Prawle Point
Encyclopedia
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
It is the southernmost point of Devon.
Access is from the village of East Prawle
East Prawle
East Prawle is a village in Chivelstone parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England. It is situated on the coast south east of Salcombe near the most southerly tip of Devon, Prawle Point....
along a single-track road, at the end of which a National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
car park is present.
At the point itself, there are high cliffs.
The National Coastwatch Institution
National Coastwatch Institution
The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary organisation and registered charity providing a visual watch along the UK's coasts, and is not to be confused with HM Coastguard.-History:...
has a station at the point
The area around the point is a noted area for Cirl Bunting
Cirl Bunting
The Cirl Bunting , Emberiza cirlus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
, a localised bird in Britain, while the area has also attracted many rare vagrant birds including Britain's second Chestnut-sided Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
The Chestnut-sided Warbler is a New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America and in southern Canada westwards to the Canadian Prairies...
.
The point is included within the Prawle Point and Start Point Site of Special Scientific Interest
Prawle Point and Start Point Site of Special Scientific Interest
The Prawle Point and Start Point Site of Special Scientific Interest is a 341.2 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in southern Devon, notified in 1976.It includes the coastal headlands of Prawle Point and Start Point....
.
Many ships have been wrecked at Prawle Point, the most recent being in December, 1992, when the ship Demetrios, formerly the Long Lin from China was being towed by a tug from Dunkirk to a Mediterranean scrapyard. During terrible gales in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, the tow broke and the Demetrios drifted helplessly. The ship struck the rocks at Prawle Point on the 18th December, breaking her back in a few hours. The wreck attracted huge crowds for many weeks, and eventually a local salvage company cut up the ship and towed away the remains to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. However, the cost of scrapping the ship sent them into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
. Some remains were, however left over and are still visible today.