Year first lit 1751 (current) Construction stone tower Opened 1751 Year first constructed 1619 (first) | Deactivated 1903 (West tower) Height 19 m Automated 1998 | |
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Location Lizard PointCornwallEngland Tower shape twin octagonal towers with balcony and lantern connected by keeper's quarter Markings / pattern white tower and lantern Similar Lizard Point - Cornwall, St Anthony's Lighthouse, The Lizard, Kynance Cove, Wolf Rock - Cornwall | ||
The Lizard Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Lizard Point in Cornwall, England, built to guide vessels passing through the English Channel.
Contents
Map of Lizard Lighthouse, Helston TR12 7NT, UK
History
A light was first exhibited here in 1619, built thanks to the efforts of Sir John Killigrew, 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. Trinity House took responsibility for it in 1771, and it was automated and demanned in 1998. Originally both towers were lit, but since 1903 only the Eastern Tower has remained in use; the lantern has been removed from the Western Tower.
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 in sea safety. Currently, the buildings around the site are being used as holiday cottages.
Generator
The lighthouse's former generator is now in the collection of Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum. It carries a plate marked:
L'Electricite magneto - Electrique No.21b. A de meritens, 44 Rue Bournalt Paris. Dte S.G.D.G. on France at L'Etranger