People have lived on Lundy since prehistoric times and there are a lot of archaeological remains on the island. Finds include scrapers from the Stone Age, and there is evidence of a Bronze age roundhouse that appeared after a big peat fire early in the 20th century.

Henry III built the castle - known as Marisco Castle - in the thirteenth century and today it is an impressive landmark on the south east of the island. He paid for it from the profits from the rabbit warren on Lundy, and it was built using local granite. Much of the historical settlement on Lundy was in the south of the island, where the main village is today. Here there is 19th century St Helena's Church, which can hold 260 people, far more than the island population today. It was built when granite was quarried from the east coast of the island. Today many of the quarry workings and related features are protected historical monuments.

Lundy has a long record of shipwrecks and it is one of the best dive wreck sites in the country. Before the lighthouses, there were batteries on Lundy that would fire cannons out to sea to warn ships of its presence. Around 1820 the Old Light was built on Beacon Hill, not far from the settlement and on the highest point on the island. But it was ineffective, especially when the light was obscured by low cloud in bad weather - just when it was needed most. It was replaced two lighthouses at the north and south of the island - North Light (built in 1897) and South Light. With three lighthouses on an island three miles long, Lundy now has one of the highest densities of lighthouses in the country.

The National Trust bought Lundy island in 1969. The Landmark Trust now manage it under lease.