WELCOME

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Fort Perch Rock always has regular monthly events to keep you occupied, so check out our latest news & events. This month includes details of the Billy Fury Rock'n'Roll weekend in April.

Sunday 14th February

The Mojo's - introduce a new live monthly music show, the great thing is…you set the agenda,

For an informal afternoon. Bring your own instruments if you wish.

1pm to 4pm / £3.00 Admission. Great Afternoon!

Sunday 21st February

The Merseybeat Story - Join us for this extra special Merseybeat event to celebrate

Allan Williams's 80th birthday party at the Grosvenor Ballroom, Wallasey. Live music from great Merseybeat bands. For more info visit Merseycats.com. Tickets available from Fort Perch Rock.

Admission £5-00 2.30pm to 5.30pm

Friday 26th February

Fireside Tales - Join our fun variety nights around the fireside. Bring a tale, song or poem to share! - Or just soak up the atmosphere! Starting at 7.45 -10.30pm.

For more info look at talesaroundthefire.co.uk Free Entrance & Refreshments available.

Please be prompt, seats are limited. For Info contact- 07828 392 788.

Sunday 28th February

Jazz Time - Traditional Jazz at its best! Come and join us along with the Tony Davis Band (Spinners) & the best Jazz musicians around. Last Sunday, every month. Refreshments & Bottle Bar. Event time 12.30 - 3.30pm. Entrance only £4.

Contact tonyjdavis@btopenworld.com Tel: 0151 639 2265 for more details.

Welcome to an extra special, eight-year celebration of

'THE BILLY FURY ROCK'N'ROLL WEEKEND'.

This year we remember Billy who on April 17th 2010 would have been celebrating his 70th Birthday.

On October 1st 1958, Billy made his debut at The Essoldo in Birkenhead, Marty Wilde along with Vince Eager who also appeared on the bill the same night are welcomed back to Merseyside

for this special weekend of celebrations for Billy's Birthday.

Unfortunately, Billy shared his birth date with the tragic loss of his friend Eddie Cochran in 1960,

whom Billy always remembered! We too would like to remember him 50 years on.

We hope you can join in the weekend's events to celebrate

'Britain's Greatest Rock'n'Roller'

Saturday 10th to Sunday 18th April 2010

Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton, Wirral

An exhibition of paintings, photographs and memorabilia of Billy and fellow stars, which also includes pictures of The Essoldo in Birkenhead where Billy made his debut. The Liverpool Academy of Arts and the Northwest Film Trust bring it to you.

Admission charge payable.

Saturday 17th April 11.30am

Nostalgic bus tour covering Wirral and Liverpool, visiting many of Billy's places of interest and music venues. The tour will consist of an old style London Double Decker bus, with your tour guide Ray O'Brien, a Merseyside Music Historian. Billy's childhood friend and Merseybeat star Mr. Billy Hatton of 'The Fourmost, will also be joining the tour in Liverpool. A statue visit is included.

Tickets £10 - Booking is essential. Contact Ray O'Brien Tel: 0151 512 8398 / rayo1@ntlworld.com

Saturday 17th April 7.30pm - Main Event

Floral Pavilion Theatre, New Brighton, Wirral

Not to be missed - 'Marty Wilde and The Wildcats', 'Vince Eager with Rockola', plus Merseyside's own 'The Undertakers'. A great Rock'n'Roll line up with your Compere for the evening,Comedian Hal Nolan. Tickets £19.50. / Box office 0151 666 0000. / www.floralpavilion.com

Sunday 18th April - 12 Noon

Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton, Wirral

We finish the weekend off with Talks and Interviews with Vince Eager and Cliff Roberts

along with Q & A session. Live music from Dave Chevron as Billy Fury and 50's rock'n'roll with

Shelly Gee. Memorabilia stalls, café and bar. Admission £6.00

There our many fine exhibits notably the museum which houses one of the most comprehensive collections of World War Two aviation relics in the country. On the naval front there is the "Titanic"and "Lusitania" exhibition which covers there connection with the Wirral and just opened in 1999 the H.M.S/M Thetis exhibition, 60 years after the sinking of the submarine in Liverpool Bay while on trials in 1939 and the tragic loss of seamen and civilian workers.

