Islands · North West England
Piel Island
Piel Island — island in United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 4 h–12 h
- Nearest railway station
- Roose · 5.8 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Piel Island is a island in the United Kingdom. Recent population estimates put it at around 10 people. Wikidata describes it as: "island in United Kingdom". Coordinates: 54.0638°, -3.1744°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: South Walney and Piel Channel Flats SSSI
- Ramsar wetland: Morecambe Bay
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Piel Island lies in Morecambe Bay, around 1⁄2 mile (800 metres) off the southern tip of the Furness peninsula in the administrative county of Cumbria, England. It is one of the Islands of Furness, three of which sit near to Piel at the mouth of Walney Channel. The island is the location of Piel Castle, built by the monks of Furness Abbey in the fourteenth century. Historically within Lancashire, the island today is owned by the town of Barrow-in-Furness, having been given to the people by the Duke of Buccleuch in 1922. The council's administrative duties also include the selection of the "King" of Piel, who is the landlord of the island's public house, the Ship Inn. Piel is about 26 acres (11 hectares) in size. The landlord and their family and three others who live in the old Ship's pilots' cottages are the island's only permanent residents.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
]] In the Middle Ages Piel was known as Fowdray (or Fouldrey or Fowdrey) island. This name would seem to be derived from the Old Norse words ', meaning "fodder", and ' or ', meaning "island". The island was part of the Liberty of Furness, granted in 1066 to Earl Tostig, and 1127 it formed part of the Liberty that was granted by King Stephen to the Savignac monks as part of a land grant for an abbey. When the Savignacs became part of the Cistercian order later in the 12th century, the island came under the control of the Cistercians at nearby Furness Abbey. The Cistercians increased their power, and soon controlled the whole of the Furness, including Piel. 's 1805 painting Peele [sic] Castle…
Description
The origins of the Ship Inn are obscure; it is said to be over 300 years old, but the evidence is uncertain. In 1746 a lease for agricultural land situated within the castle ditch was granted to an Edward Postlethwaite, who is described as an innkeeper from the 'Pile of Fowdrey'. The earliest direct reference to an inn, or 'publick house', is in 1800. In 1813 a visitor painted a vivid picture of the life of the innkeeper at that time: The earliest map reference, in 1833, refers to the inn as 'The Herdhouse', and the first person who can confidently be identified as a landlord of the Ship Inn is James Hool as he is listed in the 1841 census as a publican. The landlord of the Ship Inn pub is…
Visiting
]] Being separated from neighbouring Roa Island by the Piel Channel, the island is accessible via a ferryboat from Roa Island pier during summer and subject to the tides and weather. Piel can be reached on foot or by off-road vehicle (licenses are required to drive on the sands) from Walney Island, but this route is only passable with care at low tide; local guidance is recommended. Piel Castle is managed by English Heritage and there is free, unlimited access once on the island. The castle, located on the southeast tip of Piel Island, is an impressive ruin made up largely of stones from the beach. The three-storey keep affords good views of the island although it is no longer accessible to…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.0638, -3.1744
- District
- Westmorland and Furness
- Parish
- Barrow
- Postcode
- LA13 0QN
- Parliamentary constituency
- Barrow and Furness
- Population
- 10
- Nearest railway station
- Roose — 5.8 km
- Official site
- www.english-heritage.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q2092598 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Piel Island (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Piel Island and Castle, Barrow-in-Furness.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Piel Island?
- Piel Island is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode LA13 0QN), in the parish of Barrow.
- Is Piel Island a protected site?
- Yes — Piel Island is part of the South Walney and Piel Channel Flats SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Morecambe Bay Ramsar wetland.
- Is Piel Island free to visit?
- Yes, Piel Island is free to enter.
- How do I get to Piel Island?
- The nearest railway station is Roose, about 5.8 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode LA13 0QN.