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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox lighthouse
{{Infobox lighthouse
⚫
| name = Flamborough Head Lighthouse
⚫
| location = [[Flamborough]]<br /> [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]<br /> [[England]]
| image_name = Flamborough Lighthouse.JPG
| mapframe-zoom = 9
| caption = Flamborough Head Lighthouse
⚫
| shape = cylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern
⚫
| location = [[Flamborough]]<br> [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]<br> [[England]]
⚫
| fogsignal = 1 blast every 90s.
| pushpin_map = East Riding of Yorkshire
| lightsource = LED
| pushpin = lighthouse
| module = {{Infobox lighthouse | qid=Q17554412 | embed=yes}}
| pushpin_map_caption = East Riding of Yorkshire
| coordinates = {{coord|54|6|58.7|N|0|4|57.6|W|display=inline,title}}
| yearbuilt = 1669 (first, Chalk Tower)
| yearlit = 1806 (current)
| automated = 1996
| yeardeactivated =
| foundation =
| construction = brick tower
⚫
| shape = cylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern (current)<br>octagonal tower (first)
| marking = white tower and lantern (current)<br>white tower (first)
| height = {{convert|26.5|m|ft}} (current)<ref name="TH">{{cite web|url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels/flamborough-head-lighthouse |title=Flamborough Head Lighthouse|publisher= Trinity House|access-date= 24 April 2016}}</ref><br>{{convert|24|m|ft}} (first)
| focalheight = {{convert|65|m|ft}} <ref name="TH"/>
| lens =
| currentlens = 1st order catadioptric rotating
| intensity = 433,000 candela<ref name="TH"/>
| range = {{convert|24|nmi|abbr=on}}
| characteristic = Fl (4) W 15s.
⚫
| fogsignal = 2 blasts every 90s.
| racon =
| admiralty = A2582
| canada =
| NGA = 1964
| ARLHS = ENG 042
| USCG =
| managingagent = [[East Riding of Yorkshire Council]]<ref>{{Cite rowlett|enge|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>
| heritage = First – Grade II* listed<ref name="NHLE old"/><br />Current – Grade II listed<ref name ="NHLE new"/>
}}
}}

'''Flamborough Head Lighthouse''' is an active lighthouse located at [[Flamborough]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]. [[England]].
'''Flamborough Head Lighthouse''' is an active lighthouse located at [[Flamborough]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]. [[England]].
Flamborough Head Lighthouse acts as a waypoint for passing deep sea vessels and coastal traffic, and marks [[Flamborough Head]] for vessels heading towards [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]] and [[Bridlington]].
Flamborough Head Lighthouse acts as a waypoint for passing deep sea vessels and coastal traffic, and marks [[Flamborough Head]] for vessels heading towards [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]] and [[Bridlington]].<ref>{{Cite rowlett|enge|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="TH">{{cite web|url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels/flamborough-head-lighthouse |title=Flamborough Head Lighthouse|publisher= Trinity House|access-date= 24 April 2016}}</ref>


==Old lighthouse==
==Old lighthouse==
{{stack|[[File:Chalk Tower Flamborough Head 058031.jpg|right|thumb|The chalk tower near Flamborough Head]]
}}
The first lighthouse, built by Sir John Clayton, was completed in 1674 and is one of the oldest surviving complete lighthouses in England. Built from chalk, it was never lit. This is now a [[Grade II* listed building]].<ref name="NHLE old">{{NHLE|num=1083400|desc=The Old Lighthouse|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>
The first lighthouse, built by Sir John Clayton, was completed in 1674 and is one of the oldest surviving complete lighthouses in England. Built from chalk, it was never lit. This is now a [[Grade II* listed building]].<ref name="NHLE old">{{NHLE|num=1083400|desc=The Old Lighthouse|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>


