page_title: Bass Point (England)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Bass Point (England) / History
caption_attribution_description: LLOYDS Signal Station The LIZARD
context_page_description: Bass Point is a headland on the coast of Cornwall, England, UK. It is at the southern tip of the Lizard peninsula, in the civil parish of Landewednack. The headland was a communications centre, during the Victorian era with the Lloyds Signal Station, opened in 1872 for shore to ship communications and Marconi's experiments with wireless at the Lizard Wireless Station.
context_section_description: Before the advent of the telegraph ships had no means of communication with their owners and could only send messages by semaphore, when they were close to the shore. The telegraph reached Falmouth in 1857 and G. C. Fox & Company built a signal station at Bass Point with the intention of laying a telegraph cable from Falmouth. The Post Office intervened and the Lloyds Signal Station was opened on 1 April 1872. Initially communications between ship and shore were by flags and the messages were then sent to Helston by post or by horse rider. On 2 June 1872 a cable reached the signal station and the Post Office opened an office at the station. Night signals by coloured lights, gun, rocket and steam whistles began in November 1872 and William Broad & Sons, also of Falmouth opened an office next door. The companies combined their operations in 1875 and by 1877 over one hundred vessels a month were using the station. It has been restored to recreate the original radio room and may be visited.
  Marconi constructed two wireless stations on the Lizard; the main, larger station being at Poldhu on the west coast. In 1900 he made the first ever ′over the horizon′ radio signal to the Isle of Wight.
  The former HM Coastguard station at Bass Point was the first location refurbished by the voluntary National Coastwatch Institution, in 1994, following the deaths of two local fishermen close to the point.
caption: Lloyds Signal Station
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