Year first lit 2012 (current) Construction brick tower Opened 1874 Year first constructed 1874 (first) | Deactivated 2012 (first) Height 18 m Automated 1984 | |
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Location Hartland Point
Devon
England
United Kingdom Tower shape cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern attached to a 2-storey keeper's house Markings / pattern white tower and lantern Similar Hartland Point, Hilbre Island Lighthouse, Lynmouth Foreland Lighthouse, Berry Head Lighthouse, St Bees Lighthouse | ||
Hartland point lighthouse
Hartland Point Lighthouse is a Grade II listed building at Hartland Point, Devon, England. The point marks the western limit (on the English side) of the Bristol Channel with the Atlantic Ocean continuing to the west. Trinity House, the lighthouse authority for England and Wales, have a lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula.
Contents
- Hartland point lighthouse
- Map of Hartland Point Lighthouse Hartland Bideford EX39 6AX UK
- History
- References
Map of Hartland Point Lighthouse, Hartland, Bideford EX39 6AX, UK
History
Designed by Sir James Douglass construction began in Nov 1873 by contractor Mr Yerward of Wales under the supervision of resident engineer Henry Norris, Douglass and Norris having completed Souter Lighthouse in 1871.
The tower is 18 metres (59 ft) tall with the lamp being 37 metres (121 ft) above mean sea level. The light could be seen up to 25 miles (40 km) away from the coast. It is protected by a 30 metres (98 ft) long sea wall which was built in 1925 to prevent erosion of the rocks on which it stands.
It was blessed by Frederick Temple, Bishop of Exeter, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury, and the light was lit for the first time by Lady Stucley of Hartland Abbey during the opening ceremony on 1 July 1874.
The tower was automated in 1984 and controlled from Trinity House Operations Centre at Harwich in Essex. Prior to automation the lighthouse was built with accommodation for four keepers and their families. The keepers' dwellings have since been demolished to make room for a Helipad to be constructed. This was necessary due to the precarious nature of the access road which is liable to frequent rock falls and landslips. Vehicular access is now very difficult and the gates tend to remain locked. The large concrete structures immediately to the south of the lighthouse were to provide the keepers with fresh water.
Having carried out a thorough assessment of the requirements for Aids to Navigation off Hartland Point, Trinity House determined that the light at this location could be reduced to a nominal range of 8 nautical miles. This light can be more economically provided by a modern LED beacon in front of the original lighthouse, with no detriment to the safety of the Mariner. Consequently, the old light was decommissioned in 2012.
The Lighthouse was marketed and sold by Trinity House at a £500,000 guide price, consisting of "the former lighthouse, three bedroom living accommodation over two storeys, various stores, a helipad and access via a surfaced road that leads up the cliff to the gated entrance. The site in total amounts to about 16 acres of cliff and coastline, and has the best sea views in the area."