==Current lighthouse==
==Current lighthouse==
[[File:(Flamborough, lighthouse, Yorkshire, England) (LOC) (16616663219).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The lighthouse {{circa|1890}}]]
[[File:(Flamborough, lighthouse, Yorkshire, England) (LOC) (16616663219).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The lighthouse {{circa|1890}}]]
The present lighthouse, designed by Samuel Wyatt and costing £8,000 to build, was first lit on 1 December 1806. It had a distinctive [[light characteristic]] of two white flashes followed by a red flash. This was provided by the lighting apparatus, which was designed by optics specialist George Robinson, who was also Chief Inspector of Lighthouses at Trinity House.<ref name="USLHSlens" /> It consisted of a revolving vertical shaft with a three-sided frame on which were mounted 21 [[argand lamp]]s, 7 on each side, with [[parabolic reflectors]]. On one of the three sides the reflectors were covered with red glass: this was the first use of red glass in a lighthouse and represented the first use of the colour as part of a light characteristic;<ref name="USLHSlens">{{cite web |last1=Tag |first1=Thomas |title=Lens Use Prior to Fresnel |url=https://uslhs.org/lens-use-prior-fresnel |website=United States Lighthouse Society |access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref> the idea was soon taken up elsewhere. According to a description of the lighthouse written in 1818, the red light was used to distinguish Flamborough's lighthouse from the one at [[Cromer Lighthouse|Cromer]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotton |first1=Joseph |title=Memoir on the Origin and Incorporation of the Trinity House of Deptford Strond |url=https://archive.org/details/memoironorigina00cottgoog |date=1818 |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/memoironorigina00cottgoog/page/n146 114]}}</ref> A Victorian [[Maritime pilot|pilot]] book used the [[mnemonic]]: 'Two whites to one red / Indicates Flambro' Head'.<ref name="Chambers1885" />
The present lighthouse, designed by Samuel Wyatt and costing £8,000 to build, was first lit on 1 December 1806. It had a distinctive [[light characteristic]] of two white flashes followed by a red flash. This was provided by the lighting apparatus, which was designed by optics specialist George Robinson, who was also Chief Inspector of Lighthouses at Trinity House.<ref name="USLHSlens" /> It consisted of a revolving vertical shaft with a three-sided frame on which were mounted 21 [[argand lamp]]s, 7 on each side, with [[parabolic reflectors]]. On one of the three sides the reflectors were covered with red glass: this was the first use of red glass in a lighthouse and represented the first use of the colour as part of a light characteristic;<ref name="USLHSlens">{{cite web |last1=Tag |first1=Thomas |title=Lens Use Prior to Fresnel |url=https://uslhs.org/lens-use-prior-fresnel |website=United States Lighthouse Society |access-date=3 March 2019 |archive-date=20 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720130348/https://uslhs.org/lens-use-prior-fresnel |url-status=dead }}</ref> the idea was soon taken up elsewhere. According to a description of the lighthouse written in 1818, the red light was used to distinguish Flamborough's lighthouse from the one at [[Cromer Lighthouse|Cromer]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotton |first1=Joseph |title=Memoir on the Origin and Incorporation of the Trinity House of Deptford Strond |url=https://archive.org/details/memoironorigina00cottgoog |date=1818 |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/memoironorigina00cottgoog/page/n146 114]}}</ref> A Victorian [[Maritime pilot|pilot]] book used the [[mnemonic]]: 'Two whites to one red / Indicates Flambro' Head'.<ref name="Chambers1885" />


In 1872, a new [[Kerosene|paraffin]] lamp was installed to the design of [[James Nicholas Douglass|James Douglass]].<ref name="Elliot1875">{{cite book |last1=Elliot |first1=George H. |title=European Light-House Systems |date=1875 |publisher=Lockwood & co. |location=London |page=70 n.3 |url=http://access.bl.uk/item/pdf/lsidyv38f8413f |access-date=10 March 2019}}</ref> Flamborough was the first Trinity House lighthouse to use paraffin, which had only lately been introduced as a lighthouse illuminant; afterwards, the Corporation upgraded all its oil burners to paraffin.<ref name="Littell" />
In 1872, a new [[Kerosene|paraffin]] lamp was installed to the design of [[James Nicholas Douglass|James Douglass]].<ref name="Elliot1875">{{cite book |last1=Elliot |first1=George H. |title=European Light-House Systems |date=1875 |publisher=Lockwood & co. |location=London |page=70 n.3 |url=http://access.bl.uk/item/pdf/lsidyv38f8413f |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=29 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029210746/http://access.bl.uk/item/pdf/lsidyv38f8413f |url-status=dead }}</ref> Flamborough was the first Trinity House lighthouse to use paraffin, which had only lately been introduced as a lighthouse illuminant; afterwards, the Corporation upgraded all its oil burners to paraffin.<ref name="Littell" />


