Hugh Town

Hugh Town
View from Buzza Hill, across the isthmus town, towards The Garrison
Hugh Town is located in Isles of Scilly
Hugh Town
Hugh Town
Location within Isles of Scilly
Population948 
OS grid referenceSV903105
Civil parish
  • St Mary's
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townISLES OF SCILLY
Postcode districtTR21
Dialling code01720
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireIsles of Scilly
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
49°54′53″N 6°18′58″W / 49.9146°N 6.3160°W / 49.9146; -6.3160

Hugh Town (Cornish: Treworenys[1] or Tre Huw) is the largest settlement on the Isles of Scilly and its administrative centre. The town is situated on the island of St Mary's,[2] the largest and most populous island in the archipelago, and is located on a narrow isthmus which joins the peninsula known as the Garrison (historically the Hugh) with the rest of the island.

The population recorded by the 2011 census was 1,097[3] (up from 1,068 in 2001). Unlike the rest of the Isles of Scilly, the freehold title to land in the town is not held by the Duchy of Cornwall — in 1949 it was sold to the inhabitants. The harbour, however, continues to be owned and run by the Duchy.[4]

Hugh Town becomes particularly busy during the May Day bank holiday weekend (the first weekend in May) when the World Pilot Gig Championships are held. The competing teams base themselves in the several bays of St Mary's Pool (the large natural bay to the north of Hugh Town) and the numerous races finish at the end of the harbour quay.[5]

  1. ^ "Akademi Kernewek - Henwyn Tyller". Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 Land's End ISBN 978-0-319-23148-7
  3. ^ Combination of populations of the four output areas covering the settlement.
  4. ^ St Mary's Harbour Archived 19 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine official website
  5. ^ McDonald, Gayle (5 May 2019). "World Pilot Gig Championships get underway on the Isles of Scilly". CornwallLive. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.