Built on Scilly

A more unlikely place to have had a successful shipbuilding Industry cannot be imagined, yet the Isles of Scilly built 153 ships between 1774 and 1891, some in excess of 500-tons. Located 28 miles from Land’s End and 47 miles from the nearest port of Penzance, the industry was totally reliant on imported materials. There was no local timber, no pitch, no tar, no canvas makers, no foundry. Much was salvaged from shipwrecks, otherwise everything was bought in. Surprisingly, it proved financially rewarding, creating wealth and employment.


This is the first definitive history of shipbuilding on Scilly to appear in print. Hundreds of Scillonian tradesmen are mentioned and this booklet is a rich source of almost forgotten local 18–19th century history.