Flat Holm Lighthouse, Flat Holm, Wales - August 28, 1992

Flat Holm Lighthouse is 30 m (98 ft) high and 50 m (160 ft) above mean high water. It has a 100 watt lamp that flashes three times every ten seconds, and is red from 106° to 140°; white to 151°; red to 203°; white to 106°. White light visibility up to 33 km (18 nautical miles), this data as recorded in 1965 in Reed's Nautical Almanac but Trinity House now note visibility as 28 km (15 nmi) for the white light and 22 km (12 nmi) for the red light. The first light on the island was a simple brazier mounted on a wooden frame, which stood on the high eastern part of the island. In 1733 the Society of Merchant Venturers of Bristol found the brazier to be unreliable and petitioned the general lighthouse authority, Trinity House, for an actual lighthouse, but the petition failed. In 1735 Mr. William Crispe of Bristol submitted a proposal to build a lighthouse at his own expense. This initial proposal also failed but negotiations resumed in 1736 when 60 soldiers drowned after their vessel crashed on the Wolves rocks near Flat Holm. Following this disaster, the Society of Merchant Venturers finally supported William Crispe's proposal. Crispe agreed to pay £800 for the construction of the tower as well as the fees permits. The construction of the tower finished in 1737 and it began operating on 25 March 1738. The lighthouse was struck by lightning in a severe storm on 22 December 1790. The keeper narrowly escaped but the top of the tower was severely damaged. A 3 m (10 ft) tall crack on the side had to be repaired as did the oak beams supporting the top platform. In 1819, the circular stone tower was updated to house a more powerful lantern; the tower was raised from 21 m (69 ft) to 27 m (89 ft). Flat Holm Lighthouse was the last signal station in the country in private ownership. In July 1822, Trinity House finally bought the lease for £15,838.10. Two years later a fountain oil lamp was installed and the lantern was raised by another 1.5 m (4.9 ft). In 1867 a lantern 4 m (13 ft) in diameter was installed. A clockwork mechanism to rotate the light was installed in 1881. The lighthouse was renovated in 1929 to include accommodations for up to four keepers. This lasted until 1988, when the lighthouse became fully automated and the keepers were withdrawn. In 1997, the light was modernised and converted to solar power. It is now monitored and controlled by the Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich, in Essex.

Liverpool Bar Light Vessel, Liverpool Bay - July 2001

the Liverpool Bar Light Vessel taken from PS WAVERLEY in July 2001. The WAVERLEY had operated an even cruise from Liverpool to the Bar and back passing very close to Light Vessel. The Bar Light vessel is still in use except for periods of time when it is taken away by Trinity House for cleaning and maintenance. When it is off station it is replaced by a conventional buoy. It is a popular perch for sea birds and gets quite heavily coated in guano!

Lundy South Lighthouse, Lundy Island - May 25, 1992

The current Lundy South lighthouse along with Lundy North were built in 1897 at the extremities of the island to replace the Old Light. Designed by Sir Thomas Matthews, both lighthouses are painted white and are run and maintained by Trinity House. The South lighthouse tower is 52 ft (16 m) tall. When built, equipment from the old Lundy Lighthouse (including the 1857 optic) was reused in this tower, where it remained in use until 1962. It displayed a single flash every 30 seconds. In contrast to the North, the South lighthouse sounded an explosive fog signal; initially discharged manually from the lantern gallery, in 1908 a small building was constructed (where there is now a helicopter pad) containing an automated apparatus provided by the Clockwork Explosive Fog Signal Company of Victoria. It remained in use until 1964 when it was replaced by a set of 'supertyfon' air horns, eight in number, placed in a housing on top of the lantern. Thirty years later, just prior to the automation of the South light, the supertyfon was itself replaced by an electric emitter, installed alongside it. The South lighthouse has a focal length of 174 ft (53 m) and displays a quick white flash every 5 seconds. It can be seen as a small white dot from Hartland Point, 11 mi (18 km) to the southeast. It was automated and converted to solar power in 1994. A small (fourth-order) optic, in use since 1962, was removed at this time; (in 2001 it was installed in Dungeness Lighthouse where it remains in use). In its place in the lantern room there is now a smaller rotating beacon manufactured by the Dutch firm Orga (Information from Wikipedia)

