The Wildlife of Drake's Island

01/06/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND – THE 1830 TO 1846 BUILDING PROGRAMME
With the old Keep or Barracks at the top of the Island demolished and replaced by the Upper Battery established by 1780 work started to expand the Barracks at the West end of the Island around 40 to 50 years later. By 1830 the Officers Annex and a pantry was added to the end of the Soldiers Barrack. An Annex was added to the Master Gunners House with the area to the rear of the House landscaped and the retaining wall to the rear enclosing the current garden was extended to meet the old outer defensive wall. As the Master Gunner’s House also contained the Guard room and stores the garden at that stage may have been a hard standing for parading the Guard and beasting (military slang for gently exercising) any prisoners. By 1846 the Ablution Block next to the Soldiers Barrack was added. Part of the alley between the two was covered over and housed a Pantry with food and Wine Stores. The wooden hut known as Skittle Alley was also built around this time. It was a recreational hut for the garrison as nine pin bowling was very popular in the UK at the time. The hut was converted to a dining hall during WWI and was demolished just after WWII. It is also likely at this stage the Barrack Courtyard was completely paved over (if it hadn’t been done so already) and steps added leading to the paths to the rear of the Barracks.
The effect on the Island habitats was a loss of area around the new Officers Mess, Master Gunners Annex and Ablution Block. Any flora and fauna that would have established itself in those areas after the previous building programme from 1750 to 1780 would also have been lost. The Island was still permanently garrisoned by a detachment of around 60 soldiers on average which would have included up to 11 families with around 20 wives and children so the brown rat population would still have had a plentiful food source. The marine birds would have been similarly unaffected. Newspaper reports of the time frequently mention the good standard of fishing around the Island which suggests there was plenty of food sources on the foreshore and around the Island.
Some flora had been introduced to the UK during this period with the growth in the planting of ornamental gardens. These include Winter Heliotrope which was introduced from the Mediterranean and North Africa as an ornamental ground cover as it forms dense lavender coloured carpets smelling of vanilla when in flower. It arrived in the UK from around 1805. Hydrangeas were introduced from Korea around 1780. They are found around the Master Gunners Annex by the entrance arch leading to the current Garden on the Island today. Fuchsias arrived in the UK around 1788 from South America and are most commonly found in the inner courtyard at the top of the vaulted entrance that leads up from the beach although it does depend if the area has been cut back or not. Japanese Spindle was introduced around 1804. However although all four can be found on the Island today they were unlikely to have established themselves on the Island until the Adventure Centre era starting in 1963. This was as they were introduced initially to the UK as ornamental garden flora they would have taken some time to establish themselves outside of the Gardens and secondly building programmes to upgrade the defences continued on all around the Island at regular periods up until the end of WWII reducing the available habitats on the Island and the ability of flora to establish themselves on the Island. It was not until the 1960’s and mainly 1970’s that a planting programme to green the Island was carried out by the Adventure Centre which is when the initial introduction of these plants most likely happened. The next post will look at the effect of the Palmerston Defences on the Island.

12/05/2026

DRAKE'S ISLAND TOURS SUSPENDED
Piece in Plymouth Live if people aren't aware. Tours suspended pending safety inspections!! Be interested to see if he publishes the safety reports and risk assessments as the Jetty has at least one leg completely suspended (not connected to the sea bed) and there is concrete falling off the underside directly above the landing stage. Additionally a second breach of the sea wall started at the back of the Island at the end of last year just along from where the first collapse and landslip occurred along with a partial collapse of the Officers Annex roof again that appeared late last year. Link is here

