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The Great Britain Guide

Islands · South West England

St Helen's

Free admission

St Helen's — island in Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.

St Helen's, islands in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
4 h–12 h
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

St Helen's is a island in the United Kingdom. It covers approximately 20 km². Part of Isles of Scilly. Wikidata describes it as: "island in Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 49.9725°, -6.3250°.

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Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Pentle Bay, Merrick and Round Islands SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: St. Helen's (with Northwethel & Men-A-Vaur) SSSI
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Isles Of Scilly
  • Ramsar wetland: Isles of Scilly

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

St Helen's (Cornish: Enys Elyd) is one of the fifty or so uninhabited islands in the archipelago of the Isles of Scilly and has an approximate area of 0.1885 square kilometres (46.6 acres). On the south side of the island is one of the earliest Christian sites in Scilly, an early medieval religious complex, which is thought to be the remains of St Elidius Hermitage, an 8th-century chapel lived in by Saint Lide, (also known as Elid or Elidius). There are also the remains of an isolation hospital used to quarantine sailors with plague. The island is the major part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and some features have been given the designation of scheduled ancient monument. Access to the island is through chartered or private boat, although there are some season trips throughout the summer. St Helen's is currently managed by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Description

St Helen's Isolation hospital, also known as the Pest House, was a quarantine station built in 1764 to house plague cases from visiting ships calling at Old Grimsby and St Helen's Pool. It was constructed after an Act of Parliament in 1754 decreed that any plague-ridden ship north of Cape Finisterre heading for England should anchor off this island. The station included the building of an isolation hospital as well as a slipway and an extensive quay to serve it. The pest house was still open to receive patients from quarantined vessels. The hospital building is a rectangular, roofless building, 7 m by 5.5 m externally with a two–roomed extension on its east side. The walls of the building…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
49.9725, -6.3250
Parish
Tresco
Postcode
TR24 0PW
Parliamentary constituency
St Ives

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is St Helen's?
St Helen's is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TR24 0PW), in the parish of Tresco.
Is St Helen's a protected site?
Yes — St Helen's is part of the Pentle Bay, Merrick and Round Islands SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the St. Helen's (with Northwethel & Men-A-Vaur) SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is St Helen's free to visit?
Yes, St Helen's is free to enter.
How do I get to St Helen's?
Drivers can navigate to postcode TR24 0PW. It sits within the St Ives parliamentary constituency.