Churches of the British Isles

Following that expulsion, the location of a regular Old Grimsby Methodist Meeting, Tresco, can be found at the south-west corner of Green Porth beach and the lane which leads to St Nicholas' Churchin Old Grimsby. Tresco was the only island without a Methodist chapel by 1900. The nonconformists were allowed to use the church room on Sunday afternoons, as long as those who attended also went to the Anglican church each Sunday morning and evening.

The Church of St Nicholas, eastern Tresco, is located on the southern side of the lane, overlooking the junction with Hairy Arm. Erected between 1878-1879, this cruciform-plan church building is dedicated to the patron saint of sailors, travellers, children, merchants, and anyone who is in distress. It was built by Thomas Algernon Dorrien Smith as a memorial for his uncle Augustus Smith who died in 1871. The majority of the costs were paid by Lady Sophia Tower.

Construction of this building with its chancel, nave, transepts, and south-east tower was handled by Richard and Thomas Chudleigh, masons, and William Nicholls, carpenter. The open arch-braced roof is supported on stone corbels, said to have been designed by Nicholls, based on an upturned boat. There has been no resident clergy on Tresco since 1982. Visiting Anglican clergy in summer months lead Sunday morning worship as part of the 'Clergy Holiday Scheme'.

Old Grimsby Reading Room stands on the north side of the lane linking St Nicholas Church to New Grimsby Quay, with a northbound lane to Back Lane on the room's western flank. Reading rooms were imposed upon the working classes by the upper classes, mainly the church and local landowners. This building possibly served as the village hall following closure as a reading room and the Baptist chapel (see below). Today this semi-detached building is a B&B.

Tresco Baptist Chapel and former reading room (above) is now Townshill cottage. It is located just down the hill from the New Inn public house. Baptists arrived in the early 1800s. Rev G C Smith of Penzance visited Scilly in 1814 and called national attention to distress here. The Baptist Itinerant Aid Society established Scilly as their first missionary station, with chapels on all the inhabited islands. Augustus Smith fell out with them in 1843 and all were closed.

Photos on this page kindly contributed by James Stringer and David Edwards via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and four photos copyright © Andrew Abbot (two), Oliver Dixon, and Martin Southwood via Geograph, reused under a cc licence.