Pendeen Lighthouse, Pendeen, Cornwall - August 21, 2002

Pendeen Lighthouse, also known as Pendeen Watch is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north of Pendeen in west Cornwall, England. Attached to the tower itself, there is an 'E' shaped building split into a terrace of four cottages. Three of the cottages were originally used to house the three resident keepers, their wives and families, with the fourth used as an office area and sleeping accommodation for the supernumerary keepers. They are now let as holiday cottages. Water was originally collected off the flat roof of the accommodation block and stored in an underground tank. Behind the cottages are three kitchen gardens (which soon fell into disuse as nothing would grow in such an exposed position). On the seaward side of the complex, the fog siren and its accompanying machinery is housed in a separate building. The lighthouse, together with the attached keepers' cottages, are Grade II listed, as is the separate engine house (with its fog horn equipment), along with other associated buildings and the boundary walls. Pendeen's engine house is 'the only example in the country to have retained its 12" siren with associated machinery'. Trinity House decided to build a lighthouse and foghorn here in 1891 and the building was designed by their engineer Sir Thomas Matthews. The 17 metres (56 ft) tower, buildings and surrounding wall were constructed by Arthur Carkeek of Redruth who had to flatten the headland before building could commence. The light was first lit on 3 October 1900. A five–wick Argand lamp was initially provided, by Messrs Chance of Smethwick, near Birmingham; it was replaced not long afterwards, however, by a Matthews 3-50mm dia. mantle lamp. (The original Argand oil lamp was on display at the Trinity House National Lighthouse Museum, Penzance, until 2005 when the museum closed.) Chance Brothers also manufactured the lens system: a large (first-order) rotating optic made up of two sets of four panels (eight panels in all), which displayed a group of four flashes every fifteen seconds, (and which as of 2019 is still in use); it had a range of 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi). The fog signal was sounded from a detached engine house a little to the north-west. In 1900 it contained a pair of Hornsby oil engines providing compressed air for the twin 5-inch sirens, which sounded a seven-second blast every one-and-a-half minutes, through vertical curved trumpets (still in place) on the engine room roof. In 1926 Pendeen was the first Trinity House station to be fitted with a new, more powerful 12-inch siren. This was part of a general upgrade to the lighthouse, which saw new Gardner semi-diesel engines installed in the engine house and an electric filament lamp replacing the petroleum vapour light in the lantern. Pendeen was one of the first Trinity House lighthouses to be equipped with an incandescent light bulb: 'in order to obviate a watch being kept during fog both in the engine room and the lantern, electric light has been introduced in place of the petroleum-vapour lamps and the apparatus in the lantern made automatic'. The electric current was generated by dynamos directly coupled to another set of semi-diesel engines. The lamp used was an Osram gas-filled bulb, specially designed for Trinity House by the General Electric Company. The automated equipment included a turntable lamp changer: in the event of a lamp failure, a reserve bulb was brought into position and lit (and an alarm notified the keeper), and if the reserve bulb then failed, it was replaced by a self-lighting acetylene lamp;[13] the system remained in use until the mid-1990s. In the engine house, the Gardners were replaced by a pair of Ruston & Hornsby diesels in 1963. Pendeen Lighthouse was automated in 1995 with the keepers leaving the station on 3 May. While a new electric lamp and automatic lamp changer were provided at this time, the original optic was retained and it remains in use. As part of the preparation for automation the fog siren was decommissioned and replaced with an electric fog signal, sounding once every 20 seconds; (The fog signal was decommissioned in April 2014). (Notes from Wikipedia)

Pendeen Lighthouse, Pendeen, Cornwall - August 21, 2002

Pendeen Lighthouse, also known as Pendeen Watch is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north of Pendeen in west Cornwall, England. Attached to the tower itself, there is an 'E' shaped building split into a terrace of four cottages. Three of the cottages were originally used to house the three resident keepers, their wives and families, with the fourth used as an office area and sleeping accommodation for the supernumerary keepers. They are now let as holiday cottages. Water was originally collected off the flat roof of the accommodation block and stored in an underground tank. Behind the cottages are three kitchen gardens (which soon fell into disuse as nothing would grow in such an exposed position). On the seaward side of the complex, the fog siren and its accompanying machinery is housed in a separate building. The lighthouse, together with the attached keepers' cottages, are Grade II listed, as is the separate engine house (with its fog horn equipment), along with other associated buildings and the boundary walls. Pendeen's engine house is 'the only example in the country to have retained its 12" siren with associated machinery'. Trinity House decided to build a lighthouse and foghorn here in 1891 and the building was designed by their engineer Sir Thomas Matthews. The 17 metres (56 ft) tower, buildings and surrounding wall were constructed by Arthur Carkeek of Redruth who had to flatten the headland before building could commence. The light was first lit on 3 October 1900. A five–wick Argand lamp was initially provided, by Messrs Chance of Smethwick, near Birmingham; it was replaced not long afterwards, however, by a Matthews 3-50mm dia. mantle lamp. (The original Argand oil lamp was on display at the Trinity House National Lighthouse Museum, Penzance, until 2005 when the museum closed.) Chance Brothers also manufactured the lens system: a large (first-order) rotating optic made up of two sets of four panels (eight panels in all), which displayed a group of four flashes every fifteen seconds, (and which as of 2019 is still in use); it had a range of 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi). The fog signal was sounded from a detached engine house a little to the north-west. In 1900 it contained a pair of Hornsby oil engines providing compressed air for the twin 5-inch sirens, which sounded a seven-second blast every one-and-a-half minutes, through vertical curved trumpets (still in place) on the engine room roof. In 1926 Pendeen was the first Trinity House station to be fitted with a new, more powerful 12-inch siren. This was part of a general upgrade to the lighthouse, which saw new Gardner semi-diesel engines installed in the engine house and an electric filament lamp replacing the petroleum vapour light in the lantern. Pendeen was one of the first Trinity House lighthouses to be equipped with an incandescent light bulb: 'in order to obviate a watch being kept during fog both in the engine room and the lantern, electric light has been introduced in place of the petroleum-vapour lamps and the apparatus in the lantern made automatic'. The electric current was generated by dynamos directly coupled to another set of semi-diesel engines. The lamp used was an Osram gas-filled bulb, specially designed for Trinity House by the General Electric Company. The automated equipment included a turntable lamp changer: in the event of a lamp failure, a reserve bulb was brought into position and lit (and an alarm notified the keeper), and if the reserve bulb then failed, it was replaced by a self-lighting acetylene lamp;[13] the system remained in use until the mid-1990s. In the engine house, the Gardners were replaced by a pair of Ruston & Hornsby diesels in 1963. Pendeen Lighthouse was automated in 1995 with the keepers leaving the station on 3 May. While a new electric lamp and automatic lamp changer were provided at this time, the original optic was retained and it remains in use. As part of the preparation for automation the fog siren was decommissioned and replaced with an electric fog signal, sounding once every 20 seconds; (The fog signal was decommissioned in April 2014). (Notes from Wikipedia)

