Lizard Point
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 Southernmost part of Lizard Point | |
  Lizard Point Location withinCornwall | |
| OS grid reference | SW695115 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HELSTON |
| Postcode district | TR12 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| 49°57′33″N5°12′23″W / 49.9591°N 5.2065°W /49.9591; -5.2065 | |
Lizard Point (Cornish:Penn Lysardh) inCornwall is at the southern tip of theLizard Peninsula. It is situated half-a-mile (800 m) south ofLizard village in thecivil parish ofLandewednack and about 11 miles (18 km) southeast ofHelston.[1]
Lizard Point is the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain at 49° 57' 30" N.[2]
Lizard Point is for many ships the starting point of their ocean passage and a well known shipping hazard. TheLizard Lighthouse is situated at Lizard Point. Immediately below the lighthouse, situated in what used to be a hotel, is theYHA LizardYouth Hostel. Lizard Point is situated withinCaerthillian to Kennack SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), noted for itsbiological andgeological interest.[3] Polpeor Cove is a small cove to the east of Lizard Point.[4]
The area is famous for its carvedserpentine items,[5] which range from ornaments to the pump handles in the Five Pilchardspublic house, in Porthallow. Thegeology of Lizard is of particular interest, being interpreted as anophiolite, a piece of ocean floor, with a number of planned walks available from local tourist authorities to discover more about the local rocks.
The first sighting of theSpanish Armada on mainlandBritain was off Lizard Point at 3 pm on 29 July 1588.[6][7]
TheBattle at the Lizard, between the English and the French navies during theWar of the Spanish Succession, took place off The Lizard on 21 October 1707.[8][9]
The 1,074 gross ton bulkcoaster carrierMVArdgarry (1957) was lost in a heavy storm, in over 30 ft (9m) high waves, off Lizard Point on 29 December 1962. All 12 crewmen perished and were never found.[10] She was built byJames Lamont & Co at thePort Glasgow shipyard.[11][12] TheArdgarry was carrying coal fromSwansea and headed toRouen in France. Six of the crew were from Northern Ireland, five from Scotland, and one from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.[13] Found again in 2006, the ship's bell was recovered, and a memorial service was held by family members in August 2008.[14]
On 15 January 2004 the French fishing trawlerBugaled Breizh (child ofBrittany) sank off Lizard Point with the loss of five lives. There were claims at the time by French marine accident experts that the vessel may have been pulled under when her nets became entangled in a British or Dutch submarine which was conductingNATO exercises in the area at the time.[15]
TheRoyal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) operates The Lizard lifeboat station at Kilcobben Cove,[16][17] two miles (3 km) northeast of Lizard Point. ATyne class lifeboat is housed in a large boathouse at the base of the cliff. The station features afunicular line to transport lifeboat crews from the boathouse to the clifftop station car park.
The biggest rescue in the RNLI's history was 17 March 1907 when the 12,000 tonne linerSSSuevic hit the Maenheere Reef near Lizard Point. In a strong gale and dense fog RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescued 456 passengers, including seventy babies. Crews fromThe Lizard,Cadgwith,Coverack andPorthleven rowed out repeatedly for sixteen hours to rescue all of the people on board. Sixsilver RNLI medals were later awarded, two toSuevic crew members.[18]
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