The Fort and Museum is OPEN all year, from 12.00 noon until dusk, times may alter slightly in the winter months, for further information telephone 0151 630 2707 A tea room is available for tea,coffee and light snacks. Within the tea room there is a large photography collection of the "Blue Funnel" shipping line and old "New Brighton"

FORT PERCH ROCK was built as a coastal defense battery during the Napoleonic period to protected the Port of Liverpool. in fact by the time the Government had finally agreed on the design Napoleon was dead. In 1826 the construction cost was £26,965-0-8d. With the constant advance of technology the Fort was always modified to incorporate the latest guns and equipment to cope with the transition from sail to steam and the ever changing channels in the Mersey estuary. After Military use the Fort was decommissioned(1954) and sold to a private individual. Since then it has passed through several hands and was finally left derelict. In 1976 the vandalise shell was purchased by Mr.Norman.F.Kingham and the enormous task of restoration commenced

1997 saw FORT PERCH ROCK being purchased by the present owner who will continue the restoration works to which various stages can be seen as you walk around the embattlements. FORT PERCH ROCK is perhaps the most important coastal defense Battery in the North West of England. it is unique because the fabric still preserves elements of it's constant modifications and improvements and has now Grade 2 star listing. The Fort is a vital part of the history of Merseyside and it's dignity has been and will be preserved for future generations.

FORT PERCH ROCK is also used ( with the very kind permission of the owner )as a SPECIAL EVENT Amateur Radio station run by the Wirral Amateur Radio Society. G3NWR or GB4FPR If we are operating when you visit the Fort please call in to see us. My name is Bill and my call sign is M0BNN.

The Fort covers about 4,000 square yards and is constructed of mainly red sandstone which came largely from the Runcorn Quarries, it was floated down the River Mersey and unloaded when the tide was out. Because the stone was soft it had to be left to be weathered. The walls were originally 24 feet and 29 feet high, but these,in some cases, were heightened to almost 32 feet, facing the river side and the towers 40 feet high.

The Fort had a slip way with three arches with drawbridge and a Tuscan portal bearing the Coat of Arms and the words "Fort Perch Rock". It was cut off at high tides from the mainland. The Fort built on what was known as Black Rock, stood guard at the mouth of the river, shipping passing 950 yards from the battery.

The Fort was armed with eighteen guns, of which sixteen were 32 pounders, mounted on platforms. Six were placed on the west front, two on the east and four on the north. Single guns were placed in the towers and along the angles. There were two small guns facing the causeway. There was accommodation for 100 men, with officers' quarters and kitchen. There were also storerooms and Magazine in the centre of the courtyard at a sunken level, with a hand-hiost for lifting the ammunition.

In the early years, the guns were smooth-bore cannon and the balls had to be heated in a furnace until they were red hot, then shipped to the guns for firing. The idea being when they scored a direct hit they would set the enemy ship alight and set off their powder. The Fort would have a practice from time to time, when the local fishermen would gather the cannon balls and return them to the Fort, receiving payment for them. The Fort was nicknamed the "Little Gibraltar of the Mersey".

As the Rock Channel slowly became silted, the larger ships ceased to use it and it became necessary to equip the battery with larger guns capable of reaching the range. 64 pounders were installed as a result and these were mounted in granite The old 32 pounders were kept to guard the Rock Channel which was still being used by the smaller ships.

The 4th Cheshire Company o Artillery Volunteers was established after holding an open meeting, to set up a local corp. On the 31st January, 1860 the New Brighton Company was started and it was not long before the had 60 men under the command of Captain Henry D. Grey and his staff. Their uniform was dark blue with white facings and in full dress they wore a busby. At a later date, the corps became known as the 1st Cheshire and Caernarvon Artillery then, soon after the turn of the century, they joined with the 1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, forming the Lancashire and Cheshire Heavy Brigade.

The M.O. at the Fort was Dr. J. W. Lloyd whose son, Selwin, became Foreign Secretary. In the Second World War the unit became the 420 Coast Regiment, until they were disbanded in November, 1960.

