Piece of telegraph cable, c. 1869

Piece of telegraph cable reputed to have been laid between Lands End and the Scilly Isles, unknown maker, British, c. 1869

The idea of connecting Cornwall and the Sciliy Isles was promoted in 1869 by a company called Ashurst, Morris & Company, after the Post Office declined to make such a connection. The plan was originally for cables to connect all of the Islands, plus two lighthouses that sat off their coast. In the end, only one main cable was laid, connecting Lands End to St Mary's, the main town of the Sciliy Isles. The original cable was coated in hemp, rather than having iron armouring. It was laid between September 23rd and 25th, 1869, but failed soon after. It was repaired in April 1870 as a temporary measure, and that same year was replaced with an armoured cable.