Prawle Lookout from the SW

The Prawle Point look-out opened in April l998 - the first in Devon. NCI took over the derelict former coastguard station which stands 200' above sea level on the most southerly tip of the county. Manager Jonathan Ansell, an ex-auxiliary coastguard, heads a team of 40 or so watchkeepers to man the station during daylight hours 365 days a year.

Prawle Point lookout before rennovation

The sea beneath the rocky headland at Prawle Point is graveyard to nine recorded shipwrecks, the most recent being the 9700 ton cargo ship Demetrius which attracted l0,000 sightseers in l992. So "eyes" at Prawle Point are watching out for yachts and fishing vessels which might get into difficulties, passing on local weather conditions which can be tricky around the exposed headland. Divers, canoeists, board sailors and cliff walkers are all potential victims and need to be carefully watched from the high vantage point of the look-out. The "ski slopes" approaching Prawle Point are one of the station's main hazards, especially in a westerly force l0 and attracts a tough breed of watchkeeper to its ranks.