Farne Lighthouse

Farne Lighthouse
Farne Lighthouse
Map
LocationFarne Islands
Northumberland
England
OS gridNU2177735811
Coordinates55°36′55.3″N 1°39′20.6″W / 55.615361°N 1.655722°W / 55.615361; -1.655722
Tower
Constructed1776 (first)
Constructionbrick tower
Automated1910
Height13 m (43 ft)
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower and lantern
OperatorNational Trust (Farne Islands National Nature Reserve)[1][2]
HeritageGrade II listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1811 (current)
Focal height27 m (89 ft)
Lens3rd order catadioptric fixed lens
Light sourceLED
Intensity1,650 candela Edit this on Wikidata
Range8 nmi (15 km; 9.2 mi)
CharacteristicFl (2) WR15s.

Farne Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the southern tip of Inner Farne (one of a group of islands off the coast of North Northumberland). Built in the early 19th century, it still functions as a lighthouse and is managed by Trinity House (England's general lighthouse authority). In 1910 it was one of the first Trinity House lighthouses to be automated.[3]

History

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The lighthouse seen from the sea.

Farne Lighthouse was one of a pair built on Inner Farne by the Corporation of Trinity House in 1811, both of which were designed by Daniel Alexander to replace an earlier coal-burning light which had been established on the island by Captain John Blackett in 1778.[4]

Farne Lighthouse (originally named Farne High Lighthouse) is a cylindrical white tower, 13 m (43 ft) tall with a lighthouse keeper's cottage attached to its base. It was initially provided with a revolving array of seven Argand lamps and reflectors, which displayed a single white flash every 30 seconds. In 1910 it was converted to run automatically on acetylene;[5] the gas was manufactured in an adjacent producer plant and controlled by a sun valve. A new fixed third order Fresnel lens was installed in the lantern[6] and a red sector was added to the main light to indicate lines of approach that were hazardous for shipping.[7] (That same year saw the nearby Bamburgh Lighthouse established, with a sector light that worked in conjunction with the Inner Farne light.[7]) This arrangement largely remains in place, except that in 1996 the light was converted from acetylene to solar powered electric operation.[4]

Lighthouse, former dwelling and acetylene plant (left-right).

The other lighthouse on the island (Farne Low Lighthouse) was an octagonal tower, 8 m (26 ft) tall, placed 150 m (490 ft) away from the first, close to the north-west tip of the island. It served to warn shipping of the Megstone, an isolated rocky island lying (in line with the two lights) just under a mile away to the north-west.[8] Whereas the High Light revolved, the Low Light showed a fixed beam from a single Argand lamp and reflector;[9] it was monitored by the keeper at the High Lighthouse, the light being made visible through a small aperture in the rear of the Low Lighthouse.[10]

After the High Light had been modified and automated in 1910, use of the Low Light was discontinued; before long it was demolished along with most of the keepers' accommodation (which was now no longer needed).[9]

Associated lighthouses

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In 1811, at the same time as it was building the two lighthouses on Inner Farne, Trinity House also built a new lighthouse on one of the outer Farne Islands: Brownsman Island. This light was also designed by Daniel Alexander and was similar to the other two in appearance and layout but taller;[11] it too was equipped with a revolving set of lamps and reflectors.[12] It likewise replaced an earlier light built by Captain Blackett in 1778 (on nearby Staple Island, but subsequently relocated to Brownsman).[9] The 1811 installation on Brownsman Island was itself later moved to a more effective position on Longstone Island, further out to sea; named Longstone Lighthouse, it too remains active as an aid to navigation for Trinity House.

Present day

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As viewed from Seahouses.

The tower is 13 m (43 ft) tall with a range for the light of 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi).[13] Farne Island Lighthouse was sold on 6 June 2005 to the National Trust for £132,000; nevertheless it remains an operational lighthouse, with relevant areas of the building having been leased back to Trinity House for a peppercorn rent.[14] In 2022 permission was given for the lamp to be replaced with an LED arrangement,[15] which will continue to function within the original lens.[6]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Northeastern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  2. ^ Farne Island Lighthouse Trinity House. Retrieved 1 May 2016
  3. ^ Jones, Robin (2014). Lighthouses of the North East Coast. Wellington, Somerset: Halsgrove. p. 28.
  4. ^ a b "Farne Lighthouse". Trinity House. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013.
  5. ^ "News Summary". Page's Engineering Weekly. XVII (306): 613. 23 September 1910.
  6. ^ a b "Inner Farne Lighthouse - DAS incorporating Heritage Report (Nov. 2021)" (PDF). Northumberland County Council. Trinity House. Retrieved 9 May 2022.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b "Farne Lighthouse". Worldwide Lighthouses. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Lighthouses on the Farne Islands". National Trust. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Middleton, Penny. "Historic Environment Survey for the National Trust: The Farne Islands" (PDF). Archaeo-Environment Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  10. ^ Elliot, George H. (1875). European Light-House Systems. London: Lockwood & co. p. 130. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  11. ^ Original design: elevation.
  12. ^ Original design: section.
  13. ^ "Notice to Mariners, 02/02/2022: 9/2022 Inner Farne Lighthouse". Trinity House. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  14. ^ "The General Lighthouse Fund 2004-2005" (PDF). The Stationery Office. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  15. ^ Smith, Ian (17 February 2022). "Northumberland lighthouse works get the green light". Northumberland Gazette. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
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