In our little seaside town we have had three lighthouses of varying shapes and sizes dating back to the 1700's and their history is quite interesting.
The first is the Round Tower shown below.
The story goes that a local fisherman's wife, worried about her husband's safety one stormy night, put a candle in her window to help to guide him home. (They lived in a cottage close to where the Round Tower now stands). It saved his life and thereafter she was paid to keep a candle burning to guide other sailors to safety. Later the local sexton paid her £5 for the right to place the light in the church tower, it being so much higher. Eventually the curate, the Reverend David Davies paid £20 to have the round tower built. It was originally 4 storeys high but following becoming inactive was reduced to 2 storeys and given a crenallated top. I believe it is now a residence.
Next came the pillar lighthouse, which is 99 feet tall and had a paraffin lamp light. It soon became a tourist attraction with visitors climbing the spiral staircase to see across to Wales and North Devon. It became inactive in 1993. Now it is privately owned and used as holiday accommodation.
The Low Light was built in 1832. Because of the huge rise and fall of the tide along our coast it was felt the pillar lighthouse had been positioned too low so the Low Light was built and utilised to complement the pillar light. The Low Light was inactive between 1969 and 1993 but then recommissioned on 31 December 1993 and has remained active ever since. It attracts thousands of visitors every year and is an iconic landmark of our little town.
The history and details of all three can be found here
ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs Denise Nesbitt and her team. For more takes on the letter L please click here.
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