Businessman Morgan Phillips bought the island of a guide price of £6m in 2019

02/05/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND – THE 1750 TO 1780 BUILDING PROGRAMME
In 1689, just after the Island ceased to be used as a State Prison William III and Mary II ascended to the throne. In 1690 construction began at the Naval Dockyard at Devonport and a number of surveys were done on the defences of the Sound to protect the new Dockyard. The Island guarding the entrance to the Tamar was recommended for a number of improvements. Work began in 1750 and was completed in 1780 and a number of buildings constructed over that period remain to this day.
Between 1750 and 1780 the vaulted entranceway and inner courtyard were built. The outer defensive wall was extended out then turned at a right angle to link into the original outer wall. This enclosed the old landing stage and stone steps that led up to the entrance arch. This was backfilled and paved over to create an outer courtyard. A new vaulted entrance way led up to the new outer courtyard with the old entrance arch remaining and giving access to the inside of the Island although the old Gunners Barrack over the Arch and the Guard Room next to it were demolished. This led to a loss of cliff habitat as well as a small part of the marine habitat.
In 1750 part of the area at the west end of the Island was cleared and levelled to make room for the first part of the Soldiers Barrack to be built along with a new Master Gunner’s House and Stores which also housed a guardroom and a couple of holding cells. By 1780 the Tudor Keep and Master Gunner’s Barrack at the top of the Island were demolished and replaced by an upper battery of guns along with furnaces for heating the shot for the Guns. The Island is only 400 metres long by 100 metres wide so this affected a significant amount of the land on the Island. The outer defensive walls were strengthened and raised during this period.
Whilst it is unlikely that any new flora was established on the Island, Canadian Geese had been introduced to England by Charles II in 1665 and his lead was followed by many landowners. Although they do ground nest on the Island today it is unlikely they used the Island until the military moved out due to the lack of ground cover available to hide the goslings back then in the early days and weeks after they hatched. Even today there are often years when no goslings survive due to predation by Gulls and Rats. Brown Rats had also arrived in the UK by 1730 and would have had ample opportunity to get across to the Island on the boats that were involved with transferring men and materiel for the building programmes. They would have replaced any of the smaller Black Rats that may have been established on the Island. The Island had a permanent Garrison by then and its food larders, pantries and the Soldiers Canteen along with the waste produced would have provided an ample food source together with scavenging on any gulls or pigeons they could catch. Although there are no reports of Rat infestations when the Military was garrisoning the Island there were rat problems a couple of times when the Adventure Training Centre was open. Once in 1976 and again in 1987 that resulted in the Kitchens being closed down as staff refused to work in them. Brown Rats still inhabit the Island today though in small numbers. They are seen all around the Island though mainly in the Casemates area and most probably nest in the rock crevices above the high water mark. They will scavenge on birds eggs, injured or dead birds and any young they can catch as well any left over food that isn’t properly disposed of after events have been run on the Island.
Overall this phase building programme would have meant a loss of habitat and only the Brown Rats may have established themselves on the Island during the period though probably in limited numbers as the only water supply on the Island would have been from the drains and rain water catchment tanks. The tanks would have been covered so not easily accessible but the rain would have provided some limited water. The next post will cover the expansion of the Barracks over the period 1830 to 1846.

29/03/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND – THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR AND STATE PRISON 1642 - 1684
After the fortifications had been completed in 1602 the Governor of Plymouth and St Nicholas Island was given a grant to hire soldiers as the Garrison for Plymouth’s defences. A Lieutenant and 15 soldiers were based on the Island so there was a permanent, albeit quite small, Garrison on the Island. This would not have had a large ecological footprint leaving the flora and fauna that existed relatively untouched.

The English Civil War changed that. From 1642 until 1646 Plymouth was besieged by the Royalists. The size of the town increased from 7,000 to 10,000 and the water supply from Drake’s Leat was cut off. Although I don’t have the exact numbers that garrisoned the Island it was key to defending Plymouth from a seaborne threat and allowing the Parliamentary Navy to keep Plymouth resupplied. As a guess I would estimate there was probably a Garrison of around 100 (this equates to a company of soldiers in the Parliamentary Army) although this may have fluctuated depending on threat to Plymouth. Food would have been scarce so the Garrison on the Island would probably have scavenged those plants that were edible even though they would have been a high priority for food. Possible food sources on the Island were Sea Beet and Fennel, Rock Samphire, any berries that were available, Scurvy grass and nettles along with seaweed. Birds eggs may also have been scavenged if they were still nesting on the Island possibly along with any birds if they could be caught during periods when food was scarce. It is also likely that the Garrison fished off the foreshore. So for 4 years the Island’s edible flora and fauna was possibly harvested to supplement the rations of the Garrison. The habitats on the Island would have been under more human pressure probably reducing the amount of the Island available to be colonised by nature. Unfortunately there are no contemporary reports of how the Garrison was maintained so this is, hopefully, educated conjecture.

