Penlee Point ( kw, Penn Legh, meaning ‘stone-slab headland’) is a promontory near the coastal

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

Mousehole Mousehole (; kw, Porthenys) is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, England, UK. It is approximately south of Penzance on the shore of Mount's Bay. The village is in the civil parish of Penzance. An islet called St Clement's Isle lies ...

in west

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England, UK. It was the launching point of the Penlee lifeboat, which was lost in the disaster of 1981. In 1883, Mr J Runnalls employed seventy people at the Penlee quarries and stone-mills. The stone was wholly used for road-making and was claimed to be one of the most durable available. On one square inch of stone, it took a pressure of 29.011 lbs to crush the stone and on one square foot, it took 1365 tons. Stone was exported to Welsh ports instead of

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...

and to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

, London and Lowestoft for roads. Stone to London was taken weekly by steamer from Penzance and by sailing vessels from Mousehole. In 1990 Penlee Point was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...

interest. The SSSI includes two small disused quarries as well as the cliff and foreshore.

References

Headlands of Cornwall Mousehole Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1990 {{Penwith-geo-stub

See also

References