Along with the new lamp, a new [[First order Fresnel lens|first-order]] [[Fresnel lens|dioptric]] optic was installed, by [[Chance Brothers]] of [[Smethwick]],<ref name="Chance 1902">{{cite book |last1=Chance |first1=James Frederick |title=The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Baronet |date=1902 |publisher=Smith, Elder & co. |location=London |page=118 |url=https://uslhs.org/sites/default/files/attached-files/The%20Lighthouse%20Work%20of%20Sir%20James%20T.%20Chance.pdf |access-date=24 February 2019}}</ref> The revolving optic was designed to maintain the lighthouse's characteristic of two white flashes followed by one red flash; the speed of revolution was changed, however, from a flash every two minutes to a flash every 30 seconds.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Monthly Abstract of Nautical Notices |journal=The Nautical Magazine for 1872 |date=July 1872 |page=725}}</ref> Driven by clockwork, the optic was described at the time as 'a circular frame of six faces, composed of great glass prisms, [...] the third and sixth faces having sheets of [[ruby glass]] before them to give the red effect to the light'.<ref name="Chambers1885">{{cite book |last1=Chambers |first1=William |last2=Chambers |first2=Robert |title=Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts (5th series, Vol. II, No. 85) |date=1885 |publisher=W. & R. Chambers |page=514}}</ref> These red-flashing lenses were made more than double the width of the clear white-flashing panels, to compensate for the reduced intensity caused by the ruby filters;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Elliot |first1=George H. |title=European Light-House Systems |date=1875 |publisher=Lockwood & co. |location=London |pages=117–118 |url=http://access.bl.uk/item/pdf/lsidyv38f8413f |access-date=10 March 2019}}</ref> with a width in [[azimuth]] of 69.5°, they were at the time the widest lens panels yet constructed.<ref name="Littell">{{cite journal |last1=Littell |first1=Eliakim |last2=Littell |first2=Robert S. |title=Lighthouse Work in the United Kingdom |journal=The Living Age |date=1887 |volume=174 |page=247}}</ref> The alterations cost £7,000 and provided a range of {{convert|21|nmi}}.<ref name="Chambers1885" /> In 1907 the speed of rotation was increased, so as to give a flash every fifteen seconds.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28030/page/4102 London Gazette, Issue 28030, Page 4102, 14 June 1907.]</ref>
Along with the new lamp, a new [[First order Fresnel lens|first-order]] [[Fresnel lens|dioptric]] optic was installed, by [[Chance Brothers]] of [[Smethwick]],<ref name="Chance 1902">{{cite book |last1=Chance |first1=James Frederick |title=The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Baronet |date=1902 |publisher=Smith, Elder & co. |location=London |page=118 |url=https://uslhs.org/sites/default/files/attached-files/The%20Lighthouse%20Work%20of%20Sir%20James%20T.%20Chance.pdf |access-date=24 February 2019}}</ref> The revolving optic was designed to maintain the lighthouse's characteristic of two white flashes followed by one red flash; the speed of revolution was changed, however, from a flash every two minutes to a flash every 30 seconds.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Monthly Abstract of Nautical Notices |journal=The Nautical Magazine for 1872 |date=July 1872 |page=725}}</ref> Driven by clockwork, the optic was described at the time as 'a circular frame of six faces, composed of great glass prisms, [...] the third and sixth faces having sheets of [[ruby glass]] before them to give the red effect to the light'.<ref name="Chambers1885">{{cite book |last1=Chambers |first1=William |last2=Chambers |first2=Robert |title=Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts (5th series, Vol. II, No. 85) |date=1885 |publisher=W. & R. Chambers |page=514}}</ref> These red-flashing lenses were made more than double the width of the clear white-flashing panels, to compensate for the reduced intensity caused by the ruby filters;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Elliot |first1=George H. |title=European Light-House Systems |date=1875 |publisher=Lockwood & co. |location=London |pages=117–118 |url=http://access.bl.uk/item/pdf/lsidyv38f8413f |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=29 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029210746/http://access.bl.uk/item/pdf/lsidyv38f8413f |url-status=dead }}</ref> with a width in [[azimuth]] of 69.5°, they were at the time the widest lens panels yet constructed.<ref name="Littell">{{cite journal |last1=Littell |first1=Eliakim |last2=Littell |first2=Robert S. |title=Lighthouse Work in the United Kingdom |journal=The Living Age |date=1887 |volume=174 |page=247}}</ref> The alterations cost £7,000 and provided a range of {{convert|21|nmi}}.<ref name="Chambers1885" /> In 1907 the speed of rotation was increased, so as to give a flash every fifteen seconds.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28030/page/4102 London Gazette, Issue 28030, Page 4102, 14 June 1907.]</ref>