Trinity House Depot, East Cowes, Isle of Wight - April 10, 1995

Trinity House Depot at East Cowes, Isle of Wight with LV95 alongside. LV 95 was built in 1939 by Philip and Sons of Dartmouth for Trinity House and used mainly at their South Goodwin station on the Goodwin Sands and at other stations including Inner Dowsing off the coast of Norfolk. It was the first UK Light Vessel to be converted to solar power in the 1990's to allow for automatic unmanned operation and was in service until 2003 following a complete refit in 1999 in which all original machinery and crew accommodation were removed. Sold at auction by Trinity House to the owner of Port Werburgh Marina on the River Medway it was later sold on to Ben Phillips who converted it to a floating music recording studio and based it at Trinity Buoy Wharf from 2008.

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, Anglesey - May 07, 1995

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, Penmon Point, Anglesey, Wales. The Lighthouse is 29m tall and was designed by James Walker and built in 1835-1838. It was his first sea-washed tower, and a prototype for his more ambitious tower on the Smalls. The Lighthouse has a stepped base designed to discourage the huge upsurge of waves that had afflicted earlier lighthouses on the site and reduce the force of the water at the bottom of the tower. Austere vertical walls, instead of the usual graceful lines of other rock towers, are probably an economy measure. The tower has a crenellated stone parapet, in preference to iron railings on the gallery, and narrows in diameter above the half-way point. These are a features used by Walker in his other lighthouse designs. The tower is distinguished by its original three black bands painted on a white background. Walker also pioneered, unsuccessfully, the use of a primitive water closet, comprising a specially designed drain exiting at the base of the tower. The stepped design of the lighthouse may have helped water exit the closet, but surges of seawater made its use difficult during heavy weather.

Lundy South Lighthouse, Lundy Island - May 25, 1992

The current Lundy South lighthouse along with Lundy North were built in 1897 at the extremities of the island to replace the Old Light. Designed by Sir Thomas Matthews, both lighthouses are painted white and are run and maintained by Trinity House. The South lighthouse tower is 52 ft (16 m) tall. When built, equipment from the old Lundy Lighthouse (including the 1857 optic) was reused in this tower, where it remained in use until 1962. It displayed a single flash every 30 seconds. In contrast to the North, the South lighthouse sounded an explosive fog signal; initially discharged manually from the lantern gallery, in 1908 a small building was constructed (where there is now a helicopter pad) containing an automated apparatus provided by the Clockwork Explosive Fog Signal Company of Victoria. It remained in use until 1964 when it was replaced by a set of 'supertyfon' air horns, eight in number, placed in a housing on top of the lantern. Thirty years later, just prior to the automation of the South light, the supertyfon was itself replaced by an electric emitter, installed alongside it. The South lighthouse has a focal length of 174 ft (53 m) and displays a quick white flash every 5 seconds. It can be seen as a small white dot from Hartland Point, 11 mi (18 km) to the southeast. It was automated and converted to solar power in 1994. A small (fourth-order) optic, in use since 1962, was removed at this time; (in 2001 it was installed in Dungeness Lighthouse where it remains in use). In its place in the lantern room there is now a smaller rotating beacon manufactured by the Dutch firm Orga (Information from Wikipedia)

Lundy South Lighthouse, Lundy Island - May 25, 1992

The current Lundy South lighthouse along with Lundy North were built in 1897 at the extremities of the island to replace the Old Light. Designed by Sir Thomas Matthews, both lighthouses are painted white and are run and maintained by Trinity House. The South lighthouse tower is 52 ft (16 m) tall. When built, equipment from the old Lundy Lighthouse (including the 1857 optic) was reused in this tower, where it remained in use until 1962. It displayed a single flash every 30 seconds. In contrast to the North, the South lighthouse sounded an explosive fog signal; initially discharged manually from the lantern gallery, in 1908 a small building was constructed (where there is now a helicopter pad) containing an automated apparatus provided by the Clockwork Explosive Fog Signal Company of Victoria. It remained in use until 1964 when it was replaced by a set of 'supertyfon' air horns, eight in number, placed in a housing on top of the lantern. Thirty years later, just prior to the automation of the South light, the supertyfon was itself replaced by an electric emitter, installed alongside it. The South lighthouse has a focal length of 174 ft (53 m) and displays a quick white flash every 5 seconds. It can be seen as a small white dot from Hartland Point, 11 mi (18 km) to the southeast. It was automated and converted to solar power in 1994. A small (fourth-order) optic, in use since 1962, was removed at this time; (in 2001 it was installed in Dungeness Lighthouse where it remains in use). In its place in the lantern room there is now a smaller rotating beacon manufactured by the Dutch firm Orga (Information from Wikipedia)

