Fort Perch Rock sits at the mouth of Liverpool Bay in the New Brighton area of Merseyside. It once acted as a coastal defence battery to help to protect the Port of Liverpool. The fort has now been turned into a historical tourist attraction and musical concert venue.
When it was first opened, the fort had room for 100 men and 18 large guns. These guns were pointed towards the shipping lanes in preparation for any hostile ships attempting to enter the port. However, the guns were only ever fired twice during the active history of the port. On the first occasion that the guns were fired, the gunners completely missed the boat that they were aiming for and the shell sailed over and landed in the Hightown area of Mersey.
At one point, the Black Rock area where Fort Perch Rock was built used to be cut off by the sea at high tide. At this point in time, it was given the nickname “Little Gibraltar of Merseyside”. Coastal reclamation now means that it is accessible at all times. The Fort was decommission by the War Office in 1956 and now houses a museum about the maritime and aviation history of the area.
For more information visit – http://www.fortperchrock.org/Fort_Perch_Rock/Home.html