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 Inn.
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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, originated in 1930 and the current, third generation one dates from 1969.It drives across with its wheels underwater on the sandy bottom and its driver and passengers on a platform high above.Powered by a Fordson tractor engine power is relayed to the wheels by hydraulic motors.
The early history of the island is unclear, however it was mentioned in records and on maps under the name of St Michael's Island. Later the name changed to Borough Island, eventually corrupting to Burgh. It is believed a monastery was established on the island, most of the remains of which perhaps lie beneath the current hotel. The ancient Pilchard Inn may have started life as the guest lodgings for the monastery.
A small, perhaps transient, population of fishermen occupied the island following the dissolution of the monastery, specialising in pilchard fishing. The hue and cry hut on the summit was used as a look out for the shaols of fish. During this period smuggling, wrecking and piracy were also occupations to benefit from having a natural barrier for half the day. The most notorious, Tom Crocker, apparently still haunts the island searching for his buried booty.
Fears of German landing forces using it as a beach head resulted in the area being fortified with anti-tank defences and two pill boxes were positioned either side of the causeway. An observation post was also established on the summit to monitor the coastline.
[edit] Burgh Island Hotel
During World War II, the hotel was used as a recovery centre for wounded RAF personnel.The top two floors of the hotel were damaged 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. A previous owner, Tony Porter, has written a book on the restoration of the island and hotel - The Great White Palace. .
[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. In 1994 an episode of the television series Lovejoy was set and filmed on the island. It was entitled 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. The island was also the location for GMTV's Inch-loss Island slimming feature in 2008, as it was for the original series in 2001.
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.
Nicholas Charles Middleton is the current record holder for the swimming race around the island. He set a time of 16 minutes in 2006.