{{stack|[[File:Flamborough Lighthouse IMG 1815 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The expanded lantern containing the lens]]}}
{{Stack|[[File:Flamborough Lighthouse IMG 1815 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The expanded lantern containing the lens]]}}
In 1925 the lantern was made taller, to accommodate a new 15-foot lens.<ref name="VisitHEY">{{cite web |title=Flamborough Lighthouse at Flamborough Outer Headland |url=https://www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com/Bridlington-Flamborough-Lighthouse/details/?dms=3&venue=2172973 |website=Visit Hull and East Yorkshire |access-date=4 March 2019}}</ref> The lens is a large (first-order) revolving [[catadioptric]] [[Fresnel lens|optic]] made up of four asymmetrical panels; it displays four white flashes every fifteen seconds. The light was converted from oil to electricity in 1940.
In 1925 the lantern was made taller, to accommodate a new 15-foot lens.<ref name="VisitHEY">{{cite web |title=Flamborough Lighthouse at Flamborough Outer Headland |url=https://www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com/Bridlington-Flamborough-Lighthouse/details/?dms=3&venue=2172973 |website=Visit Hull and East Yorkshire |access-date=4 March 2019 |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043623/https://www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com/Bridlington-Flamborough-Lighthouse/details/?dms=3&venue=2172973 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The lens is a large (first-order) revolving [[catadioptric]] [[Fresnel lens|optic]] made up of four asymmetrical panels; it displays four white flashes every fifteen seconds. (After the new lens was installed, the old apparatus was transferred to [[the Bahamas]] to be used as part of a programme of improvements to the lighthouses there.)<ref>{{cite journal |title=Accounts and Papers: 1926 - General Lighthouse Fund |journal=Parliamentary Papers |date=1926 |volume=16 |page=8}}</ref> The light was converted from oil to electricity in 1940.


Following automation, the last lighthouse keepers left on 8 May 1996.<ref name="TH" /> The light remains in use. [[East Riding of Yorkshire Council]], under licence from [[Trinity House]], operate tours of the lighthouse seasonally.<ref name="trinityhouse">{{cite web | url = https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouse-visitor-centres/flamborough-lighthouse-visitor-centre | title = Flamborough Head Lighthouse visitor centre | publisher = Trinity House | access-date = 14 August 2017}}</ref> This is now a [[Grade II listed building]].<ref name ="NHLE new">{{NHLE|num=1083399|desc=The Lighthouse|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>
Following automation, the last lighthouse keepers left on 8 May 1996.<ref name="TH" /> The light remains in use. [[East Riding of Yorkshire Council]], under licence from [[Trinity House]], operate tours of the lighthouse seasonally.<ref name="trinityhouse">{{cite web | url = https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouse-visitor-centres/flamborough-lighthouse-visitor-centre | title = Flamborough Head Lighthouse visitor centre | publisher = Trinity House | access-date = 14 August 2017}}</ref> It is now a [[Grade II listed building]].<ref name ="NHLE new">{{NHLE|num=1083399|desc=The Lighthouse|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>