Flat Holm Lighthouse, Flat Holm, Wales - August 28, 1992

Flat Holm Lighthouse is 30 m (98 ft) high and 50 m (160 ft) above mean high water. It has a 100 watt lamp that flashes three times every ten seconds, and is red from 106° to 140°; white to 151°; red to 203°; white to 106°. White light visibility up to 33 km (18 nautical miles), this data as recorded in 1965 in Reed's Nautical Almanac but Trinity House now note visibility as 28 km (15 nmi) for the white light and 22 km (12 nmi) for the red light. The first light on the island was a simple brazier mounted on a wooden frame, which stood on the high eastern part of the island. In 1733 the Society of Merchant Venturers of Bristol found the brazier to be unreliable and petitioned the general lighthouse authority, Trinity House, for an actual lighthouse, but the petition failed. In 1735 Mr. William Crispe of Bristol submitted a proposal to build a lighthouse at his own expense. This initial proposal also failed but negotiations resumed in 1736 when 60 soldiers drowned after their vessel crashed on the Wolves rocks near Flat Holm. Following this disaster, the Society of Merchant Venturers finally supported William Crispe's proposal. Crispe agreed to pay £800 for the construction of the tower as well as the fees permits. The construction of the tower finished in 1737 and it began operating on 25 March 1738. The lighthouse was struck by lightning in a severe storm on 22 December 1790. The keeper narrowly escaped but the top of the tower was severely damaged. A 3 m (10 ft) tall crack on the side had to be repaired as did the oak beams supporting the top platform. In 1819, the circular stone tower was updated to house a more powerful lantern; the tower was raised from 21 m (69 ft) to 27 m (89 ft). Flat Holm Lighthouse was the last signal station in the country in private ownership. In July 1822, Trinity House finally bought the lease for £15,838.10. Two years later a fountain oil lamp was installed and the lantern was raised by another 1.5 m (4.9 ft). In 1867 a lantern 4 m (13 ft) in diameter was installed. A clockwork mechanism to rotate the light was installed in 1881. The lighthouse was renovated in 1929 to include accommodations for up to four keepers. This lasted until 1988, when the lighthouse became fully automated and the keepers were withdrawn. In 1997, the light was modernised and converted to solar power. It is now monitored and controlled by the Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich, in Essex.

Lundy Old Lighthouse, Lundy Island - May 25, 1992

Foundations for a lighthouse on Lundy were laid in 1787, but the first lighthouse (now known as the Old Light) was not built until Trinity House obtained a 999-year lease in 1819. The 97-foot (30-metre) granite tower, on the summit of Chapel Hill, was designed by Daniel Asher Alexander, and built by Joseph Nelson at a cost of £36,000. Because the site, Beacon Hill, is 469 ft (143 m) above sea level, the highest base for a lighthouse in Britain, the light was often obscured by fog. To counter this problem, a Fog Signal Battery, equipped with a pair of 18-pound guns, was built about 1861; guncotton rockets replaced these fog signal guns in 1878. The lighthouse had two lights: the lower a fixed white light and the upper a quick flashing white light, showing every 60 seconds (both lights were provided by Argand lamps fitted with parabolic reflectors). The flashing characteristic was an innovation at the time, however, the speed of revolution gave the impression it was a fixed light with no flashes detectable. This, combined with poor visibility, may have contributed to the grounding, at Cefn Sidan, of the La Jeune Emma, bound from Martinique to Cherbourg in 1828. 13 of the 19 on board drowned, including Adeline Coquelin, the 12-year-old niece of Napoleon Bonaparte's divorced wife Joséphine de Beauharnais. The following year the lower light was moved from a window part-way down the tower into a new lantern room at the base of the tower, with the hope that this would be less affected by fog. Ongoing attempts were made to improve the quality of the main light. In 1842 a new rotating optic was installed: manufactured by Cookson & Co. of Newcastle, it combined dioptric lenses with mirrors and displayed a white flash every two minutes. This arrangement was replaced in 1857 by a large (first-order) 8-sided revolving catadioptric optic manufactured by Chance Brothers giving the light a range (in fine weather) of over 30 nautical miles (55 kilometres). (The following year, the dioptric section of the old 1842 optic was refurbished and installed in South Bishop Lighthouse.) Further attempts at improvement were made in 1889, when the frequency of the flash was increased to once every minute from once every two.] Owing to the ongoing complaints about the difficulty of sighting the light in fog, the lighthouse was abandoned in 1897 when the North and South Lundy lighthouses were built. The Old Light and the associated keepers' houses are now maintained by the Landmark Trust.

