The world's smallest island with a building just off the UK coast

The island measures just under 8,000 square feet at low tide. (Image: Getty)

The UK is famous for a few things, from fish and chips to black cabs and Big Ben. But very few people might be aware that the nation is also home to the world’s smallest island with a building.

Just 28 miles off the southwestern tip of England lies an island so small it barely registers on the map. But despite its tiny size, it holds a world record and the building that’s on top if it has helped save thousands of lives. Bishop Rock, part of the Isles of Scilly, is officially the world’s smallest island with a structure on it. Measuring just under 8,000 square feet at low tide, and roughly 45 metres long by 16 metres wide, the rock is home to a single lighthouse that covers almost the entire island.

Dubbed the 'King of the Lighthouses', it is believed to be the second tallest in the UK. (Image: Visit Isles of Scilly)

Built in 1858, the granite tower was created after a series of deadly shipwrecks, including the 1707 disaster that saw four Royal Navy ships crash nearby, killing around 2,000 people. 

Over the centuries, the Isles of Scilly have recorded over 900 shipwrecks in total.

The original lighthouse design was destroyed by storms before it could even be lit. 

Its replacement was a granite structure, 35 metres high, which stood firm until it too needed strengthening. 

A third version was built around it in the 1880s, bringing its height to 49 metres. Dubbed the "King of the Lighthouses," it is believed to be the second tallest in the UK, according to Atlas Obscura.

Trips to Bishop Rock run during the summer months, weather permitting. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The building has 10 floors, with rooms for storage, living quarters, and even a helipad on the roof. 

Lighthouse keepers lived there until 1992, when it was finally automated.

According to Visit Isles of Scilly, trips to Bishop Rock run during the summer months, weather permitting. 

Visitors can see the structure up close and also take in wildlife along the way - including puffins, seals and diving gannets.

Nearby islands like Rosevear still have the remains of tiny houses used by workers building the lighthouse in the 1800s.

At the time, they had to row to Bishop Rock each day and lived in total isolation while construction continued in rough conditions.