In 2022 the lighthouse was once again modernised: the revolving Fresnel optic was removed; it and the emergency light have been replaced by a pair of static LED lanterns.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Alexandra |title=Sweeping beams of Flamborough Lighthouse have been replaced by static LED lights |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/sweeping-beams-of-flamborough-lighthouse-have-been-replaced-by-static-led-lights-3873873 |access-date=25 October 2022 |work=Yorkshire Post |date=11 October 2022}}</ref> As part of the modernisation programme the visible range of the light was reduced from {{convert|24|nmi}} to {{convert|18|nmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NM2022">{{cite web |title=Notice to Mariners, 30/08/2022: 31/2022 Flamborough Head Lighthouse |url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/notice-to-mariners/31/2022-flamborough-head-lighthouse |website=Trinity House |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>


===Fog signal station===
===Fog signal station===
[[File:Flamborough head Fog signal station.jpg|thumb|left|The fog signal station: former signalmen's cottage (left) and engine house (right).]]
[[File:Flamborough head Fog signal station.jpg|thumb|left|The fog signal station: former signalmen's cottage (left) and engine house (right).]]
In 1859 a [[fog signal station]] was built (at some distance from the lighthouse, close to the cliff edge). Initially an 18-pound gun was used as the [[fog signal]], sounded once every fifteen minutes.<ref name = "Renton2001">{{cite book |last1=Renton |first1=Alan |title=Lost Sounds: The Story of Coast Fog Signals |date=2001 |publisher=Whittles |location=Caithness, Scotland}}</ref> A cottage was built within the compound as accommodation for the gunners.<ref name="FbroPC">{{cite web |title=Flamborough's lighthouses |url=http://www.flamborough-pc.gov.uk/Data/Sites/12/media/documents/flamboroughslighthouses.pdf |website=Flamborough Parish Council |access-date=4 March 2019}}</ref> In 1878, explosive rockets replaced the cannon,<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24540/page/119 London Gazette, Issue 24540, Page 119, 8 January 1878.]</ref> discharged every 10 minutes in foggy weather (every five minutes from 1896)<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26757/page/3981 London Gazette, Issue 26757, Page 3981, 10 July 1896.]</ref> and reaching an altitude of {{convert|600|ft}}.<ref name="TH" />
In 1859 a [[fog signal station]] was built (at some distance from the lighthouse, close to the cliff edge). Initially an 18-pound gun was used as the [[fog signal]], sounded once every fifteen minutes.<ref name = "Renton2001">{{cite book |last1=Renton |first1=Alan |title=Lost Sounds: The Story of Coast Fog Signals |date=2001 |publisher=Whittles |location=Caithness, Scotland}}</ref> A cottage was built within the compound as accommodation for the gunners.<ref name="FbroPC">{{cite web |title=Flamborough's lighthouses |url=http://www.flamborough-pc.gov.uk/Data/Sites/12/media/documents/flamboroughslighthouses.pdf |website=Flamborough Parish Council |access-date=4 March 2019}}</ref> In 1878, explosive rockets replaced the cannon,<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24540/page/119 London Gazette, Issue 24540, Page 119, 8 January 1878.]</ref> discharged every 10 minutes in foggy weather (every five minutes from 1896)<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26757/page/3981 London Gazette, Issue 26757, Page 3981, 10 July 1896.]</ref> and reaching an altitude of {{convert|600|ft}}.<ref name="TH" />


