From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lighthouse
Gunfleet Lighthouse
[2]
is a derelict
screw-pile lighthouse
lying in the
North Sea
, six miles off the coast at
Frinton-on-Sea
in
Essex
, constructed in 1850 by
James Walker
of
Trinity House
.
George Henry Saunders
was the contractor. Walker and Burges were the Engineers.
[3]
It is 74 feet (23 m) in height and hexagonal in plan; mounted on seven piles forming a steel lattice and originally painted red.
[4]
It was first lit on 1 May 1856, replacing a light vessel which had been on station there since 1850.
[5]
When in use, the lighthouse was staffed by two keepers. They were accommodated in a single-storey dwelling, immediately below the lantern, which was divided into a living room (also used as a kitchen), a bed room and an oil room (in which the fuel for the lamps was stored). The walls and roof were of
corrugated iron
, with
wrought iron
angle plates. Additional storage space was provided in the 'inverted pyramid' beneath the dwelling, which was accessed by a ladder from the gallery.
[6]
The light flashed red once every 30 seconds; it was lit using
Argand lamps
and
reflectors
mounted on a revolving triangular frame, with a pane of red glass mounted in front of each reflector. Initially nine lamps and reflectors were used (three groups of three),
[7]
but the number was later increased to fifteen (three groups of five).
[6]
It also had a fog bell, which sounded once every ten seconds in bad weather; like the lamp mechanism, it was driven by clockwork.
[8]
In 1908 the light was upgraded to flash red once every fifteen seconds;
[9]
thereafter it was listed as a dioptric light (i.e. equipped with
lenses
rather than reflectors).
[10]
The light and fog signal continued to be listed as active into the 1940s,
[11]
but by 1951 it had been decommissioned.
[12]
It remains in use as an automated weather station by the
Port of London Authority
,
[4]
and marks the northern limit of their jurisdiction.
[13]
In 1974 an attempt was made to use the lighthouse as a base for the pirate radio station
Radio Atlantis
but this was thwarted by the authorities.
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Rowlett, Russ.
"Lighthouses of Southeastern England"
.
The Lighthouse Directory
.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. Retrieved
1 May
2016
.
- ^
"Day"
.
- ^
"Gunfleet Lighthouse"
.
Grace's Guide to British Industrial History
. Retrieved
20 December
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Gunfleet Lighthouse"
. Archived from
the original
on 25 March 2012
. Retrieved
3 December
2012
.
- ^
"Nautical Intelligence".
The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review
.
35
(1): 105. July 1856.
- ^
a
b
"Light-houses".
Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine
.
XIV
(LXXXVI): 102. February 1876.
- ^
"Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 1"
. 1861. p. 33.
- ^
"Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2"
. 1861. p. 77.
- ^
London Gazette, Issue: 28149, Page:4483, 19 June 1908.
- ^
"Pile Lighthouses. Typical Data".
Marine Engineer and Naval Architect
.
44
: 230. February 1921.
- ^
"British Islands, English Channel and North Sea".
List of Lights and Fog Signals
(33): 76. 1946.
- ^
Sailing Directions for the East Coast of England
. United States Naval Oceanographic Office. 1951. p. 214.
- ^
"Tide Tables and Port Information"
(PDF)
. Port of London Authority. p. 8
. Retrieved
7 July
2014
.
- ^
"Gunfleet Lighthouse"
.
Offshore Radio Museum
. Retrieved
20 December
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
