Steep Holm
Steep Holm is a small island in the Bristol Channel off the coast of south Wales. Though it has been uninhabited by humans since the 1920s, the island provides an important site for nature and conservation. In 1150 it became a religious centre with the establishment of the Augustinian Priory of St Michael. Later, as the fishing trade grew in importance for the island, a hotel and inn were built in the nineteenth century. From the Victorian period onwards the island became increasingly fortified with the introduction of six gun emplacements. These were supplemented by searchlight posts, rocket launcher sites and large gun batteries during the Second World War. In 1976, the island was purchased by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust with the aim of conservation. Today, the island is noted as a nature reserve, bird sanctuary and site of special scientific interest. The island is maintained on a voluntary basis, with visitors able to visit between April and October.
