Battery Rocks

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Battery Rocks is a rocky headland just south of Penzance, Cornwall, England. The name comes from an 18th-century gun battery that was built there in 1740 to defend against possible French attacks. Today the site is known for the Jubilee Pool, an art deco lido built on the old battery, and the nearby War Memorial.

Geography
- Battery Rocks lie on the northern shore of Mount’s Bay, helping to shelter Penzance harbour from SW winds.
- The area includes features called Carn Olven and the Chimney Rocks.
- Long ago, a submerged forest existed nearby, and Mesolithic artefacts show early human activity in the area.

History
- In 1739, Penzance petitioned for big guns; by November 1740 the battery guns were in place.
- In the 1880s, Royal Artillery officers removed the guns, and the site became known as the Royal Navy gun-house.
- By the early 1880s, improvements for bathers began, including a concrete path and better facilities.
- The Penzance War Memorial was unveiled in 1922 on the battery site. Jubilee Pool, a famous art deco lido, opened in 1935.
- During World War II, the area was fenced off and used as an anti-aircraft battery by the Army and Home Guard.
- In 2009, plans to turn the site into a freight yard faced strong local opposition. The project received planning consent but was halted when the Department for Transport refused to fund it.

Jubilee Pool
- Opened in May 1935, Jubilee Pool is a concrete, Art Deco-influenced lido built on rock that extends into the sea.
- It is a Grade II listed building.
- The pool fell into disrepair by 1992 but was repaired and reopened in 1994.
- Severe storms in 2014 caused further damage. A major restoration costing about £2.94 million was completed, and the pool reopened in May 2016.

Wildlife and significance
- The area is home to wildlife such as purple sandpipers, which favor rocky shores.
- Battery Rocks and the surrounding coast are important for local history, archaeology, and coastal nature.

In short, Battery Rocks is a historic coastal site near Penzance, famous for the 20th-century Jubilee Pool lido, its 18th-century gun battery origins, and its ongoing role in local history and coastal life.