Lundy Old Lighthouse, Lundy Island - May 25, 1992

Foundations for a lighthouse on Lundy were laid in 1787, but the first lighthouse (now known as the Old Light) was not built until Trinity House obtained a 999-year lease in 1819. The 97-foot (30-metre) granite tower, on the summit of Chapel Hill, was designed by Daniel Asher Alexander, and built by Joseph Nelson at a cost of £36,000. Because the site, Beacon Hill, is 469 ft (143 m) above sea level, the highest base for a lighthouse in Britain, the light was often obscured by fog. To counter this problem, a Fog Signal Battery, equipped with a pair of 18-pound guns, was built about 1861; guncotton rockets replaced these fog signal guns in 1878. The lighthouse had two lights: the lower a fixed white light and the upper a quick flashing white light, showing every 60 seconds (both lights were provided by Argand lamps fitted with parabolic reflectors). The flashing characteristic was an innovation at the time, however, the speed of revolution gave the impression it was a fixed light with no flashes detectable. This, combined with poor visibility, may have contributed to the grounding, at Cefn Sidan, of the La Jeune Emma, bound from Martinique to Cherbourg in 1828. 13 of the 19 on board drowned, including Adeline Coquelin, the 12-year-old niece of Napoleon Bonaparte's divorced wife Joséphine de Beauharnais. The following year the lower light was moved from a window part-way down the tower into a new lantern room at the base of the tower, with the hope that this would be less affected by fog. Ongoing attempts were made to improve the quality of the main light. In 1842 a new rotating optic was installed: manufactured by Cookson & Co. of Newcastle, it combined dioptric lenses with mirrors and displayed a white flash every two minutes. This arrangement was replaced in 1857 by a large (first-order) 8-sided revolving catadioptric optic manufactured by Chance Brothers giving the light a range (in fine weather) of over 30 nautical miles (55 kilometres). (The following year, the dioptric section of the old 1842 optic was refurbished and installed in South Bishop Lighthouse.) Further attempts at improvement were made in 1889, when the frequency of the flash was increased to once every minute from once every two.] Owing to the ongoing complaints about the difficulty of sighting the light in fog, the lighthouse was abandoned in 1897 when the North and South Lundy lighthouses were built. The Old Light and the associated keepers' houses are now maintained by the Landmark Trust.

Lundy Old Lighthouse, Lundy Island - May 25, 1992

Foundations for a lighthouse on Lundy were laid in 1787, but the first lighthouse (now known as the Old Light) was not built until Trinity House obtained a 999-year lease in 1819. The 97-foot (30-metre) granite tower, on the summit of Chapel Hill, was designed by Daniel Asher Alexander, and built by Joseph Nelson at a cost of £36,000. Because the site, Beacon Hill, is 469 ft (143 m) above sea level, the highest base for a lighthouse in Britain, the light was often obscured by fog. To counter this problem, a Fog Signal Battery, equipped with a pair of 18-pound guns, was built about 1861; guncotton rockets replaced these fog signal guns in 1878. The lighthouse had two lights: the lower a fixed white light and the upper a quick flashing white light, showing every 60 seconds (both lights were provided by Argand lamps fitted with parabolic reflectors). The flashing characteristic was an innovation at the time, however, the speed of revolution gave the impression it was a fixed light with no flashes detectable. This, combined with poor visibility, may have contributed to the grounding, at Cefn Sidan, of the La Jeune Emma, bound from Martinique to Cherbourg in 1828. 13 of the 19 on board drowned, including Adeline Coquelin, the 12-year-old niece of Napoleon Bonaparte's divorced wife Joséphine de Beauharnais. The following year the lower light was moved from a window part-way down the tower into a new lantern room at the base of the tower, with the hope that this would be less affected by fog. Ongoing attempts were made to improve the quality of the main light. In 1842 a new rotating optic was installed: manufactured by Cookson & Co. of Newcastle, it combined dioptric lenses with mirrors and displayed a white flash every two minutes. This arrangement was replaced in 1857 by a large (first-order) 8-sided revolving catadioptric optic manufactured by Chance Brothers giving the light a range (in fine weather) of over 30 nautical miles (55 kilometres). (The following year, the dioptric section of the old 1842 optic was refurbished and installed in South Bishop Lighthouse.) Further attempts at improvement were made in 1889, when the frequency of the flash was increased to once every minute from once every two.] Owing to the ongoing complaints about the difficulty of sighting the light in fog, the lighthouse was abandoned in 1897 when the North and South Lundy lighthouses were built. The Old Light and the associated keepers' houses are now maintained by the Landmark Trust.

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, Anglesey - September 1991

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, Penmon Point, Anglesey, Wales. The Lighthouse is 29m tall and was designed by James Walker and built in 1835-1838. It was his first sea-washed tower, and a prototype for his more ambitious tower on the Smalls. The Lighthouse has a stepped base designed to discourage the huge upsurge of waves that had afflicted earlier lighthouses on the site and reduce the force of the water at the bottom of the tower. Austere vertical walls, instead of the usual graceful lines of other rock towers, are probably an economy measure. The tower has a crenellated stone parapet, in preference to iron railings on the gallery, and narrows in diameter above the half-way point. These are a features used by Walker in his other lighthouse designs. The tower is distinguished by its original three black bands painted on a white background. Walker also pioneered, unsuccessfully, the use of a primitive water closet, comprising a specially designed drain exiting at the base of the tower. The stepped design of the lighthouse may have helped water exit the closet, but surges of seawater made its use difficult during heavy weather.

