The site needs little introduction – it was from Poldhu near Mullion on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall that the first transatlantic wireless transmission was made.

Marconi came to Cornwall in late 1900 and selected a site on the cliff overlooking Poldhu Cove for his new high power transmitter that would be used to demonstrate transatlantic wireless communication.

Success was finally achieved on the 12^th December 1901, when Marconi at Signal Hill, St. John’s, Newfoundland, heard the letter ‘S’ transmitted from Poldhu. Experiments continued at Poldhu and late in 1902, two-way communication was established with Glace Bay in Nova Scotia, and a few months later, on the 18^th January 1903, with Cape Cod in the USA.

These achievements are now commemorated by the Marconi Centre, a building owned by the National Trust. This is on the original field used in 1901 and houses an interpretation centre, which is open to the public.

The building also provides a home for the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club, which has the permanent callsign GB2GM.

             Website: www.gb2gm.org.uk

View of the site. The foundations of the 1901 buildings are in the foreground and the Marconi Centre can be seen at the right.

Marconi Centre

Poldhu Cove

Transmitting Room at Poldhu

Alternator at Poldhu

Antenna at Poldhu

Having been severely affected by a gale at the first IMD the owners of the Residential Care Home in the former Poldhu Hotel took pity on us and kindly offer us the use of the stone building seen on the left of the above photograph which at the time had just been re-furbished but not yet occupied. We were very grateful indeed for their kindness and it was very appropriate as avenue when you see this original photograph.

Wooden towers at Poldhu

View across Mullion Cove from one of the Mullion towers