After the Civil War the Island remained relatively well garrisoned, probably still at around 100, as Oliver Cromwell became involved in various wars with the Dutch, Scots and Irish. During this period the pressure on the Island habitats was probably reduced as the Island could be resupplied from Plymouth reducing any need to harvest the Island’s flora and fauna. With the death of Cromwell in 1568 leaving no obvious successor the Army under General Monck restored Charles II to the throne in 1660. The Island then became a State Prison until 1684. No new buildings were required as it only held a few prisoners, at least 9 and no more than 13, and most for less than a year so they would have been kept in the basements of the Barracks. The last Prisoner was Major General John Lambert who was the Island’s only prisoner for 17 years from 1667 until his death in 1684. He was something of a celebrity prisoner, visited by Charles II amongst other notables of the day along with family and friends. He was known as a keen gardener and at least one contemporary report says he was allowed to keep his own garden on the Island. This was most likely by the Barracks at the top of the Island. Interestingly the 1600’s saw the introduction to the UK of some species found on the Island today but it is unlikely they are direct descendants. Although there is no evidence of what was grown in Lambert’s garden but as he was known as a keen gardener some of his visitors may have bought him cuttings of these new plants. Those plants included Broad Leaved Everlasting Pea and Purple Toadflax (introduced from Italy). Daffodils (bought in from Portugal and Africa) were also introduced but were the wild daffodils sometimes called Lent Lillies which are rarely if ever seen today. Todays daffodils tend to be hybrids bred by horticulturalists from the 1800’s onwards. Bears Breeches (from the Mediterranean) were also recorded in England at this time. Ivy Leafed Toadflax also appeared in the UK during the 17th Century and may have found its way onto the Island. Whilst it may not have been a Garden plant it is found predominantly in mortar crevices of old walls and thriving in shaded, rocky, or vertical habitats including cliffs so would have plenty of habitats in which to establish itself on the Island.
The photos, apart from the two reproductions of the daffodils were taken between 2020 and 2023
The next post will look at how the changes to the fortifications in the 1700’s may have affected nature on the Island.

