Fort Perch Rock is a former defence installation situated at the mouth of

Liverpool Bay Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence. Liverpool Bay has historically suffered from redu ...

in New Brighton. Built in the 1820s to defend the

Port of Liverpool The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of t ...

, its function has changed from defensive, to tourist attraction and museum. It has been used as a venue for musical concerts and has been listed as a Grade II*

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The Fort's cafe "The Mess" is open daily from 9am. A new World War 2 escape room concept "Escape The Fort" runs within the fort.

History

Fort Perch Rock is a coastal defence

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

built between 1825 and 1829, with the foundation stone being laid in 1826. It was built to protect the

and proposed as a fortified lighthouse to replace the old Perch Rock Light; however, a separate lighthouse was built. The fort was built on an area known as Black Rock, and was cut off at high tide. However, coastal reclamation has made it fully accessible. The Fort covers an area of about , with enough space for 100 men. It was built with red sandstone from the

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

quarries. The height of the walls ranges from to , and the towers are high. The Fort originally had a drawbridge, and a Tuscan portal which bore the coat of arms and the words 'Fort Perch Rock'. At one point it was armed with 18 guns, of which 16 were 32-pounders, mounted on platforms. It was nicknamed the 'Little

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

of the Mersey'. The foundation stone reads:

''This foundation stone of the Rock Perch Battery, projected by and under the direction of John Sikes Kitson, Esquire, Captain in the Royal Engineers, for the defence of the port was laid on 31st March 1826 by Peter Bourne, Esquire, Mayor of Liverpool in the 7th year of the reign of His Majesty George IV. His Grace, the Duke of Wellington , Master General of the Ordnance.''

The projected cost of building was £27,065.0s.8d. Kitson ensured that this budget was not exceeded, finishing the fort for a total cost of £26,965.0s.8d.

Modern use

In the late 1970s, the fort could be hired as a party venue. During this time

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Co ...

founder members

Andy McCluskey George Andrew McCluskey (born 24 June 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded a ...

and

Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for his contributions to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), a new wave band which he founded alongside Andy McCluskey in 1978. ...

played there as members of the short lived Wirral group

The Id The Id were a new wave/ synthpop band from the Wirral, Merseyside, England formed in 1977. They are best recalled as the precursor to the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), in which Id members Andy McCluskey (bass, vocals), Paul Hu ...

. Since the 1990s, the fort has played host to various musical events including, in the summer of 2006, a number of rock concerts which were organised by a group of young Wallaseyans. The nights were called "Nautical" and were featured in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper and named '' The NME'' club of the week for the 1 September 2006 show, which featured

British Sea Power Command of the sea (also called control of the sea or sea control) is a naval military concept regarding the strength of a particular navy to a specific naval area it controls. A navy has command of the sea when it is so strong that its rival ...

and the

Tiny Dancers Tiny Dancers were an English band formed in Sheffield by vocalist (and acoustic guitarist) David Kay, guitarist Chris "Ev" Etherington, bassist Dez Wathey, drummer Duncan "Zed" Morrison, and keyboardist (also percussionist and guitarist) David G ...

. The fort features a museum with displays including military aviation, maritime history, and the Fort Perch Rock Marine Radio Museum used to exhibit marine wireless communications devices. The museum is currently being refurbished and will reopen in Spring 2023. A new permanent

escape room An escape room, also known as an escape game, puzzle room, exit game, or riddle room is a game in which a team of players discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to accomplish a specific goal in a limite ...

concept "Escape The Fort" opened in 2022 and is available for bookings daily. In spring 2022, The Mess cafe opened within the Fort and is open daily from 9am.

In Literature and the Arts

In the poetical illustration 'The Black-Rock Fort and Lighthouse', by

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...

to an engraving of a painting by Samuel Austin, she imagines the beacon light as a welcoming sight to voyagers returning home to England.

Gallery

File:Fort Perch Rock Lighthouse.jpg, Perch Rock Lighthouse File:Fort Perch Rock 1991.jpg, Fort Perch Rock with Liverpool in the distance Image:Fortperchrock.jpg, View from the top of Fort Perch Rock Image:Fort Perch Rock 2 Wirral.jpg, Fort Perch Rock

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{commonscat, Fort Perch Rock
Fort Perch Rock's website
Perch Rock, Fort Forts in Merseyside Museums in Merseyside Telecommunications museums in the United Kingdom New Brighton, Merseyside Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Military and war museums in England