The Manacles

The Manacles are a group of jagged rocks off the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. They lie about two kilometres east of Manacle Point in Falmouth Bay. The nearest village is Porthoustock. Some rocks appear only at low tide. The reef has three main groups: the northern Middle Manacles, the eastern group with Vase Rock and Pen Vin, and the large central group. The Manacles are famous for shipwrecks and marine life. More than a hundred vessels have been lost here, costing over a thousand lives. The shallow central area holds many wrecks, including HMS Primrose and the emigrant ship John. The reef was once called the ‘graveyard of ships’ before modern navigation. Trinity House once refused to place a lightship despite sixteen wrecks in ten years. Divers come to see the wrecks and the rich underwater world. The Marine Conservation Zone covers 3.5 square kilometres of seabed. It has rocky reefs, sand flats and maerl beds that shelter sea urchins and anemones. Above water, the view stretches from Porthoustock Point to Polcries. The rocks themselves show jagged edges and deep gullies shaped by the sea.