In 1908 an engine house was built next to the cottage and a fog [[Siren (alarm)|siren]] replaced the rockets;<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28142/page/4089 London Gazette, Issue 28142, Page 4089, 2 June 1908.]</ref> it sounded one long and one short blast, every 90 seconds, through a pair of ([[Lord Rayleigh|Rayleigh]] trumpets mounted on the engine room roof.<ref>[https://www.alamy.com/fog-siren-and-lighthouse-flamborough-head-image66154540.html Photograph c.1910s]</ref> Compressed air for the siren was provided by a pair of 22hp [[Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine|Hornsby oil engines]] linked to a single-cylinder Hornsby [[compressor]].<ref name="Renton2001" />
In 1908 an engine house was built next to the cottage and a fog [[Siren (alarm)|siren]] replaced the rockets;<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28142/page/4089 London Gazette, Issue 28142, Page 4089, 2 June 1908.]</ref> it sounded one long and one short blast, every 90 seconds, through a pair of [[Lord Rayleigh|Rayleigh]] trumpets mounted on the engine room roof.<ref>[https://www.alamy.com/fog-siren-and-lighthouse-flamborough-head-image66154540.html Photograph c.1910s]</ref> Compressed air for the siren was provided by a pair of 22&nbsp;hp [[Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine|Hornsby oil engines]] linked to a single-cylinder Hornsby [[compressor]].<ref name="Renton2001" />


In 1924 the siren was replaced by a pair of [[diaphone]]s, mounted in a metal turret on top of a porch added to the front of the engine house.<ref>[https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW023117 photo (1928)]</ref> This was itself superseded by an electric fog signal in 1975.
In 1924 the siren was replaced by a pair of [[diaphone]]s, mounted in a metal turret on top of a porch added to the front of the engine house.<ref>[https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW023117 photo (1928)]</ref> This was itself superseded by an electric fog signal in 1975. In 2022 the signal was altered from two blasts to one long blast, every 90 seconds.<ref name="NM2022" />


The fog signal compound remains in Trinity House ownership; along with the modern fog signal apparatus, it has since 1998 accommodated a [[Differential Global Positioning System]] (DGPS) signal station.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Millyard |first1=Simon |title=The new Differential Global Positioning System |journal=Flash |date=Winter 2015 |issue=24 |page=6 |url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/asset/1321/download?1457366075 |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
The fog signal compound remains in Trinity House ownership; along with the modern fog signal apparatus, it has since 1998 accommodated a [[Differential Global Positioning System]] (DGPS) signal station.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Millyard |first1=Simon |title=The new Differential Global Positioning System |journal=Flash |date=Winter 2015 |issue=24 |page=6 |url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/asset/1321/download?1457366075 |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>
Line 69: Line 43:


==See also==
==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|Yorkshire|Engineering}}}}
{{Portal|Yorkshire|Engineering}}
* [[List of lighthouses in England]]
* [[List of lighthouses in England]]
{{clear right}}
{{clear right}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
⚫
{{Commons category|position=left|Flamborough Head Lighthouse}}
* [https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels?type=lighthouse Trinity House]
* [https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels?type=lighthouse Trinity House]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVooz9duAIs Pathé News footage of the lighthouse in 1933]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVooz9duAIs Pathé News footage of the lighthouse in 1933]


{{Commons category|position=left|Flamborough Head Lighthouse}}
{{Lighthouses of Trinity House}}
{{Lighthouses of Trinity House}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1806]]
[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1806]]
Line 90: Line 65:
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Grade II listed lighthouses]]
[[Category:Grade II listed lighthouses]]
[[Category:Flamborough]]

