Peninnis Head

Peninnis Head (St Mary's)
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Penninnis Head with lighthouse
Shown within Isles of Scilly
Area of Search	Cornwall
Grid reference	SV911094
Coordinates	49°54′19″N 6°18′10″W / 49.9053°N 6.3029°W / 49.9053; -6.3029Coordinates: 49°54′19″N 6°18′10″W / 49.9053°N 6.3029°W / 49.9053; -6.3029
Interest	Biological and Geological
Area	16.1 hectares (0.161 km²; 0.0622 sq mi)
Notification	1971 (1971)
Natural England website

Peninnis Head is the southernmost point of St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly.^[1] The headland is within the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of the Heritage Coast. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site for its Quaternary geomorphology and was first designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1971 for both its biological and geological interests.^[2] On the tip of the headland is a squat lighthouse built in 1911 by Trinity House as a replacement for the 17th century lighthouse on St Agnes.^[3]

The Gilstone, a prominent rock off the eastern side of Peninnis Head, should not be confused with a rock of the same name in the Western Rocks.

Geology

The headland is composed of coarse–grained Hercynian granite which has weathered to form cairns and natural sculptures with names such as the Pulpit Rock. In places head deposits have accumulated and thin podzolic soils have formed over the granite which is ideal for the formation of waved maritime heath vegetation. Peninnis Head is a Geological Conservation Review site because of the lack of glacial features which makes it possible to compare with sites, such as on Tresco in the north of the islands, where the granite has had some contact with glacial ice.^[2]

Wildlife and ecology

Western gorse (Ulex gallii), heather (Calluna vulgaris) and bell heather (Erica cinerea) are the main components of the waved maritime heath and on the deeper soils bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), European gorse (U. europaeus), bramble (Rubus fruticosus) and honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) are encroaching and devaluing the vegetation which is why the condition of the SSSI is considered to be unfavourable recovering. Grazing under a HLS agreement should help the vegetation to recover.^[4] Two unusual plants (for the Isles of Scilly) in the species–rich maritime grassland are spring squill (Scilla verna) and thyme (Thymus polytrichus).^[3] The dominant species are red fescue (Festuca rubra), Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus), thrift (Armeria maritima), sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima), common sorrel (Rumex acetosa), common scurvygrass (Cochlearia officinalis) and buck's–horn plantain (Plantago coronopus). The nationally scarce early meadowgrass (Poa infirma) and western clover (Trifolium occidentale) also occur.^[2]^[5]

Lichens

The headland is exposed to salt–laden winds and sea spray, and a number of lichens grow at the extreme tip. They include the common sea ivory (Ramalina siliquosa), the nationally scarce Roccella fuciformis, R. phycopsis, and golden hair-lichen (Teloschistes flavicans); and the BAP species ciliate strap-lichen (Heterodermia leucomela).^[3]

History

Peninnis Head as seen from a passing ship

During the Second World War (1939–45) a Radio Direction Finding Station (RDF) was built on Peninnis Head. The first hostile enemy action in the islands occurred on 21 August 1940 when aircraft bombed the RDF. The installation was attacked on several occasions and was destroyed just over a year after the first attack.^[6]

Peninnis Lighthouse was built in 1911 to replace the lighthouse in the centre of the island of St Agnes, which had been in operation since 1680. The light helps vessels to enter Hugh Town harbour via St Mary's Sound. Originally powered by acetylene (provided from tanks in the adjacent one-storey building) it was electrified in 1992.^[7]

References

↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 Land's End ISBN 978-0-319-23148-7
1 2 3 "Peninnis Head (St. Mary’s)" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
1 2 3 Parslow, Rosemary (2007). The Isles of Scilly. London: HarperColins.
↑ Webber, Julie. "Peninnis Head (St. Mary's) - Unit 1". Natural England. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
↑ French, Colin; Murphy, Rosaline; Atkinson, Mary (1999). Flora of Cornwall, Atlas of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Cornwall, with notes on some species recorded on the Isles of Scilly. Camborne: Wheal Seton Press.
↑ Bowden, Mark; Brodie, Allan (2011). Defending Scilly. Swindon: English Heritage. ISBN 9781848020436.
↑ Trinity House listing

External links

Isles of Scilly

Inhabited islands	St Mary's St Agnes (and Gugh) Bryher Tresco St Martin's

Uninhabited islands	Annet Bishop Rock Crim Rocks Eastern Isles English Island Great Ganilly Gweal Norrard Rocks Pednathise Head Rosevear Round Island Samson St Helen's Teän Western Rocks White Island Zantman's Rock

