{{Short description|Island in Cornwall, United Kingdom}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{coord|50.012222|N|5.266666|W|type:isle_region:GB|display=title|format=dms}} {{Infobox islands | name = Mullion Island | native_name = Enys Pryven | native_name_link = | native_name_lang = kw | image_name = Mullion, Mullion Island - geograph.org.uk - 981877.jpg | image_size = | image_caption = Mullion Island | image_alt = | image_map = | image_map_alt = | image_map_size = | image_map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{Coord|50|0|44|N|5|16|0|W}} | etymology = | location = Atlantic Ocean | grid_reference = <!-- UK only --> | archipelago = | waterbody = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = <!-- or |area_m2= or |area_ha= --> | area_footnotes = | rank = | length_km = <!-- or |length_m= --> | length_footnotes = | width_km = <!-- or |width_m= --> | width_footnotes = | coastline_km = <!-- or |coastline_m= --> | coastline_footnotes = | elevation_m = 36 | elevation_footnotes = | highest_mount = | country = <!-- mandatory --> | country_admin_divisions_title = | country_admin_divisions = | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = | country_admin_divisions_1 = | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = | country_admin_divisions_2 = | country_capital_type = | country_capital = | country_largest_city_type = | country_largest_city = | country_capital_and_largest_city = | country_largest_city_population = | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | country_area_km2 = <!-- or |country_area_m2= or |country_area_ha= --> | country1 = | country1_admin_divisions_title = | country1_admin_divisions = | country1_admin_divisions_title_1 = | country1_admin_divisions_1 = | country1_capital_type = | country1_capital = | country1_largest_city_type = | country1_largest_city = | country1_capital_and_largest_city = | country1_largest_city_population = | country1_leader_title = | country1_leader_name = | country1_area_km2 = <!-- or |country1_area_m2= or |country1_area_ha= --> | demonym = | population = | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_rank = | population_rank_max = | density_km2 = | density_rank = | density_footnotes = | languages = | ethnic_groups = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | website = | additional_info = | footnotes = }} '''Mullion Island''' ({{langx|kw|Enys Pryven||worm island}}) is an uninhabited island on the eastern side of Mount's Bay, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It is approximately half a mile (0.8 km) offshore from Mullion Cove, {{convert|1|mi|km}} in circumference and the highest point is {{convert|118|ft}} above sea level.<ref>''The Channel Pilot: Part 1'' (Hydrographic Dept., 1893), p. 79</ref><ref name=bates>{{cite book|last1=Bates|first1=Robin|last2=Scolding|first2=Bill|title=Beneath the Skin of The Lizard|date=2000|publisher=Serpentine Design|location=Cadgwith|isbn=1-898166-09-9}}</ref> It forms part of the Lizard Peninsula Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is within the Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Site of Special Scientific Interest.<ref name=SSSI>{{cite web|title=Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1004096.pdf|publisher=Natural England|access-date=3 November 2011|year=1993|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024220731/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1004096.pdf|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Geography and geology== The rocks of the island were formed 350 million years ago, with most formed in a fashion similar to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge today, where lava flows from an under-water split in the Earth's crust, and cools rapidly on the sea-bed as basalt, forming large rounded lumps known as pillow lava, many with a chilled margin.<ref name=bates/> Mullion Island was formed by a separate (later) volcanic episode than the nearby Lizard complex rocks.<ref name=SSSI/> The soils, developed from the underlying basalt and slate, has been highly manured by bird droppings, rich in nitrogen and phosphate, and sea beet (''Beta vulgaris'' subsp ''maritima'') and tree mallow (''Lavatera arborea'') are the dominant plants.<ref name="lawman">{{cite book|title=A Natural History of the Lizard Peninsula|last1=Lawman|first1=Jean|date=1994|publisher=Institute of Cornish Studies and Dyllansow Truran|isbn=1-85022-071-9|location=Redruth and Truro}}</ref> Great black-backed gull (''Larus marinus'') breed on the island, along with common guillemot (''Uria aalge''), Eurasian oystercatcher (''Haematopus ostralegus'') and possibly razorbill (''Alca torda''). European shag (''Gulosus aristotelis'') and great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo'') were also on the island during a visit by West Cornwall Ringing Group on 16 June 2015.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Grantham|first1=Mark|title=16th June 2015 Ringing marathon|url=http://cornishringing.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/ringing-marathon.html|website=West Cornwall Ringing Group|access-date=18 June 2015|date=16 June 2015}}</ref>
A visit by National Trust rangers in 2019 found the island littered with thousands of elastic bands. It is thought that the gulls mistake the bands for food while feeding in fields on the mainland and are later regurgitated by birds roosting on the island. Small bundles of twine and green fishing net was also found along with a dead gull with a 10 cm fishing hook.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mullion Island littered with thousands of elastic bands |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-50142881 |access-date=26 October 2019|date=23 October 2019 }}</ref>
==History== Before the First World War the Mullion pilchard seine companies posted a huer (a lookout) on the island to watch for the dark patch of a nearby shoal of pilchards.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Simper|first1=Robert|title=The Lugger Coast|date=2003|publisher=Laversham Press Ltd|location=Laversham|isbn=0-9538506-4-1|page=21}}</ref> The island was previously owned by the Lords Robartes of Lanhydrock<ref>Joseph Polsue, ''A Complete Parochial History of the County of Cornwall'', vol. 3 (William Lake, 1870) p. 386</ref> who sold it to the Meyer family during the 1920s. The Meyers gave it to the National Trust in 1945.<ref name=Felce>{{cite book|last=Felce|first=Robert|title=The History of Mullion Cove|year=2012|publisher=Westcountry Printing and Publishing|location=Mullion}}</ref>
The island was used for location shots for the 2015 television serial ''And Then There Were None'', based on a novel by Agatha Christie.<ref>{{cite web |title=And Then There Were None (2015) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581932/locations?ref_=ttfc_sa_4 |website=IMDb |access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{Portal|Cornwall}} {{Reflist|30em}}
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Category:Uninhabited islands of Cornwall Category:National Trust properties in Cornwall Category:Mullion, Cornwall
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