You might have to move to Essex!
Just googled .....
"Portland Bill Lighthouse was automated on 18 March 1996. The lighthouse is now monitored and controlled from Trinity House’s Planning Centre in Harwich, Essex."
Your choice - Lighthouse or Windmill?
- Thread starter biggs682
- Start date
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You might have to move to Essex!
Just googled .....
"Portland Bill Lighthouse was automated on 18 March 1996. The lighthouse is now monitored and controlled from Trinity House’s Planning Centre in Harwich, Essex."
Probably true of a lot of others. Nice thread though.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Lighthouse for me. Perhaps at Cape Cod or Hyannis.
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
That reminds me, do you remember those posters on railway stations 'Harwich for the Continent' and someone would write underneath' Frinton for the incontinent'
I never get bored of going to Fanad Head lighthouse but not sure I'd really like to live there. It's a bit remote and exposed.
Fanad lighthouse on Flickr
Fanad lighthouse - Viscount Aerospace on Flickr
View from lantern tower - Fanad Head lighthouse on Flickr
Stairs are tricky to negotiate but you'd get very fit doing so. Lighthouse first went into service on St. Patrick's day 1817 and prior to electric lights the wicks, oil levels etc had to be checked and adjusted every two hours so plenty of stair climbing practice. You couldn't just stay up there as the fumes from burning paraffin were over-powering.
Fanad Lighthouse ladder to top of lighthouse on Flickr
The lighting unit floated on a bath of mercury and used to rotate using power from a huge weight on a chain contained in the tower wall similar to how a grandfather clock works but it had to be wound every few hours as well using something that at first glance I thought was an old cottered left hand crank but obviously it pre-dates the bicycle.
The modern day rotating light is actually an illusion. There are four very powerful halogen bulbs (another reason not to live there, I wouldn't fancy the electric bill!) which come on and off in sequence and from outside it looks like the light is rotating.
Stairs are tricky to negotiate but you'd get very fit doing so. Lighthouse first went into service on St. Patrick's day 1817 and prior to electric lights the wicks, oil levels etc had to be checked and adjusted every two hours so plenty of stair climbing practice. You couldn't just stay up there as the fumes from burning paraffin were over-powering.
The lighting unit floated on a bath of mercury and used to rotate using power from a huge weight on a chain contained in the tower wall similar to how a grandfather clock works but it had to be wound every few hours as well using something that at first glance I thought was an old cottered left hand crank but obviously it pre-dates the bicycle.
The modern day rotating light is actually an illusion. There are four very powerful halogen bulbs (another reason not to live there, I wouldn't fancy the electric bill!) which come on and off in sequence and from outside it looks like the light is rotating.
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
I wanted to be a lighthouse keeper when I was young: turning on and off a switch once a day - easy peasy!
This'd do, as long as I had plenty of food, brandy and books!
This'd do, as long as I had plenty of food, brandy and books!
Mrs M
Guru
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Lighthouse for me, would love to wake up looking out at the sea and rocks 
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
You may well do. But it is windy more than it is foggy and you would not want to sleep in a windmill when it is operating.Windmill for me.
At least you'd get a decent nights sleep when it's foggy.
Once stayed in a hotel on the Lizard, about 1/4 mile from the lighthouse. We thought the rates very reasonable and found out why.
It was great, until about 2am - when suddenly - BAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPP!! Repeated every couple of minutes for hours on end.
Lighthouse for me.
Yeah, but you can turn a windmill off at night and it won't pose a danger to anyone.
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
All of them are automated. The project to automate was massive and a great earner. ..... apparently
annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Canonbie
Blyth has a lighthouse, the High Light, attached to a residential house. I've always fancied living there. It's not as close to the sea as it once was!
Salty seadog
Space Cadet...(3rd Class...)
Got some converted Martello Towers down my way.
I don't need a lighthouse to do that.Lighthouse for me, would love to wake up looking out at the sea and rocks
Mrs M
Guru
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Lucky youI don't need a lighthouse to do that.