Settlements	St Mary's: Hugh Town, Holy Vale, Longstone, Maypole, Normandy, Old Town, Pelistry, Porthloo, Rocky Hill, Telegraph and Trenoweth St Martin's (and St Agnes): Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town Tresco: New Grimsby and Old Grimsby

Topics	Environment History People Schools Transport

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Amble Marshes Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Boconnoc Park and Woods Bodmin Moor, North Borlasevath and Retallack Moor Boscastle to Widemouth Brendonmoor Breney Common Bude Coast Cabilla Manor Wood Caerthillian to Kennack Carnkief Pond Carrick Heaths Carricknath Point to Porthbean Beach Carrine Common & Penwethers Chyenhal Moor Cligga Head Coombe Mill Coverack to Porthoustock Crow's Nest Crowhill Valley Dozmary Pool Draynes Wood East Lizard Heathlands Eglarooze Cliff Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Goonhilly Downs Goss and Tregoss Moors Greenamoor Greenscoombe Wood, Luckett Grimscott Gwithian to Mexico Towans Hayle Estuary & Carrack Gladden Kelsey Head Kennack to Coverack Kernick and Ottery Meadows Loe Pool Loggans Moor Lower Bostraze and Leswidden Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Lymsworthy Meadows Lynher Estuary Malpas Estuary Marazion Marsh Meddon Moor Meneage Coastal Section Merthen Wood Minster Church Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Nance Wood Newlyn Downs Ottery Valley Park Wood Penhale Dunes Pentire Peninsula Phoenix United Mine Plymouth Sound Shores And Cliffs Polruan to Polperro Polyne Quarry Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Red Moor Redlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor Retire Common River Camel Valley and Tributaries Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenannon Bog and Downs St Austell Clay Pits St John's Lake St Nectan's Glen Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth Swanpool Sylvia's Meadow Talland Barton Tamar–Tavy Estuary Tintagel Cliffs Treen Cliff Tregonetha & Belowda Downs Tregonning Hill Trehane Barton Trelow Downs Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Upper Fal Estuary and Woods Upper Fowey Valley Ventongimps Moor West Cornwall Bryophytes West Lizard

Isles of Scilly	Annet Big Pool and Browarth Point Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down Eastern Isles Great Pool Gugh Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool Lower Moors Norrard Rocks Peninnis Head Pentle Bay, Merrick And Round Islands Plains and Great Bay Pool Of Bryher & Popplestone Bank Rushy Bay and Heathy Hill Samson Shipman Head & Shipman Down St Helen's St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Western Rocks White Island Wingletang Down

Neighbouring areas Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Belowda Beacon Boscastle to Widemouth Boscawen Bude Coast Caerthillian to Kennack Cameron Quarry Carn Grey Rock and Quarry Clicker Tor Quarry Cligga Head Coverack Cove and Dolor Point Coverack to Porthoustock Crocadon Quarry Crow's Nest Cuckoo Rock to Turbot Point Cudden Point to Prussia Cove De Lank Quarries Duckpool to Furzey Cove East Lizard Heathlands Folly Rocks Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Great Wheal Fortune Greystone Quarry Gwithian to Mexico Towans Harbour Cove Hawkstor Pit Hingston Down Quarry & Consols Kennack to Coverack Kingsand to Sandway Point Lidcott Mine Loe Pool Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Luxulyan Quarry Meneage Coastal Section Mulberry Downs Quarry Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Penberthy Croft Mine Penlee Point Penlee Quarry Pentire Peninsula Polyne Quarry Polyphant Porthcew Porthleven Cliffs Porthleven Cliffs East Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Roche Rock Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenun Lane South Terras Mine St Agnes Beacon Pits St Erth Sand Pits St Mewan Beacon St Michael's Mount Stepper Point Stourscombe Quarry Swanpool Tater-du Tintagel Cliffs Trebetherick Point Tregargus Quarries Trelavour Downs Tremearne Par Trevaunance Cove Trevone Bay Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Viverdon Quarry West Lizard Wheal Alfred Wheal Gorland Wheal Martyn Wheal Penrose Yeolmbridge Quarry

Isles of Scilly	Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down (St. Martin's) Peninnis Head (St. Mary's) Porth Seal (St. Martin's) Porthloo Shipman Head & Shipman Down (Bryher) St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Watermill Cove White Island

Neighbouring areas: Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

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