Looe Island (Cornish: Enys Lann-Managh, meaning Island of the Monk's Enclosure), also known as St George's Island, and historically St Michael's Island is a small island nature reserve[1] a mile from the mainland town of Looe off Cornwall, England.
According to local legend, Joseph of Arimathea landed here with the Christ Child.[2] Some scholars, including Glyn S. Lewis, suggest the island could be Ictis, the location described by Diodorus Siculus as a centre for the tin trade in pre-Roman Britain.[3]
The island is now owned and managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust charity where access[4] (including landing on the foreshore and flying of drones over the island)[5] is carefully managed for the benefit of wildlife and landing is only possible via the Cornwall Wildlife Trust authorized boat operator. The waters around the island are a marine nature reserve[6] and form part of the Whitsand and Looe Bay Marine Conservation Area[7] (VMCA). First established in 1995, the Whitsand and Looe Bay Marine Conservation Area covers nearly 5 km of coastline[8] and aims to protect the coastal and marine wildlife around Looe.
- ^ "Visit Looe Island | Cornwall Wildlife Trust".
- ^ Clensy, David (2006), Island Life: A History of Looe Island - pp. 15, Lulu.com, ISBN 9781411689176
- ^ Lewis, Glyn (January 2008). Did Jesus Come to Britain?: An Investigation into the Traditions That Christ Visited Cornwall and Somerset. p. 24. ISBN 9781905570157.
- ^ access to Looe island Archived 22 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Getting to the island | Cornwall Wildlife Trust".
- ^ "Looe Island Nature Reserve". Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ "Looe Voluntary Marine Conservation Area". Looe Marine Conservation Group. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ "Looe VMCA map" (PDF). Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.