Tresco is the second largest of the Isles of Scilly to the north of St Mary’s. It is unusual as it is leased from the Duchy of Cornwall by the Dorrien Smith family and is still managed by the family.
When the Godolphin family gave up the lease of the Islands in 1836, it was taken over by Augustus Smith who made Tresco his base. He built Tresco Abbey as his home and began to develop the sub tropical Tresco Abbey Gardens. The lease of the island has been in the family ever since. The family have revived and modernised the economy of the islands and especially their agriculture with the growing of early daffodils. The current prosperity of the islands owes much to them.
The family relinquished the lease of the other Islands, apart from Tresco, back to the Duchy of Cornwall. Tresco is now run by the Tresco Estate from offices by Great Pool. About 150 people live on the island working for the estate and renting property from them. Many families have lived here for several generations.
Most people arrive for the day by boat from St Mary’s. There are two landing stages. Carn Near Quay which is overlooked by massive rocks at the south of the Island and is used at low water. There are good views of Tresco Abbey from here.
New Grimsby is used at high water.
A concrete road runs between the two taking visitors to Tresco Abbey Gardens and also past the Heliport, which has a regular series of flights from Penzance as well as being used by private helicopters.
The south of the island is exposed dry sandy heathland with no trees. The dominant vegetation is heather, brambles and wild sage with bracken on the higher ground.
It is surrounded by deserted sandy beaches.
Great Pool is a large expanse of water fringed with reed beds across the centre of the Island and is a good place to watch birds.
The main settlement is across the central belt. The Estate Offices along with post office, cafe and shop in Smith Square is by Great Pool.
New Grimsby on the west coast, stretches round a large sandy bay and the main quay is here, protected by high ground on either side and also by Bryher just across the water.
The approach was guarded by Cromwell’s Castle to the north which was built after the Civil War. With its tall circular gun tower and adjacent gun platform it was designed to guard one of the main routes of entry to the heart of the islands and the deep water approach to New Grimsby harbour.
The road climbs out of New Grimsby past the white washed cottages of Dolphin and St Nicholas Church to drop down to Old Grimsby on the east side of the island.
Old Grimsby is also built round a large sandy bay and has a small quay. It was less popular as a berth than New Grimsby because of underwater hazards. It is now popular with small craft. It was guarded to the south by the mid C16th Blockhouse built on the hill overlooking the harbour. The Blockhouse was captured by the Parliamentary Army in 1651 and has been left as a ruin ever since.
The area to the north is higher and covered with poor heathland with heather rocks and stones. It is rough walking and the main reason to explore this part of the island is to find the ruins of the mid C15th King Charles’s Castle. This was built to guard entry to the narrow strait leading past New Grimsby harbour and towards St Mary’s. However, not only was it badly sited to withstand attack, the guns had to point down at such a steep angle to fire on ships that the cannon balls would have rolled out of the cannons before being fired. Although it was garrisoned during the Civil War, the Parliamentarians sailed round the other side of Tresco to take control of the island. Stone from the castle was later used to build Cromwell’s Castle.
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