Latest revision as of 06:20, 15 April 2024

Flamborough Head Lighthouse
Map
LocationFlamborough
East Riding of Yorkshire
England
OS gridTA2543270648
Coordinates54°06′59″N 0°04′57″W / 54.116397°N 0.082553°W / 54.116397; -0.082553
Tower
Constructed1806 Edit this on Wikidata
Designed bySamuel Wyatt Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionbrick Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1996 Edit this on Wikidata
Height26.5 m (87 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern
Markingswhite Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorTrinity House, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Edit this on Wikidata
HeritageGrade II listed building, Grade II listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signal1 blast every 90s.
Light
First lit1 December 1806 Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height65 m (213 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Lensfirst order Fresnel lens Edit this on Wikidata
Light sourceLED
Intensity433,000 candela Edit this on Wikidata
Range18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl(4) W 15s Edit this on Wikidata
Chalk Tower Edit this at Wikidata
Constructed1669 Edit this on Wikidata
Height24 m (79 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapeoctagon Edit this on Wikidata
Markingswhite Edit this on Wikidata
HeritageGrade II* listed building, scheduled monument Edit this on Wikidata
First lit1674 Edit this on Wikidata

Flamborough Head Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located at Flamborough, East Riding of Yorkshire. England. Flamborough Head Lighthouse acts as a waypoint for passing deep sea vessels and coastal traffic, and marks Flamborough Head for vessels heading towards Scarborough and Bridlington.[1][2]

Old lighthouse

[edit]

The first lighthouse, built by Sir John Clayton, was completed in 1674 and is one of the oldest surviving complete lighthouses in England. Built from chalk, it was never lit. This is now a Grade II* listed building.[3]

Current lighthouse

[edit]
The lighthouse c. 1890

The present lighthouse, designed by Samuel Wyatt and costing £8,000 to build, was first lit on 1 December 1806. It had a distinctive light characteristic of two white flashes followed by a red flash. This was provided by the lighting apparatus, which was designed by optics specialist George Robinson, who was also Chief Inspector of Lighthouses at Trinity House.[4] It consisted of a revolving vertical shaft with a three-sided frame on which were mounted 21 argand lamps, 7 on each side, with parabolic reflectors. On one of the three sides the reflectors were covered with red glass: this was the first use of red glass in a lighthouse and represented the first use of the colour as part of a light characteristic;[4] the idea was soon taken up elsewhere. According to a description of the lighthouse written in 1818, the red light was used to distinguish Flamborough's lighthouse from the one at Cromer.[5] A Victorian pilot book used the mnemonic: 'Two whites to one red / Indicates Flambro' Head'.[6]

In 1872, a new paraffin lamp was installed to the design of James Douglass.[7] Flamborough was the first Trinity House lighthouse to use paraffin, which had only lately been introduced as a lighthouse illuminant; afterwards, the Corporation upgraded all its oil burners to paraffin.[8]

Along with the new lamp, a new first-order dioptric optic was installed, by Chance Brothers of Smethwick,[9] The revolving optic was designed to maintain the lighthouse's characteristic of two white flashes followed by one red flash; the speed of revolution was changed, however, from a flash every two minutes to a flash every 30 seconds.[10] Driven by clockwork, the optic was described at the time as 'a circular frame of six faces, composed of great glass prisms, [...] the third and sixth faces having sheets of ruby glass before them to give the red effect to the light'.[6] These red-flashing lenses were made more than double the width of the clear white-flashing panels, to compensate for the reduced intensity caused by the ruby filters;[11] with a width in azimuth of 69.5°, they were at the time the widest lens panels yet constructed.[8] The alterations cost £7,000 and provided a range of 21 nautical miles (39 km; 24 mi).[6] In 1907 the speed of rotation was increased, so as to give a flash every fifteen seconds.[12]

The expanded lantern containing the lens

In 1925 the lantern was made taller, to accommodate a new 15-foot lens.[13] The lens is a large (first-order) revolving catadioptric optic made up of four asymmetrical panels; it displays four white flashes every fifteen seconds. (After the new lens was installed, the old apparatus was transferred to the Bahamas to be used as part of a programme of improvements to the lighthouses there.)[14] The light was converted from oil to electricity in 1940.

