TrescoCornwall

Tresco at a glance

Tresco: the second largest of the Isles of Scilly, with a sub tropical garden and two castles

Tresco is the second largest island in the Isles of Scilly, covering 297 hectares (1.15 square miles), about 3.5 km long and 1.75 km wide. It had 175 permanent residents at the 2011 census, down from 430 in 1841, and many seasonal staff live there in summer. The island belongs to the Crown, is administered by the Duchy of Cornwall and is leased to the Dorrien-Smith estate.

Tresco Abbey Gardens, at the south of the island, are sub tropical gardens begun by Augustus Smith after he became Lord Proprietor in 1834. They stand around the ruins of St Nicholas' Priory and include the Valhalla Figurehead Collection. The Priory remains are a Grade II listed building and a scheduled monument.

On the north of the island, near New Grimsby, King Charles's Castle dates from 1550 to 1554 and was held by Royalists in the Civil War. Cromwell's Castle is a coastal tower built in 1651 and 1652, partly with stone from King Charles's Castle. Oliver's Battery and the Old Blockhouse, which guards Old Grimsby harbour, are among other defensive sites.

There are shell beaches on the east and south coasts, with sand dunes on the south coast, and Appletree Bay lies in the south west. The exposed north coast is heathland with granite outcrops. Three areas are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Castle Down, Great Pool, the largest freshwater area in the islands, and Pentle Bay, Merrick and Round Islands.

Tresco is car free. Overnight visitors are carried in electric vehicles, and there is a helicopter link between Tresco Heliport and Penzance. Services in New and Old Grimsby include a convenience store with a post office sub-branch, an art gallery, a pub and two cafe restaurants, all owned by the Tresco Estate. Red squirrels were reintroduced in 2012 and 2013, and the island has no grey squirrels or foxes.