St Helen's

St Helen’s is one of the smaller uninhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly, lying between Tresco and St Martin’s in the north of the group. The island covers about 19 hectares and rises to 42 metres above sea level. Its granite core is exposed in places, and the south side holds a sandy beach with the remains of a granite quay. Behind the dunes stands the ruined pest house, once used to quarantine plague cases. Further inland, on the lower slopes, are the remains of an early medieval religious complex linked to Saint Elidius, an 8th-century hermit. The island also contains Bronze Age platform cairns and a scheduled ancient monument field system. The site is worth visiting for its layered history and rare wildlife. The early Christian complex is thought to have begun as a solitary hermitage before growing into a communal settlement with huts, an oratory and a small church. In the 12th century the church was granted to Tavistock Abbey, increasing pilgrim numbers. The pest house, built in 1764 after a parliamentary act, shows how the island once served as a quarantine station. St Helen’s Pool nearby provided sheltered anchorage and may have been the main harbour in medieval times. The island’s wildlife interest is recognised through its Site of Special Scientific Interest, noted for rare plants and breeding seabirds. Visitors find a quiet landscape of low hills, heathland and bracken thickets. The remains of the pest house stand as a rectangular ruin with high mortared walls and a small extension. Nearby is a graveyard containing the grave of a naval surgeon who died treating plague patients. The early Christian site includes remnants of huts, a church and a Purbeck marble shrine that once held relics. Bronze Age cairns dot the north-west slope, each ringed with spaced stones. The sheltered southern ground supports bracken and bramble, while higher areas carry heath plants such as ling and bell heather.