[2] The lifeboat stations have all covered the westerly approaches to the English Channel; with up to 400 ships-a-day, it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

The station, which cost £120 to build, was located atop the cliffs above Polpeor Cove about 0.6 mi (0.97 km) south of the village of Lizard.

Following the tragedy, a Mrs Agar of Lanhydrock donated money to buy the first Lizard Lifeboat (Anna Maria).

[5] However the location of the first lifeboat station on the cliff above Polpeor Cove was not ideal as it made launches a long and precarious operation in rough sea and weather.

It was pushed on to rocks causing the death of its Coxswain Peter Mitchell and crew members Richard Harris and Nicholas Stevens.

[1] The existing smaller craft, Anna Maria (III), was relocated to a new station at Church Cove, just east of Lizard village.

By 1958, with the need to employ larger and faster lifeboats due to the growth in maritime commerce, the RNLI decided to close Polpeor Cove because of its operating limitations.

The RNLI eventually chose Kilcobben Cove as it new location for The Lizard Lifeboat station because it was sufficiently protected to allow safe launches in all conditions.

It housed the Anna Maria (III) lifeboat from the first station at Polpeor Cove until 1887, when she was replaced with the larger 34ft 2in John and Sarah (ON 47).

On the same day, the station's new Tamar-class boat, which had replaced David Robinson the year before, was named 16-20 Rose (ON 1300) in a ceremony by the-then Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Lady Mary Holborow.