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St Martin's, Isles of Scilly

Coordinates: 49°57′50″N 6°17′20″W / 49.964°N 6.289°W / 49.964; -6.289
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St Martin's
Great Bay on the north coast
St Martin's is located in Isles of Scilly
St Martin's
St Martin's
Location within Isles of Scilly
Population135 (2021)
OS grid referenceSV 925 159
Civil parish
  • St Martin's
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townISLES OF SCILLY
Postcode districtTR25
Dialling code01720
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireIsles of Scilly
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
49°57′50″N 6°17′20″W / 49.964°N 6.289°W / 49.964; -6.289

St Martin's (Cornish: Breghyek, lit. 'dappled island')[1] is the northernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly, England, United Kingdom. It has an area of 237 hectares (0.92 sq mi) and a total population (2021 census) of 135.[2]

Description

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Aerial photograph of St Martin's with Higher Town and daymark located to the left and right of the foreground respectively

There are three main settlements on the island - Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town - in addition to a number of scattered farms and cottages.

There are two quays - at Higher Town (the Higher Town Quay, used at high tide) and at Lower Town (the Hotel Quay, used at low tide). In Higher Town there is a post office.

Several regions of the island are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. To the north, St Martin's is joined by a tidal causeway to White Island.

There is also a commercial vineyard[3] and a community observatory on St Martin's.[4] The night sky on the island is rated as class 1 on the Bortle scale, which means it has very minimal light pollution and is possibly the best place in England to view the Milky Way.[5]

Daymark

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The daymark on St Martin's

At the northeast corner of the island is a large red-and-white daymark. It was erected in 1683 by Thomas Ekins, first steward of the Godophin Family to live on the islands. The daymark, alongside some prehistoric cairns, is registered as a scheduled monument.[6]

It is a rendered granite circular tower 4.8 metres (16 ft) in diameter and 6.4 metres (21 ft) high, set back to conical termination making it 11 metres (36 ft) high. The blocked arched entrance door contains an incorrect date of 1637. It was painted white until 1822 but by 1833 had been painted red, and is now painted in bands of red and white.

The daymark is built on the highest point of St Martin's — and the second-highest point in the Isles of Scilly — and the islands' only Ordnance Survey triangulation station is situated by the daymark; the position and relative height mean that the Cornish mainland is visible (when the weather allows) and the daymark is identifiable from the mainland too.

Religion

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There are two churches on St Martin's: the Anglican parish church of St Martin's and St Martin's Methodist Church, both located in the Higher Town area. The Methodist chapel dates from about 1845 and is part of the Isles of Scilly Methodist Circuit.[7]

Civil parish and ward

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The isles of Scilly comprising the civil parish and ward of St Martin's shown in red

St Martin's is one of the five civil parishes of the Isles of Scilly, which are also wards. The civil parish and ward include several uninhabited islands and rocks, including the Eastern Isles, Great Ganilly, English Island and White Island.[8] St Martin's returns one councillor to the Council of the Isles of Scilly, the same as the other "off-island" wards. The civil parish is not functional, however, and there is no council or meeting.

Education

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Five Islands Academy (previously Five Islands School) has its St Martin's Base, a primary campus. Secondary pupils board at the St Mary's main campus,[9] staying there on weekdays and coming back and forth to their home islands on weekends.[10]

Students at the sixth-form college level reside and board elsewhere,[11] in mainland Great Britain. Previously the Learning and Skills Council paid for costs of accommodation for sixth-formers.[12]

Population

[edit]
Population[13]
City Population
1841
214
1861
185
1871
158
1881
175
1891
174
1901
175
1911
191
1921
134
1931
134
1951
131
1961
118
1971
106
1981
118
1991
110
2001
142
2011
136
2021
135

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Akademi Kernewek - Henwyn Tyller". Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  2. ^ City Population. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  3. ^ St Martin's Vineyard
  4. ^ "COSMOS - Community Observatory on St. Martin's". cosmosscilly.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Isles of Scilly observatory plan to attract 'astro-tourists'". BBC News.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1016508)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  7. ^ "St Martin's Methodists". Isles of Scilly Methodists. Isles of Scilly Methodists. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. ^ Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 map
  9. ^ "Contact Us". Five Islands Academy. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Home to School Travel". Isles of Scilly Council. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Schools & Colleges". Isles of Scilly Council. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Education". Council of the Isles of Scilly. 14 October 2002. Archived from the original on 14 October 2002. Retrieved 8 December 2018. There is no post-16 provision on the Islands, students leaving the Isles of Scilly (VC) Federated School attend at colleges/schools with 6th forms on the mainland.[...]
  13. ^ UK Household Census Statistics, Blue Books, HMSO
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