Mullion Island
50°00′44″N5°16′00″W/ 50.012222°N 5.266666°W
Native name: Enys Pryven | |
|---|---|
 Mullion Island | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 50°0′44″N5°16′0″W/ 50.01222°N 5.26667°W |
| Highest elevation | 36 m (118 ft) |
Mullion Island(Cornish:Enys Pryven,meaningworm island) is an uninhabited island on the eastern side ofMount's Bay,Cornwall,in the United Kingdom. It is approximately half a mile (0.8 km) offshore fromMullion Cove,1 mile (1.6 km) in circumference and the highest point is 118 feet (36 m) above sea level.[1][2]It forms part of theLizard PeninsulaArea of Outstanding Natural Beautyand is within theMullion Cliff to Predannack CliffSite of Special Scientific Interest.[3]
Geography and Geology
[edit]The rocks of the island were formed 350 million years ago, with most formed in a fashion similar to themid-Atlantic ridgetoday, wherelavaflows from an under-water split in theEarth's crust,and cools rapidly on the sea-bed asbasalt,forming large rounded lumps known aspillow lava,many with achilled margin.[2]Mullion Island was formed by a separate (later) volcanic episode than the nearby Lizard complex rocks.[3]The soils, developed from the underlying basalt and slate, has been highly manured by bird droppings, rich innitrogenandphosphate,andsea beet(Beta vulgarissubspmaritima) and tree mallow (Lavatera arborea) are the dominant plants.[4]Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) breed on the island, along with common guillemot (Uria aalge), Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) and possibly razorbill (Alca torda). European shag (Gulosus aristotelis) and great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) were also on the island during a visit by West Cornwall Ringing Group on 16 June 2015.[5]
A visit by National Trust rangers in 2019 found the island littered with thousands of elastic bands. It is thought that the gulls mistake the bands for food while feeding in fields on the mainland and are later regurgitated by birds roosting on the island. Small bundles of twine and green fishing net was also found along with a dead gull with a 10 cm fishing hook.[6]
History
[edit]Before theFirst World Warthe Mullionpilchardseinecompanies posted ahuer(a lookout) on the island to watch for the dark patch of a nearby shoal of pilchards.[7]The island was previously owned by theLords RobartesofLanhydrock[8]who sold it to the Meyer family during the 1920s. The Meyers gave it to theNational Trustin 1945.[9]
The island was used for location shots for the 2015 television serialAnd Then There Were None,based on a novel byAgatha Christie.[10]
References
[edit]
- ^The Channel Pilot: Part 1(Hydrographic Dept., 1893), p. 79
- ^abBates, Robin; Scolding, Bill (2000).Beneath the Skin of The Lizard.Cadgwith:Serpentine Design.ISBN1-898166-09-9.
- ^ab"Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff"(PDF).Natural England.1993. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 October 2012.Retrieved3 November2011.
- ^Lawman, Jean (1994).A Natural History of the Lizard Peninsula.Redruth and Truro: Institute of Cornish Studies and Dyllansow Truran.ISBN1-85022-071-9.
- ^Grantham, Mark (16 June 2015)."16th June 2015 Ringing marathon".West Cornwall Ringing Group.Retrieved18 June2015.
- ^"Mullion Island littered with thousands of elastic bands".23 October 2019.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^Simper, Robert (2003).The Lugger Coast.Laversham: Laversham Press Ltd. p. 21.ISBN0-9538506-4-1.
- ^Joseph Polsue,A Complete Parochial History of the County of Cornwall,vol. 3 (William Lake, 1870) p. 386
- ^Felce, Robert (2012).The History of Mullion Cove.Mullion: Westcountry Printing and Publishing.
- ^"And Then There Were None (2015)".IMDb.Retrieved26 October2019.
Media related toMullion Islandat Wikimedia Commons
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