After the war and until 1956 it became a Lloyds Signal Station manned by coastguards. One of our watchkeepers remembers being on a yacht being asked if they wanted reporting to Lloyds - they declined and he later realised they'd stopped the coastguard from claiming 2/6d for the report!!

Prawle resue company in the late 60's after winning the local Breecher's buoy cup.

In 1966 when Jonathan Ansell the station manager joined as an auxiliary there were then 3 regular coastguards supplemented by auxiliaries and maintained a constant night watch along with bad weather watches. The equipment consisted of only had a Telescope and telephone.

There was a Rescue Team with Breeches buoy - which involved the whole village and other rescue companies at Kingsbridge, Start Point (cliff only) and Hope Cove.

The Coastguard issued Prawle with its first VHF radio, but little was heard as very few boats had them.

1970's - saw the introduction of "modern technology" at sea - VHF radio. A constant watch was deemed necessary so the watch became 24hrs with 2 on watch. There were now 5 regulars which were supplemented by auxiliaries.

The coastguard then realised the need for proper operations rooms for co-ordinating rescues and the reliance on electronic aids and the visual watch was thought less necessary. The coastguards started to concentrate in Maritime Rescue Co-ordinating Centres (MRCC) (eg. Falmouth) and Maritime Rescue Sub Centres (MRSC)(eg Brixham) and visual watch stations started to be run down.

1978 - The lookout was reduced to continuous night watches, with casualty risk watches during particularly bad weather

100 years earlier in 1887 the HALLOWEEN 3 masted barque was wrecked in fog at steeple cove. At the inquiry the horrified listeners heard that the stretch of coast she went ashore on, had not been watched for 5 hours. 100 years later it was thought none of the coast needed watching.

1982 - The watch was again reduced to just the casuality risk watches.

1983 - saw the building of the sector office in Prawle Village housing the landrover and Rescue gear, to replace the office at the end of the coastguard cottages.

It later had a remote radio and DF (Direction Finding) equipment installed, that was worked remotely from Brixham.

A remote radio was housed at the lookout to cover dead spots in the range but by 1994 the coastguard withdrew the radio and gave up the lease on Prawle Lookout.

The same year 2 fishermen drowned within sight of Bass Point on the Lizard just after it closed down. A Lady gave money to Tony Starling Lark who started the National Coastwatch Institution with a lookout at Bass Point.