked as harbour pilots, guiding transatlantic liners and other ships through the Channel. Tourism is now the main income, alongside some bulb farming. St Agnes is the only populated Scilly island without a hotel, and visitors stay in bed and breakfasts, self catering cottages or on a campsite. There is a small post office and general store, an ice cream shop and a gift shop. The Turk's Head is the island's pub, and summer pilot gig racing is followed by gatherings there.

The old lighthouse is the island's best known landmark. It no longer holds a light and has been converted into living accommodation. The Troy Town Maze is a labyrinth of seven rings made of beach pebbles, said to date from 1729 or earlier. St Agnes' Church is Grade II listed. It was built in the 19th century by islanders using the proceeds of a wreck sale, and its bell came from that wreck. The stained glass was made by local artists Marigold and Oriel Hicks.

Over a third of the island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Wingletang Down is the only site in Britain where least adder's-tongue fern grows, and the island is well known for rare birds, with birdwatching at its peak in September and October. The island's primary school is the St Agnes Base of Five Islands Academy, and older pupils board on St Mary's during the week.