Great Orme Lighthouse, Llandudno - September 1991

Great Ormes Head Lighthouse is a square, castellated two-storey building situated on the steep limestone cliffs of Great Orme's Head, 99m (325ft) above the sea. Originally built by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board it passed to Trinity House. It has now been converted into a Bed and Breakfast establishment. It is a Grade II listed building. The lantern was at ground level with the signal and telegraph room above. The signal room on the north-western elevation of the lighthouse still retains telescope ports in its windows. The south-eastern main elevation has a central doorway surmounted by a plaque which reads: This Lighthouse was erected by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board 1862 C F Lyster, Engineer The doorway is flanked by wide bays with chamfered windows on both floors, surmounted by the machicolations of the castellated parapet. The sides of the lighthouse and its yards are enclosed by high blast-walls of massive construction similar to the rest of the building. The white rendering applied in 1974 has now been removed to reveal the limestone masonry of the structure. The lighthouse is now a hotel. The optic, bulb changer and timing mechanism can now be seen in the nearby Great Orme Visitor Centre. Event and Historical Information: A letter from a K. Parker on the 3 December 1861, recorded in the Trinity House Minute Books, expressed the need for a lighthouse on the Great Orme which Trinity House approved. There had been a telegraph station in the vicinity, but no earlier light. They decided that the optic should be dioptric. It was designed and constructed by G. Lyster, engineer-in-chief to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (who also altered the Point Lynas Lighthouse in 1871). The light was first shown on 1 December 1862. It was Lyster's only design for a complete lighthouse. The original light used paraffin wick lamps, replaced in 1904 by vapourizing petroleum mantle burners, superseded in 1923 by dissolved acetylene mantle lamps producing 13,000 candle power. The light shone white from 099-243degrees with a red sector upt to 251 degrees and was taken over by Trinity House in 1973. The light shone for the last time on 22 March 1985 having been made redundant by radar. The lighthouse then reverted to the ownership of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company who sold the property. The telegraph equipment was also removed around this time. The original lantern decorated the offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, Liverpool, for a period but has since been returned to be displayed at the summit of the Great Orme. Notes from Coflein

Great Orme Lighthouse, Llandudno - September 1991

Great Ormes Head Lighthouse is a square, castellated two-storey building situated on the steep limestone cliffs of Great Orme's Head, 99m (325ft) above the sea. Originally built by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board it passed to Trinity House. It has now been converted into a Bed and Breakfast establishment. It is a Grade II listed building. The lantern was at ground level with the signal and telegraph room above. The signal room on the north-western elevation of the lighthouse still retains telescope ports in its windows. The south-eastern main elevation has a central doorway surmounted by a plaque which reads: This Lighthouse was erected by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board 1862 C F Lyster, Engineer The doorway is flanked by wide bays with chamfered windows on both floors, surmounted by the machicolations of the castellated parapet. The sides of the lighthouse and its yards are enclosed by high blast-walls of massive construction similar to the rest of the building. The white rendering applied in 1974 has now been removed to reveal the limestone masonry of the structure. The lighthouse is now a hotel. The optic, bulb changer and timing mechanism can now be seen in the nearby Great Orme Visitor Centre. Event and Historical Information: A letter from a K. Parker on the 3 December 1861, recorded in the Trinity House Minute Books, expressed the need for a lighthouse on the Great Orme which Trinity House approved. There had been a telegraph station in the vicinity, but no earlier light. They decided that the optic should be dioptric. It was designed and constructed by G. Lyster, engineer-in-chief to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (who also altered the Point Lynas Lighthouse in 1871). The light was first shown on 1 December 1862. It was Lyster's only design for a complete lighthouse. The original light used paraffin wick lamps, replaced in 1904 by vapourizing petroleum mantle burners, superseded in 1923 by dissolved acetylene mantle lamps producing 13,000 candle power. The light shone white from 099-243degrees with a red sector upt to 251 degrees and was taken over by Trinity House in 1973. The light shone for the last time on 22 March 1985 having been made redundant by radar. The lighthouse then reverted to the ownership of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company who sold the property. The telegraph equipment was also removed around this time. The original lantern decorated the offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, Liverpool, for a period but has since been returned to be displayed at the summit of the Great Orme. Notes from Coflein

