The Greenwich meridian was not marked at the site until 1999, when it was decided to mark it in deference to the upcoming new millennium. A trig point that was about to fall into the sea further along the coast was rescued and repurposed as a meridian marker at Tunstall.
The decision to mark the Greenwich meridian at the site occurred in 1999, as a gesture of respect for the approaching year 2000. Meanwhile, a nearby trig point that would have been submerged by the sea was preserved and repurposed as a new marker at Tunstall.