The Lizard

The Lizard is a rugged peninsula in southern Cornwall, England. It is the most southerly part of the British mainland, where the land meets the sea at Lizard Point. The peninsula stretches about 23 kilometres in each direction, bordered by the Helford River and Loe Pool to the north. Its coast is wild and jagged, with rocks that lie just beneath the waves. The Lizard is recognised for its unusual geology and rare plants, and it forms part of the Cornwall National Landscape. The name comes from the Cornish ‘Lys Ardh’, meaning ‘high court’, though the land is mostly made of serpentinite rock.

The coast has long been feared by sailors, earning the name ‘Graveyard of Ships’. Lizard Lighthouse, built in 1752, still stands at Lizard Point to guide vessels safely past the dangers. Many ships have been wrecked here, including the SS Mohegan in 1898, which lost 106 lives when it struck the Manacles. The biggest rescue in RNLI history happened in 1907 when the Suevic ran aground, and lifeboat crews saved 456 passengers in a single night. The Battle of the Lizard, a naval fight, also took place off these shores in 1707.

Visitors find a landscape of heather-covered cliffs and hidden coves. The 15th-century church of St Mellanus in Mullion overlooks the sea, while the Old Inn dates from the 16th century. Coverack’s small church of St Peter has a pulpit made of serpentinite, and Loe Bar forms a natural barrier beach near Helston. The area’s history includes smuggling and wartime airfields, with runways still visible at Predannack. The wind farm at Bonython now stands where a First World War air station once flew blimps to spot submarines.