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The Illustrated Lundy News was first produced in the Summer of 1970. Early editions were 16 pages long, increasing to 24 pages with Issue no. 9. It ran until 1975, when it was announced in Issue no.15 that it was closing because rising costs made its production and distribution unsustainable. However, a 16th edition of just four pages was published in Spring 1975, apparently as a forerunner of a slimmed-down version, though no further issues appeared.

The ILN – as it was usually known – covered all aspects of Lundy life and was very well illustrated with photographs and with drawings by its editor, John Dyke. One regular column was ‘Keeping You Posted’ by Barry Chinchen which covered Lundy’s philatelic history and new stamp issues.

The ILN was instigated by the Landmark Trust very shortly after they took over the management of Lundy in 1969. John Smith (later Sir John), the founder-chairman of the Landmark Trust, wrote in the first edition:

‘The purpose of this magazine ... is to bind Lundy and its admirers together. ... As alas we cannot all be on Lundy all the time, I thought this magazine might help to keep everyone in touch.’

John Smith appointed John Dyke as Artist-in-residence on Lundy; John had already designed several issues of Lundy stamps and produced very many drawings of Lundy for various publications when the island was owned by the Harman family. John and his wife, Joan, ran the ILN from their home at Signal Cottage (subsequently demolished) near the Castle. Its title and masthead were a play on the then very well-known Illustrated London News – a typical example of John’s wit and its expression through his artistic talent.

Although the ‘classic’ ILN finished in 1975, its title and format were revived to mark the Golden Jubilee of Landmark on Lundy in 2019 (Issue no. 17) and again in 2023 to celebrate John Dyke’s centenary (Issue no. 18).

With the kind permission of Derek Green for the Landmark Trust, all eighteen editions of the ILN have now been made available on a strictly non-commercial basis as searchable PDFs so that Lundy enthusiasts and researchers can easily access this important resource. The copyright of all editions of the Illustrated Lundy News remains with the Landmark Trust.