The National Coastwatch lookout station must be one of the most iconic buildings in Boscastle. Situated high above the harbour on the Willapark headland, it enjoys the most spectacular of views, encompassing 400 square miles of open sea ranging from Lundy Island & Hartland Point to the North and Tintagel to the South.
But what is the history of this building?
It was built in the early 1800s by a local landowner, Thomas Rickard Avery. It was built as a summerhouse with fabulous views and plenty of fresh sea air.
However local rumour suggests there was more to it than that. Mr Avery was a very successful businessman, owning much local land and boats in the harbour. He also enjoyed an illicit side to his business and was involved in smuggling and contraband, much of which was stored up in the lookout tower. He also enjoyed all night parties in the lookout, inviting his friends for excess of drink, gambling and more…
Later the building was leased to the Board of Trade, ironically to keep watch over the coast and harbour and prevent any smuggling. It was then used by the Coastguard for almost 100 years, staffed by the brave local inhabitants of Boscastle, saving many lives during this time.
Unfortunately, the Coastguard closed the lookout in the 1970s and it fell into a state of disrepair. More recently under National Trust ownership, the lookout has been maintained as a folly and in 2002 was leased to its present occupants, the National Coastwatch Institution which is a registered charity. NCI watchkeepers provide the eyes and ears along the coast. When people get into trouble, we are there to alert HM Coastguard and direct the appropriate rescue services to the casualty. All our members are volunteers and come from all walks of life, offering a wide range of skills and experience.
Recently the lookout was involved in an incident. A Padstow Harbour vessel ‘Stepper Point Patrol’ was heard to contact Falmouth Coastguard on VHF radio to report yacht ‘Pink Delta’ overdue on passage from Lundy to Padstow.
The Boscastle duty watchkeeper immediately commenced a visual scan of the area. The Coastguard telephoned the duty watchkeeper requesting a visual search and information on yacht movements logged on that day’s earlier watches. The watchkeeper confirmed that no yachts matching the description of Pink Delta had been seen. The Coastguard then broadcast an All-Ships request for information on sightings of the yacht and shortly afterwards tasked the Padstow all weather lifeboat to proceed to the last known position. The missing yacht was located by the Padstow lifeboat and the solo crew member was found to have sustained an injury. The yacht was taken under tow to the safety of Padstow harbour, concluding the incident.
