Burgh Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burgh Island () is a small tidal island off the south coast of Devon in England near to the small seaside village of Bigbury on Sea. There are only two buildings of any significance on the island, the larger being the Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel, the smaller being a public house, The Pilchard.
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[edit] Links to the Mainland
At low tide the island, only 200 m from the shore, may be approached on foot. At high tide, the Sea Tractor operated by the hotel provides a ferry service. This unusual vehicle, the current one dating from 1966, drives across with its wheels underwater on the sandy bottom and its driver and passengers on a platform high above.
[edit] Burgh Island Hotel
During World War II, the hotel was forced to close due to risk of German landing forces using it as a beach head. Connections with the mainland were cut, and the causeway fortified with anti-tank defences. The top two floors of the hotel were destroyed by a bomb during the conflict. Despite being repaired, it suffered a period of post war decline after being converted to self catering apartment accommodation. The hotel has now been restored to an Art Deco style.
[edit] Famous Visitors
Burgh Island is closely linked to Agatha Christie, as it served as the inspirational setting for both And Then There Were None as well as Hercule Poirot mystery Evil Under the Sun. The 2002 TV adaptation of Evil Under The Sun used the island as a filming location. Several scenes from the BBC’s 1987 dramatisation of Christie’s story Nemesis were shot in the Burgh Island Hotel, as it was felt that the location was ideal for the film.
Other famous visitors to the Burgh Island Hotel have included The Beatles who used the hotel when they were playing a concert in Plymouth, well away from their passionate fans. Noel Coward visited the hotel, intending to stay three days and ended up staying three weeks. Other guests who have reputedly used the hotel include Edward and Mrs. Simpson and it is said that Eisenhower and Churchill met there in the weeks leading up to the D-Day invasion.
