Lundy

Lundy, narrow island, Devon, lying about 30 km (19 mi) west of the mainland in the Bristol Channel, with an area of 4.5 sq km (1• sq mi). It gradually slopes down from western cliffs to the more sheltered, fertile eastern coast. Its population (1996) is 19. Its name is derived from the Old Norse for “puffin island”, and Lundy is known for its many bird species, though few puffins remain.

Foundations of a 4th-century chapel remain, as does evidence of a medieval Christian community. The island was also a Viking base, and was then owned by the English Crown from 1150 to 1647, since when it has changed hands numerous times, at one time serving as a penal colony. In 1969 Lundy was bought for the National Trust by Jack Hayward, a British businessman; in 1987 it became Britain’s first marine nature reserve. Leased to the Landmark Trust, Lundy is also designated a European Special Area of Conservation. In 2003 a ban on fishing east of the island was introduced in order to preserve and restore the marine environment.