Following automation, the last lighthouse keepers left on 8 May 1996.[2] The light remains in use. East Riding of Yorkshire Council, under licence from Trinity House, operate tours of the lighthouse seasonally.[15] It is now a Grade II listed building.[16]

In 2022 the lighthouse was once again modernised: the revolving Fresnel optic was removed; it and the emergency light have been replaced by a pair of static LED lanterns.[17] As part of the modernisation programme the visible range of the light was reduced from 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi) to 18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi).[18]

Fog signal station

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The fog signal station: former signalmen's cottage (left) and engine house (right).

In 1859 a fog signal station was built (at some distance from the lighthouse, close to the cliff edge). Initially an 18-pound gun was used as the fog signal, sounded once every fifteen minutes.[19] A cottage was built within the compound as accommodation for the gunners.[20] In 1878, explosive rockets replaced the cannon,[21] discharged every 10 minutes in foggy weather (every five minutes from 1896)[22] and reaching an altitude of 600 feet (180 m).[2]

In 1908 an engine house was built next to the cottage and a fog siren replaced the rockets;[23] it sounded one long and one short blast, every 90 seconds, through a pair of Rayleigh trumpets mounted on the engine room roof.[24] Compressed air for the siren was provided by a pair of 22 hp Hornsby oil engines linked to a single-cylinder Hornsby compressor.[19]

In 1924 the siren was replaced by a pair of diaphones, mounted in a metal turret on top of a porch added to the front of the engine house.[25] This was itself superseded by an electric fog signal in 1975. In 2022 the signal was altered from two blasts to one long blast, every 90 seconds.[18]

The fog signal compound remains in Trinity House ownership; along with the modern fog signal apparatus, it has since 1998 accommodated a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) signal station.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Eastern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Flamborough Head Lighthouse". Trinity House. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  3. ^ Historic England. "The Old Lighthouse (1083400)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b Tag, Thomas. "Lens Use Prior to Fresnel". United States Lighthouse Society. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  5. ^ Cotton, Joseph (1818). Memoir on the Origin and Incorporation of the Trinity House of Deptford Strond. London. p. 114.
  6. ^ a b c Chambers, William; Chambers, Robert (1885). Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts (5th series, Vol. II, No. 85). W. & R. Chambers. p. 514.
  7. ^ Elliot, George H. (1875). European Light-House Systems. London: Lockwood & co. p. 70 n.3. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b Littell, Eliakim; Littell, Robert S. (1887). "Lighthouse Work in the United Kingdom". The Living Age. 174: 247.
  9. ^ Chance, James Frederick (1902). The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Baronet (PDF). London: Smith, Elder & co. p. 118. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Monthly Abstract of Nautical Notices". The Nautical Magazine for 1872: 725. July 1872.
  11. ^ Elliot, George H. (1875). European Light-House Systems. London: Lockwood & co. pp. 117–118. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  12. ^ London Gazette, Issue 28030, Page 4102, 14 June 1907.
  13. ^ "Flamborough Lighthouse at Flamborough Outer Headland". Visit Hull and East Yorkshire. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Accounts and Papers: 1926 - General Lighthouse Fund". Parliamentary Papers. 16: 8. 1926.
  15. ^ "Flamborough Head Lighthouse visitor centre". Trinity House. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  16. ^ Historic England. "The Lighthouse (1083399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  17. ^ Wood, Alexandra (11 October 2022). "Sweeping beams of Flamborough Lighthouse have been replaced by static LED lights". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Notice to Mariners, 30/08/2022: 31/2022 Flamborough Head Lighthouse". Trinity House. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  19. ^ a b Renton, Alan (2001). Lost Sounds: The Story of Coast Fog Signals. Caithness, Scotland: Whittles.
  20. ^ "Flamborough's lighthouses" (PDF). Flamborough Parish Council. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  21. ^ London Gazette, Issue 24540, Page 119, 8 January 1878.
  22. ^ London Gazette, Issue 26757, Page 3981, 10 July 1896.
  23. ^ London Gazette, Issue 28142, Page 4089, 2 June 1908.
  24. ^ Photograph c.1910s
  25. ^ photo (1928)
  26. ^ Millyard, Simon (Winter 2015). "The new Differential Global Positioning System". Flash (24): 6. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
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