Great Orme Lighthouse, Llandudno - September 1991

Great Ormes Head Lighthouse is a square, castellated two-storey building situated on the steep limestone cliffs of Great Orme's Head, 99m (325ft) above the sea. Originally built by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board it passed to Trinity House. It has now been converted into a Bed and Breakfast establishment. It is a Grade II listed building. The lantern was at ground level with the signal and telegraph room above. The signal room on the north-western elevation of the lighthouse still retains telescope ports in its windows. The south-eastern main elevation has a central doorway surmounted by a plaque which reads: This Lighthouse was erected by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board 1862 C F Lyster, Engineer The doorway is flanked by wide bays with chamfered windows on both floors, surmounted by the machicolations of the castellated parapet. The sides of the lighthouse and its yards are enclosed by high blast-walls of massive construction similar to the rest of the building. The white rendering applied in 1974 has now been removed to reveal the limestone masonry of the structure. The lighthouse is now a hotel. The optic, bulb changer and timing mechanism can now be seen in the nearby Great Orme Visitor Centre. Event and Historical Information: A letter from a K. Parker on the 3 December 1861, recorded in the Trinity House Minute Books, expressed the need for a lighthouse on the Great Orme which Trinity House approved. There had been a telegraph station in the vicinity, but no earlier light. They decided that the optic should be dioptric. It was designed and constructed by G. Lyster, engineer-in-chief to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (who also altered the Point Lynas Lighthouse in 1871). The light was first shown on 1 December 1862. It was Lyster's only design for a complete lighthouse. The original light used paraffin wick lamps, replaced in 1904 by vapourizing petroleum mantle burners, superseded in 1923 by dissolved acetylene mantle lamps producing 13,000 candle power. The light shone white from 099-243degrees with a red sector upt to 251 degrees and was taken over by Trinity House in 1973. The light shone for the last time on 22 March 1985 having been made redundant by radar. The lighthouse then reverted to the ownership of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company who sold the property. The telegraph equipment was also removed around this time. The original lantern decorated the offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, Liverpool, for a period but has since been returned to be displayed at the summit of the Great Orme. Notes from Coflein

South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey - November 02, 1995

The South Stack Lighthouse is built on the summit of a small island off the north-west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below. The lighthouse has warned passing ships of the treacherous rock below since its completion in 1809. The 91-foot (28 m)-tall lighthouse on South Stack was designed by Daniel Alexander and the main light is visible to passing vessels for 24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi), and was designed to allow safe passage for ships on the treacherous Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route. It provides the first beacon along the northern coast of Anglesey for east-bound ships. It is followed by lighthouses, fog horns and other markers at North Stack, Holyhead Breakwater, The Skerries, the Mice, Point Lynas and at the south-east tip of the island Trwyn Du. The lighthouse is operated remotely by Trinity House. The lighthouse is now open to visitors on a seasonal basis.

South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey - November 02, 1995

The South Stack Lighthouse is built on the summit of a small island off the north-west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below. The lighthouse has warned passing ships of the treacherous rock below since its completion in 1809. The 91-foot (28 m)-tall lighthouse on South Stack was designed by Daniel Alexander and the main light is visible to passing vessels for 24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi), and was designed to allow safe passage for ships on the treacherous Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route. It provides the first beacon along the northern coast of Anglesey for east-bound ships. It is followed by lighthouses, fog horns and other markers at North Stack, Holyhead Breakwater, The Skerries, the Mice, Point Lynas and at the south-east tip of the island Trwyn Du. The lighthouse is operated remotely by Trinity House. The lighthouse is now open to visitors on a seasonal basis.

Lizard Lighthouse, The Lizard, Cornwall - November 01, 1990

The Lizard Lighthouse is located at Lizard Point, Cornwall, built to guide vessels passing through the English Channel. It was often the welcoming beacon to persons returning to England, where on a clear night, the reflected light could be seen 100 mi (160 km) away. A light was first exhibited here in 1619, built thanks to the efforts of Sir Christopher Dimaline but it was extinguished and the tower demolished in 1630 because of difficulties in raising funds for its operation and maintenance. The current lighthouse, consisting of two towers with cottages between them, was built in 1751 by the landowner Thomas Fonnereau; each tower was topped by a coal-fired brazier. Trinity House took responsibility for the installation in 1771. In 1812 the coal burners on each tower were replaced with Argand lamps and reflectors. In each tower a fixed arrangement of nineteen lamps and reflectors was installed. In 1873 the original lamps and reflectors were still in use. That year, because of the number of wrecks still occurring around the Point, the decision was taken to upgrade the lights and provide a fog signal. Therefore, in 1874, the site was significantly changed by the building of an engine room to provide electric power, not only for the lights but also for a fog siren. The engine room was equipped with three 10 hp caloric engines by A & F Brown of New York, driving six Siemens dynamo-electric machines, which in turn powered an arc lamp in each tower; (caloric engines were used because there was no nearby source of fresh water for steam power). At the same time a pair of medium-sized (third-order) fixed catadioptric optics were installed, one on each tower, designed by John Hopkinson of Chance Brothers. The siren was in use from January 1878; it sounded (one blast every five minutes) through a 15-foot (4.6 m) horizontal horn which was installed on the roof of the engine house and could be moved depending on the prevailing wind direction. The new electric lights were first lit on 29 March that same year. In 1885 the Siemens dynamos were replaced by a pair of more powerful de Méritens magneto-electric generators. In 1903 there were further changes when a large four-panel rotating optic, manufactured by Chance Brothers, was installed in the eastern tower and both the lantern and light on the western tower were removed (it was announced that this 'new revolving light of very great power' would be 'visible at a distance of between 40 and 50 miles'). In 1908 a new pair of sirens were installed (sounding out to sea through twin 'trumpets' on the roof of the engine house) and a trio of Hornsby oil engines replaced the caloric engines . Soon afterwards an underwater bell was set up two miles south of the Lizard, operated by an electric striker controlled from the lighthouse via a submarine cable. A carbon arc lamp continued to provide the light source until it was superseded in 1926 by an electric filament lamp, which enabled a reduction in the number of personnel at the lighthouse from five to three. The new lighting system, designed and installed by the General Electric Company, functioned automatically: a lamp changer was provided which would switch to a reserve electric or emergency acetylene lamp in the event of a bulb or power failure; and an automatic winding device was fitted to the clockwork mechanism that rotated the lenses. Transformers were introduced in the engine room to allow the 40-year-old magnetos to remain in use, along with the Hornsby engines. The engines and magneto generators continued in daily use until 1950, when the lighthouse was connected to mains electricity. In that year four Gardner diesel engines were installed, three to run compressors for the fog signal, the other linked to a pair of generators for use in the event of a mains power failure. The clockwork drive, used to rotate the optic, was replaced with an electric motor in 1972. In 1998, Lizard Lighthouse was automated and keepers withdrawn The fog horn was decommissioned in 1998 and replaced with an automatic electronic fog signal; at the time it was the last compressed-air fog signal still in use in the United Kingdom. Opened in 2009 with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Lizard Lighthouse Heritage Centre is located in the lighthouse engine room, which still features some of the original engines. Interactive exhibits and displays focus on the history of the lighthouse, the life of a lighthouse keeper, and the role of lighthouses.

