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Coordinates: 51°46′08″N 1°20′30″E / 51.76889°N 1.34167°E / 51.76889; 1.34167
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox lighthouse
{{Infobox lighthouse
|name = Gunfleet Lighthouse
| name = Gunfleet Lighthouse
|image_name = File:Gunfleet Sands Lighthouse geograph - 2091161.jpg
| image = File:Gunfleet Sands Lighthouse geograph - 2091161.jpg
|image_width =
| image_width =
|caption = Distant view taken in 2010
| caption = Distant view taken in 2010
|location = offshore of [[Frinton-on-Sea]]<br>[[Essex]]<br>[[England]]
| location = offshore of [[Frinton-on-Sea]]<br>[[Essex]]<br>[[England]]
⚫
| coordinates = {{coord|51|46|08|N|1|20|30|E|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|pushpin_map= England south
⚫
| yearbuilt = 1850
|pushpin=lighthouse
⚫
| yearlit = 1856
|pushpin_outside=
⚫
| automated =
|pushpin_map_caption= Southern England
⚫
| yeardeactivated =
⚫
|coordinates = {{coord|51|46|08|N|1|20|30|E|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
⚫
| foundation =
⚫
|yearbuilt = 1850
⚫
| construction = screw-pile tower
⚫
|yearlit = 1856
⚫
| shape = hexagonal tower with keeper's quarter, balcony and lantern
⚫
|automated =
⚫
| marking =
⚫
|yeardeactivated =
⚫
| height = {{convert|72|m|ft}}
⚫
|foundation =
⚫
| focalheight =
⚫
|construction = screw-pile tower
| lens =
⚫
|shape = hexagonal tower with keeper's quarter, balcony and lantern
⚫
| currentlens =
⚫
|marking =
⚫
| intensity =
⚫
|height = {{convert|72|m|ft}}
| range =
⚫
|focalheight =
⚫
| characteristic =
|lens =
⚫
| fogsignal =
⚫
|currentlens =
| racon =
⚫
|intensity =
⚫
| admiralty =
|range =
| canada =
⚫
|characteristic=
⚫
| country =
⚫
|fogsignal=
⚫
| countrynumber =
|racon=
⚫
| countrylink =
⚫
|admiralty=
| managingagent = Gunfleet Sands Windfarm<ref>{{Cite rowlett|engse|accessdate=2016-05-01}}</ref>
|canada=
|NGA=
|ARLHS = ENG-049
|USCG=
⚫
|country=
⚫
|countrynumber=
⚫
|countrylink=
|managingagent = Gunfleet Sands Windfarm<ref>[http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/engse.htm Gunfleet] The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 1 May 2016</ref>
}}
}}


'''Gunfleet Lighthouse''' is a derelict [[screw-pile lighthouse]] lying in the [[North Sea]], six miles off the coast at [[Frinton-on-Sea]] in [[Essex]], constructed in 1850 by [[James Walker (engineer)|James Walker]] of [[Trinity House]]. [[George Henry Saunders]] was the contractor. Walker and Burges were the Engineers.<ref name=Grace>{{cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Gunfleet_Lighthouse|title=Gunfleet Lighthouse| website =Grace's Guide to British Industrial History|access-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> It is {{convert|74|ft}} in height and hexagonal in plan; mounted on seven piles forming a steel lattice and originally painted red. <ref name=mycetes>
'''Gunfleet Lighthouse'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.roachriver.org.uk/rsa/newsletter/visit_gunfleet_lighthouse.htm|title = Day}}</ref> is a derelict [[screw-pile lighthouse]] lying in the [[North Sea]], six miles off the coast at [[Frinton-on-Sea]] in [[Essex]], constructed in 1850 by [[James Walker (engineer)|James Walker]] of [[Trinity House]]. [[George Henry Saunders]] was the contractor. Walker and Burges were the Engineers.<ref name=Grace>{{cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Gunfleet_Lighthouse|title=Gunfleet Lighthouse| website =Grace's Guide to British Industrial History|access-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> It is {{convert|74|ft}} in height and hexagonal in plan; mounted on seven piles forming a steel lattice and originally painted red.<ref name=mycetes>{{cite web|url=http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page90.html|title=Gunfleet Lighthouse|access-date=2012-12-03|archive-date=25 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325142305/http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page90.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was first lit on 1 May 1856, replacing a light vessel which had been on station there since 1850.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Nautical Intelligence |journal=The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review |date=July 1856 |volume=35 |issue=1 |page=105}}</ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page90.html|title=Gunfleet Lighthouse|access-date=2012-12-03}}</ref> It was first lit on 1 May 1856, replacing a light vessel which had been on station there since 1850.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Nautical Intelligence |journal=The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review |date=July 1856 |volume=35 |issue=1 |page=105}}</ref>


