Land's End and Longships Lighthouse Cornwall
by Terri Waters
Title
Land's End and Longships Lighthouse Cornwall
Artist
Terri Waters
Medium
Photograph
Description
Land's End is one of Britain's best loved landmarks, famous for its unique location and beautiful scenery.
Located on the cliff tops at the most westerly tip of mainland Britain, this is the first or last house depending on whether you're entering or leaving England. It is now part of the Lands End complex and is used as a tea house and souvenir shop.
Situated one mile out to the west of Land's End at the extreme south-west point of British mainland, is the magnificent Longships lighthouse.
The Lands End headland is encircled by rocks on which countless ships have been lost but since lighting the tower on 29th September, 1795 Such disasters have been rare.
From Trinity House
The tower was established on Carn Bras, the largest of the Longships Rocks which rose 12m above high tides. The circular tower, designed by Trinity House architect Samuel Wyatt, had three storeys; the lowest contained water tanks and stores, the next formed a living room and the lightkeepers used as a bedroom the top storey under the wood and copper lantern. The lantern was elevated 24m above the sea, and held 18 parabolic metal reflectors and Argands, arranged in two tiers. None shone towards the land, as metal sheets blocked the windows in that direction.
The lightkeepers on the Longships led a primitive existence, cooking their meals in the lantern by the Argand lamps. The lighthouse was manned by four men, two of whom were on duty at any one time, working one month at a stretch. They received £30 per annum and free food at the lighthouse, but when ashore they provided for themselves and had to take what additional employment they might find.
From the terrific seas which swept over the rock during storms, the lantern was so often under water that the character of a fixed light could not be determined with certainty. This eclipse by the waves was the reason given for the replacement of Wyatt's tower by the present circular tower of grey granite built by Sir James Douglass, Trinity House engineer, in 1875. Longships Lighthouse was automated in 1988 and is now monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Operations and Planning Centre at Harwich.
Uploaded
March 20th, 2013
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