09/03/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND – FIRST FORTIFICATIONS 1548 TO 1602
The next major change occurred with the first fortifications on the Island built from 1548 to around 1580 and finished off over 1601 and 1602.
It happened in intermittent bursts over the years with an initial building phase of the Castle or Keep which served as the Barracks and store rooms for the Garrison plus the Master Gunners Barrack and stores all located at the top of the Island. The outer defensive wall which was strengthened with earth on the edge of the cliff face all around the perimeter of the Island incorporating the Artillery Tower that faces Plymouth to this day, around 14 Gun emplacements on wooden platforms, and the Gunners Barrack over the entrance arch were built. Water cisterns to catch rainwater were also built along with paths laid around the Island. In 1560 major repairs to the fortifications were undertaken and in 1590 the defensive wall by the entrance was strengthened and heightened. Over 1601 and 1602 further repairs were undertaken especially to the Barracks and replacing rotting gun platforms, a Gunpowder House below the Castle was added along with a Guard House next to the Gunners Barrack over the Entrance Arch, 2,666 yards of path and open drains to feed the water cisterns. The paths would have been some form of hard standing or paving and the drains probably open and brick lined as the rock was porous and the idea was to divert the water to the cisterns. A quay and crane next to the steps leading up from the beach was also added. There was also a reasonably small (less than 10 men) garrison which was not always on the Island but was augmented at times of war.
So how did this effect the ecology of the Island. During the building periods there would have been considerable disturbance to the land all round the Island. The builders and the materials they bought over would have provided a means of transport for seeds on the men and their clothing and in the material. It is unlikely new species would have been bought in at this point just more seeds of existing plants although some may have been new to the Island but not to southern England. Potentially some waste or scrubland produced where building material was ground dumped around the Island and left if unused. Rotting wood may have been dumped in a specific location or locations on the Island which would have provided a habitat for insects (especially beetles) which in turn would have been food for birds on the Island especially Rock Pipets that today are resident on the Island. There was more earth to provide a habitat for growth and those areas away from the Barracks and the gun platforms and between the paths would probably have been left largely to nature as there was little or no maintenance carried out on the fortifications. The buildings themselves would have provided habitat for plants and birds while the shade and shelter the walls provided would have provided more habitat for those plants that grow vertically instead of spreading like a mat. Water was now being stored on the Island – needed by the Guns to cool them down after firing which may have given more moistened albeit quite small areas on the Island.
Some plants still found on the Island that could have benefitted or appeared for the first time include Common Ivy along with the associated Ivy Broomrape would have benefitted from the additional walls and buildings as would Wall Pennywort. Some low grass such as Red Fescue may have benefitted from the shade and shelter provided by the defensive wall on the south of the Island. Various types of thistle, nettles and maybe even some bramble that like waste and scrubland may have gained a foothold. Poppies and Tree Mallow could have gained from the shelter of the defensive walls along with Hogweed and Ground Ivy that like shade, Greater Plantain that is found on paths associated with human activity could have appeared, Black Horehound and Shepherd’s Purse would have both benefitted from waste ground.
The bird population, especially the ground nesting birds were likely to have seen their habitats reduced not just by the buildings but by the presence of humans and the non marine birds would have seen some change in their natural food source with potentially a change in the plants on the Island. Human food waste may have been available and increased. Rats would have had more food opportunities with food now being stored on the Island.
Overall the habitats would have changed with less open habitat and more sheltered and shaded areas with more buildings, paths and disturbed ground. The Island wasn’t always manned and from contemporary reports the fortifications did fall into disrepair suggesting that nature had ample opportunity to take hold especially in those areas of the Island away from the paths. There were still no trees and there is no evidence the Garrison when it was on the Island planted any vegetable or herb gardens, probably as the deployments were infrequent although it is possible that they harvested plants that did grow there for medicinal and food use. Alexanders, a plant bought across by the Romans could have been found on the Island and was used in medieval peasant dishes – it was replaced by celery in the 1700’s. Sea Beet and Fennel leaves were used in Tudor dishes, Rock Samphire was known from the 1500’s as a plant with health benefits, particularly for the liver, spleen, and kidneys. It was common to pickle the leaves and use them as a sauce or in salads. Scurvy grass which was also likely to be found on the Island was known for its nutritional benefits by coastal communities. Nettles could have harvested in the spring if other greens were in short supply. If brambles had taken root any berries produced would probably have been picked, much as visitors to the Island today often pick the berries that are in season!! However this would have been fairly ad hoc with plants used if they were available to supplement the rations as opposed to any sort of permanent garden arrangement especially as there was no regular garrison on the Island.
The photos of flora and fauna were taken on the Island over the last couple of years.
Next post I’ll look at how the Island may have been affected by the English Civil War and the introduction of a permanent garrison.