When the Royal Artillery was stationed at the fort, there were three officers and 101 men. In 1943 there were two officers and 28 men, and finally one officer and 8 men, as a maintenance unit in April 1944. After the war, it had one officer, one master-gunner and two other ranks. Whilst the territorials were there, they had one officer and 28 men. The Home Guard also had a spell there

In 1893 the battery was dismantled and the guns returned to Ordnance, the following year two 4.7" Quick Firing guns were delivered but due to a change of plans, as regards a second fort being built, the were installed at Seaforth Battery on the opposite side of the river Mersey. Perch Rock was to have three 6" guns installed. At the same time the Royal Engineers took over the Fort and re-modelling was commenced. The parade yard was no longer needed, as the infantry had left in 1858. It was partly filled in with sand and rocks from the beach and covered. The pits were constructed for the naval guns, which were mounted away from the walls and these were lowered so the guns could have a close range of 150 yards, Electricity was available from a new engine-room.

The maximum machine guns at the Fort were installed in May 1893. The 6" guns arrived in December 1897, but it was not until March 1899 that they were fully installed and ready for action. Some ten years later, between 1909 and 1910, further alterations were carried out and Mark VII guns were installed. When these were brought to the Fort, the drawbridge was strengthened to allow for the extra load.Over the next few years, search-light towers and an observation tower were built.

At the outbreak of the First World War, the war office decided to remove two of the 6" guns, one of which was later returned in 1923. Finally the armament of the fort was two 6" guns and two machine-guns, which remained until 1954. The drawbridge was removed

The modern concrete tower was used to house the Radar which was added in 1941, but this was not the only modern invention at the fort for, as early as 1895, the range-finder system operated with a lens in either tower. They could determine the distance, in a way similar to that in a non-reflex miniature camera.

The X-band radar system, is a standard marine radar interfaced to a PC based image capture system. Radar reflections from waves on the sea surface are recorded on a computer from a cliff top site and are analysed using 3-D FFT techniques to give directional wave number spectra, which are then converted to directional frequency spectra using first order wave theory. Absolute values of wave height have not been obtained using this system alone, although several groups on mainland Europe use empirical calibration techniques with their systems.

This information, in conjunction with other measurements, helps to provide a better understanding of the effect the sea has on our coastline.

Some of the early testing (1970?)of the modern X-Band radar system was carried out at Fort Perch Rock - a Napoleonic Fortress overlooking the mouth of the River Mersey, and an inherently safe place from which to test prototype equipment.

During the Second World War, the Fort was made to appear as a sort of tea-garden from the air. The letters TEAS were painted on the roof of one of the buildings and the outer portion was painted green, to give the effect of a lawn.

The first was on the outbreak of the First World War, when a round was fired across the bow of an approaching Norwegian ship under sail, which failed to obey a signal from the fort. It was at the time when the Territorials were at the Fort, under the command of Major Charles Luga, who was a local dentist. He ordered a warning shot, which was way off the mark, as the gun was elevated too much. It landed in Crosby on the opposite side of the mouth of the river. They fired again, only to hit the bow of an Allen Liner at anchor! The first shell landed in the sandhills and was found by a resident, who took it to the Seaforth Battery, where the officer placed it in the Mess Room, with the words "A present from New Brighton". The Captain of the Norwegian ship thought they were just having a bit of fun. He did not know that War had been declared.

The second occasion the fort went into action was again on the outbreak of war, on September 1939, a fishing-smack came up the Rock channel which had been closed. Colonel Charles Cocks the Battery Commander ordered two shots to be fired across her bows from No. 2 gun. The owner of the fishing-smack was ordered to pay £25 for each round.

The "PERCH" in both the Perch Rock, New Brighton Lighthouse (which is only about 200 meters from the Fort) and the Fort, gets it's name from the fact that there used to be a wooden "PERCH" which carried a light on top of a pole. it was erected in 1683. this structure was continually being smashed by the heavy gales or damaged by ships. it was therefore decided to replace it with a stone lighthouse , the foundation stone was laid in 1827 and completed in 1830

Most of the above information is sourced from : the Fort Perch Rock owner and the book "SANDSTONE AND MORTAR by Noel E. Smith

Latest information: money has been found for some renovation work,more info as it becomes available.

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