Pendeen Lighthouse, Pendeen, Cornwall - August 21, 1988

Pendeen Lighthouse, also known as Pendeen Watch is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north of Pendeen in west Cornwall, England. Attached to the tower itself, there is an 'E' shaped building split into a terrace of four cottages. Three of the cottages were originally used to house the three resident keepers, their wives and families, with the fourth used as an office area and sleeping accommodation for the supernumerary keepers. They are now let as holiday cottages. Water was originally collected off the flat roof of the accommodation block and stored in an underground tank. Behind the cottages are three kitchen gardens (which soon fell into disuse as nothing would grow in such an exposed position). On the seaward side of the complex, the fog siren and its accompanying machinery is housed in a separate building. The lighthouse, together with the attached keepers' cottages, are Grade II listed, as is the separate engine house (with its fog horn equipment), along with other associated buildings and the boundary walls. Pendeen's engine house is 'the only example in the country to have retained its 12" siren with associated machinery'. Trinity House decided to build a lighthouse and foghorn here in 1891 and the building was designed by their engineer Sir Thomas Matthews. The 17 metres (56 ft) tower, buildings and surrounding wall were constructed by Arthur Carkeek of Redruth who had to flatten the headland before building could commence. The light was first lit on 3 October 1900. A five–wick Argand lamp was initially provided, by Messrs Chance of Smethwick, near Birmingham; it was replaced not long afterwards, however, by a Matthews 3-50mm dia. mantle lamp. (The original Argand oil lamp was on display at the Trinity House National Lighthouse Museum, Penzance, until 2005 when the museum closed.) Chance Brothers also manufactured the lens system: a large (first-order) rotating optic made up of two sets of four panels (eight panels in all), which displayed a group of four flashes every fifteen seconds, (and which as of 2019 is still in use); it had a range of 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi). The fog signal was sounded from a detached engine house a little to the north-west. In 1900 it contained a pair of Hornsby oil engines providing compressed air for the twin 5-inch sirens, which sounded a seven-second blast every one-and-a-half minutes, through vertical curved trumpets (still in place) on the engine room roof. In 1926 Pendeen was the first Trinity House station to be fitted with a new, more powerful 12-inch siren. This was part of a general upgrade to the lighthouse, which saw new Gardner semi-diesel engines installed in the engine house and an electric filament lamp replacing the petroleum vapour light in the lantern. Pendeen was one of the first Trinity House lighthouses to be equipped with an incandescent light bulb: 'in order to obviate a watch being kept during fog both in the engine room and the lantern, electric light has been introduced in place of the petroleum-vapour lamps and the apparatus in the lantern made automatic'. The electric current was generated by dynamos directly coupled to another set of semi-diesel engines. The lamp used was an Osram gas-filled bulb, specially designed for Trinity House by the General Electric Company. The automated equipment included a turntable lamp changer: in the event of a lamp failure, a reserve bulb was brought into position and lit (and an alarm notified the keeper), and if the reserve bulb then failed, it was replaced by a self-lighting acetylene lamp;[13] the system remained in use until the mid-1990s. In the engine house, the Gardners were replaced by a pair of Ruston & Hornsby diesels in 1963. Pendeen Lighthouse was automated in 1995 with the keepers leaving the station on 3 May. While a new electric lamp and automatic lamp changer were provided at this time, the original optic was retained and it remains in use. As part of the preparation for automation the fog siren was decommissioned and replaced with an electric fog signal, sounding once every 20 seconds; (The fog signal was decommissioned in April 2014). (Notes from Wikipedia)