16/02/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND – THE HAVENER YEARS THROUGH TO THE FIRST FORTIFICATIONS 1297 TO 1548
The Havener of Cornwall or Keeper of the Havenary Ports of Cornwall and the Port of Plymouth to give the Office the full title was an official of the Earldom and later Duchy of Cornwall. He was the collector of Customs and Excise duties due to Cornwall from foreign merchant ships. There are records from 1297 to 1356 although the post may have been established as early as 1206 when the Earldom was first created. There is no record of when the Island stopped being used by the Havener but it is likely to have been some time before the fortifications started to be built in 1548 although there was a Havener beyond that date. As far as the Island is concerned the Havener was shown to use it as a place for merchant ships to store cargoes not due to be offloaded in England, a kind of bonded warehouse. It is not known if a specific building was constructed for the purpose but as there are no indications or records of one it seems likely the now disused St Michael’s Chapel was used. The Havener also used the Island to offload and then transport some cargoes to Plymouth and there are records of merchant ships being victualled or resupplied from the Island. The records indicate the use of the Island was fairly infrequent but nonetheless would have involved both men and cargoes being transported to and up the Island at times throughout the year. These interactions would have led to disturbing the ground, always useful for Flora as well providing more opportunity for species to get a foothold on the Island via being transported on the boats, in the cargoes or on the men’s clothing and footwear. However with space limited and no indication that much soil was bought over it is unlikely that the dominance of the existing species would have been threatened. The area of the Island covered by plants is likely to have increased somewhat just due to the natural composition of plants into soil over time but it is a slow process.
One plant that may have appeared was Red Valarian which is found all over the Island today. It was introduced from the Mediterranean as a garden plant in the 1500’s and gradually became naturalised in the wild. Its commonly found on old, mortar-filled stone and brick walls, railway cuttings, roadside verges, cliffs, and coastal rubble and is particularly common in Southern England. It prefers disturbed soil and rocky habitats. Given how common it is in the South and that Plymouth would have been one of the main ports of entry it’s entirely possible that Red Valerian was established on the Island this early on the cliffs or on the now aged Chapel or possibly both. Currently Red Valerian can be found almost everywhere on the Island which is not cut back including on the outside of the defensive walls although not around the inside of the casemates which is regularly cut back. It usually flowers between May and October and provides food for pollinators, mainly butterflies.
There were still no trees on the Island and the bird life would not have changed much neither would the insect life. In summary with no new buildings or major works although there was some increase in human use on the Island it’s ecology would not have been impacted to any great extent over this period. A few new species of plant may have been established on the Island with the most likely suspect being Red Valerian and there was likely a small increase in plant cover on the Island.
Next time the building of the first fortifications and the effect on the ecology of the Island.
The images are of Red Valerian on the Island in the last few years.

28/01/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND – THE BUILDING OF ST MICHAEL’S CHAPEL
The first human interaction would have been the building of St Michael’s Chapel around 1080. Over the preceding centuries there would have been some organic matter from the existing individual ferns and hardy plants dying off and breaking down but not to any great extent. It is possible some earth was bought over for the construction of the Chapel and any spare may have been spread around the Island providing a small additional habitat. That earth may have contained seeds and insects not previously on the Island. The boat, workers and other construction materials could also have transported seeds, insects and even rats. Black rats were bought to the UK by the Romans although the Brown Rat didn’t arrive from Central Asia until around 1700. If there were nesting birds on the Island then there would have been a food source to sustain a small colony of rats on the Island. During construction disturbing the ground for the Chapel and path if one were made would have provided additional habitat for the hardy plant species. Once built as it was a Votive Chapel, one built to fulfil a vow by the Valletort Family who came over as part of the Norman Conquest, it would have been used infrequently perhaps only once or twice a year so there wouldn’t have been much human interaction with the ecology on the Island. However the mortar and Chapel itself would have provided a habitat for those plants that thrive in a mortar rich environment and walls as well as for the insects and birds that use buildings.
Pigeons had come over with the Normans and those that escaped the Dove Cotes would have become feral and a few of those could have made their home on the Island given their ability to inhabit abandoned or rarely used buildings. Apart from Pigeons it is unlikely any other species would have benefitted from the construction of the Chapel and moved to the Island.
Interestingly Bats have a preference for isolated buildings because of they offer a quiet, undisturbed location. There would have been an albeit limited food source on the Island and so Bats may have roosted there although there would have been other suitable locations closer to woodlands and hedges which are their preferred hunting grounds.
The darkness of the chapel could have provided habitat for some species of moth and spider as well as centipedes, silverfish, earwigs and woodlice all of which like dark, damp environments. Any wood used in the frame of the Chapel or any left over from the construction would have provided a habitat for woodworms, wood lice and beetles. Amongst the plant species still found on the Island that may have benefited from the new habitats and appeared on the Island are Birds Foot Trefoil, Common Mallow, Buck’s Horn Plantain, Common Ivy, Fennel, Ivy Leaved Toadflax, Wild Carrot, Procumbent Pearlwort, Biting Stonecrop, Black Nightshade and Wall Speedwell. Not all the species are likely to have taken root on the Island but these are the ones that were present in England at the time and have been recorded on the Island and are known to benefit from the new habitats that may have caused by the building of the Chapel. There still would have been no trees or hedgerows on the Island. By 1100 the Manor of Sutton which would later become Plymouth was, according to Henry I, a mean thing only inhabited by Fishers so a small fishing hamlet. They likely fished around the Island for Crab, Lobster and Eels but were unlikely to encroach on the Island regularly as they would have been trespassing on Valletort land. So the Island was undisturbed apart from visits from the Valletorts to the Chapel and the occasional fishermen’s visit until around 1287 when the Havener of Cornwall seems to have used the Island on a more regular basis but more on that next time.

