OS grid reference SM8602 Sovereign state United Kingdom Fire Mid and West Wales Island group Cocos Islands Principal area Pembrokeshire | Country Wales Police Dyfed-Powys Ambulance Welsh Community Angle | |
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Panoramic view of the picturesque thorn island near wales
Thorn Island (alternative spelling: "Thorne Island") is a rocky islet, part of the Community of Angle off the coast of Pembrokeshire in south west Wales. It has an area of 2-acre (8,100 m2). The island is dominated by a coastal artillery fort that was built to defend Milford Haven in the mid-19th century. It has been the site of a number of shipwrecks, including one in 1894 that was carrying a cargo of Scotch whisky.
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Thorn Island Fort
Thorn Island commands the entrance to the anchorage of Milford Haven and access to the former Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock. A proposal was made to fortify the island in 1817, but it was not implemented. In the 1850s, there was growing concern about the increasing strength of the French Navy and the expansionist policy of the Emperor Napoleon III. Work started on the existing fort at some time after 1852 and a date of 1854 is carved above the entrance. The fort is an irregular polygon in plan and was designed with a seaward facing battery for five RBL 7 inch Armstrong guns and four 68-pounder guns, all mounted en barbette (i.e. in an open mounting, firing over a parapet). The landward side of the fort consists of a defensible barracks, with a loopholed parapet overlooking the entrance. In 1860, the report of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom commented that "Although these batteries [ie: Thorn Island Fort, Dale Fort and West Blockhouse Fort] would prevent an enemy from making use of the anchorage at the mouth of Milford Haven, they would not prevent the passage of steamers of war, and therefore would not suffice to protect the dockyard or the haven itself." This was due to the limited number and size of guns that the existing could bring to bear on any fast moving target. The report recommended to Lord Palmerston that further forts should be strengthened or constructed to counter the potential threat of the French Navy. Eventually twelve forts were constructed around the entrance to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven including Fort Hubberstone, Popton Fort and Stack Rock Fort.
The fort was converted into a hotel in 1947 and was sold in 1999 for £275,000. In 2001 it was owned by the Von Essen hotel group who intended spending four million pounds to reopen the hotel with a five star rating and a cable car to allow access from the mainland. In 2001 a competition was successfully held to find a family who would serve as caretakers for a year. In 2011 the island is up for sale again with a price tag now of £750,000. The island was finally sold in November 2011 for 'significantly less' than the guide price
The fort became a Grade II* Listed Building in 1996, because it was "a well-preserved fort of Palmerston's Haven defences".
Wrecks
Even without the fort, the island and the rocks around it were a hazard to any shipping. Divers recognise over twelve wrecks that are worth diving in the area of the island but of interest is the sailing ship that sank in 1878. In that year, 27 (some say 33) people who were rescued from the 1878 built sailing ship Loch Shiel which had run into rocks off the island. Two Angle lifeboat crew members and the honorary secretary received silver RNLI medals. It was said that the lifeboat was unable to reach them but these brave people managed to do it.
The rescue is particularly noteworthy as it is described as Wales' "Whisky Galore". The Loch Shiel was carrying goods from Scotland to Adelaide and included gunpowder, beer and 60 (some say 7,000) cases of Glasgow whisky. Much of this was never recovered. Some of the bottles are still amongst the wreck which are described as "undrinkable", but many and much of the cargo was only partially recovered by the customs men. Two local men from the same family drowned whilst attempting to bring a keg ashore, and another one died from alcohol poisoning.
Divers still investigate the wrecks off the island and they have auctioned full beer bottles that came from the Loch Shiel. The beer is reported to be untainted by salt water, flat, but drinkable. Each bottle has sold for £1,000 at auction.