Farne Lighthouse

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]

Farne Lighthouse
Farne Lighthouse
Northumberland
LocationFarne Islands
Northumberland
England
Coordinates55°36′55.3″N 1°39′20.6″W
Year first constructed1776 (first)
Year first lit1811 (current)
Automated1910
Constructionbrick tower
Tower shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternwhite tower and lantern
Tower height13 m (43 ft)
Focal height27 m (89 ft)
Original lens1st order catadioptric fixed lens
Intensitywhite: 1,650 candela
red: 208 candela
Rangewhite: 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi)
red: 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi)
CharacteristicFl (2) WR15s.
Admiralty numberA2812
NGA number2256
ARLHS numberENG 060
Managing agentNational Trust (Farne Islands National Nature Reserve)[1][2]
HeritageGrade II listed building 

History

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.

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 (manufactured in an adjacent producer plant and controlled by a sun valve);[4] a new fixed optic was installed in the lantern and a red sector was added to the main light to indicate lines of approach that were hazardous for shipping.[5] (That same year saw the nearby Bamburgh Lighthouse established, with a sector light that worked in conjunction with the Inner Farne light.[5]) This arrangement largely remains in place, except that in 1996 the light was converted from acetylene to solar powered operation.[4]

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.[6] Whereas the High Light revolved, the Low Light showed a fixed beam from a single Argand lamp and reflector;[7] 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.[8]

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).[7]

Associated lighthouses

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;[9] it too was equipped with a revolving set of lamps and reflectors.[10] It likewise replaced an earlier light built by Captain Blackett in 1778 (on nearby Staple Island, but subsequently relocated to Brownsman).[7] The 1811 installation on Brownsman Island was itself later moved to a more effective position on Longstone Island, further out to sea; as Longstone Lighthouse it too remains active as an aid to navigation for Trinity House.

Present day

The tower is 13 m (43 ft) tall with a range for the white light of 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) and the Red 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi). 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.[11] After a 2015 review the lighthouse was equipped with an LED lantern.[12]

See also

Notes
  1. Inner Farne (High) 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. "Farne Lighthouse". Trinity House. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013.
  5. "Farne Lighthouse". Worldwide Lighthouses. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  6. "Lighthouses on the Farne Islands". National Trust. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  7. Middleton, Penny. "Historic Environment Survey for the National Trust: The Farne Islands" (PDF). Archaeo-Environment Ltd. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. Elliot, George H. (1875). European Light-House Systems. London: Lockwood & co. p. 130. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  9. Original design: elevation.
  10. Original design: section.
  11. "The General Lighthouse Fund 2004-2005" (PDF). The Stationery Office. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  12. "Farne Island Lighthouse". Trinity House. Retrieved 22 February 2019.


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