12/01/2026

THE ECOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF DRAKE’S ISLAND
Although it is difficult to be exact as to how the ecology of the Island developed there are some reference points we can use. Over the next few months I’ll post some of the key points in the Island’s ecological history where change may have taken place. I’ll start back by looking back at the possible ecology of the Island around the year 1050 just before the Norman Conquest and the first time we know humans, the builders of St Michael’s Chapel, set foot on the Island in the recent past.
The geological make up of the Island was and is a mix of Devonian Limestone from around 400 million years ago that fused with fossilised volcanic lava that dates to around 250 million years ago. Prior to the chapel being built the Island would have originally looked similar to Little Drake’s Island with any plant growth generally confined to the summit and more sheltered cliff faces, primarily the Northern cliff face that looks at Plymouth.
Those plants that would have grown there were most likely those with salt tolerance and that preferred Limestone. No trees, long grasses or tall plants would have been present although a number of the ferns currently on the Island such as Hart’s Tongue Fern and Polypody Ferns could have been there along with plants that spread out forming mats such as Sea Campion, English Stonecrop, Herb Robert and Scarlet Pimpernell which can be seen on the Island today. Other plants that currently grow on the Island and could have been present include Sea Thrift, Common Restharrow, Pellitory-of-the-Wall, Ribwort Plantain, Red Fescue, Slender Thistle, Greater Knapweed, Red Valerian, Scurygrass, Rock Sea Spurrey and Wall Pennywort. Rock Samphire, Sea Spleenwort, Sea Beet, Sea Pearlwort, Sea Mayweed and Sea Radish could have been found down the cliff face closer to the High Water Mark and below that the seaweed, Limpets, Barnacles and other molluscs and invertebrates that can be seen today would also have been present.
As the waters around the Island would have been stocked with fish and other marine animals and there was little human fishing similar marine birds as are resident or visit the Island today would have come to forage for food. A few, such as the Herring and Great Backed Gulls together with Cormorants, Shags and Guillemots may have been resident and bred on the Island. Although the Great Cormorants on the Island today nest in a tree they usually ground nest so the lack of trees wouldn’t have prohibited them from being breeding the island. The lack of trees and long grass for cover meant the ducks would have been unlikely to nest on the Island either but may still have foraged around the Island. Canadian Geese wouldn’t have been present as they were not introduced to the UK until the 1600’s – they don’t actually migrate from Canada. A lack of brambles and trees would have meant that the smaller birds such as Robins, Wrens, Goldfinches and Blackbirds would have been far less prevalent if not absent entirely. Although some insects and plant seeds would have been present for food the habitat would have been unsuitable for nesting or roosting. However it is possible Rock Pipets that nest in rock crevices and cavities hidden by the sort of low level vegetation that would have been on the Island could have been resident on the Island as they are today. Migrating Swallows and Swifts that currently visit the Island in the summer months could have visited the Island in distant past as well. Today you can see Northern Wheatears on the Island as they visit briefly (for a few hours) on their migration to and from Africa and it was just as likely that they visited the Island in the past.
Grey Seals have inhabited British waters since the last Ice Age so would have likely foraged around the Island as they do now as well as using it as a haul out site to bask and digest food. Harbour Seals are present in small localised pockets in SW England today and it is possible they were present around the Island back in the day although there is no evidence for available to support that notion.
The images were taken in the last few years and are labelled.
Next time a look at what may have changed with the building of St Michael’s Chapel.