When in use, the lighthouse was manned by two keepers. They were accommodated in a single-storey dwelling, immediately below the lantern, which was divided into a living room (also used as a kitchen), a bed room and an oil room (in which the fuel for the lamps was stored). The walls and roof were of [[corrugated iron]], with [[wrought iron]] angle plates. Additional storage space was provided in the 'inverted pyramid' beneath the dwelling, which was accessed by a ladder from the gallery.<ref name="VanNostrand1876">{{cite journal |title=Light-houses |journal=Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine |date=February 1876 |volume=XIV |issue=LXXXVI |page=102}}</ref>
When in use, the lighthouse was staffed by two keepers. They were accommodated in a single-storey dwelling, immediately below the lantern, which was divided into a living room (also used as a kitchen), a bed room and an oil room (in which the fuel for the lamps was stored). The walls and roof were of [[corrugated iron]], with [[wrought iron]] angle plates. Additional storage space was provided in the 'inverted pyramid' beneath the dwelling, which was accessed by a ladder from the gallery.<ref name="VanNostrand1876">{{cite journal |title=Light-houses |journal=Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine |date=February 1876 |volume=XIV |issue=LXXXVI |page=102}}</ref>


The light flashed red once every 30 seconds; it was lit using [[Argand lamp]]s and [[Parabolic reflector|reflectors]] mounted on a revolving triangular frame, with a pane of red glass mounted in front of each reflector. Initially nine lamps and reflectors were used (three groups of three),<ref name="RC1861vol1">{{cite web | title = Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 1 | page = 33 | url = https://archive.org/details/lighthousemanage01blak/page/33/mode/1up }}</ref> but the number was later increased to fifteen (three groups of five).<ref name="VanNostrand1876" /> It also had a fog bell, which sounded once every ten seconds in bad weather; like the lamp mechanism, it was driven by clockwork.<ref name="RC1861vol2">{{cite web | title = Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2 | page = 77 | url = https://archive.org/details/lighthousemanage02blak/page/77/mode/1up }}</ref>
The light flashed red once every 30 seconds; it was lit using [[Argand lamp]]s and [[Parabolic reflector|reflectors]] mounted on a revolving triangular frame, with a pane of red glass mounted in front of each reflector. Initially nine lamps and reflectors were used (three groups of three),<ref name="RC1861vol1">{{cite web | title = Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 1 | year = 1861 | page = 33 | url = https://archive.org/details/lighthousemanage01blak/page/33/mode/1up }}</ref> but the number was later increased to fifteen (three groups of five).<ref name="VanNostrand1876" /> It also had a fog bell, which sounded once every ten seconds in bad weather; like the lamp mechanism, it was driven by clockwork.<ref name="RC1861vol2">{{cite web | title = Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2 | year = 1861 | page = 77 | url = https://archive.org/details/lighthousemanage02blak/page/77/mode/1up }}</ref>


In 1908 the light was upgraded to flash red once every fifteen seconds;<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28149/page/4483 London Gazette, Issue: 28149, Page:4483, 19 June 1908.]</ref> thereafter it was listed as a dioptric light (i.e. equipped with [[Fresnel lens|lenses]] rather than reflectors).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pile Lighthouses. Typical Data. |journal=Marine Engineer and Naval Architect |date=February 1921 |volume=44 |page=230}}</ref>
In 1908 the light was upgraded to flash red once every fifteen seconds;<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28149/page/4483 London Gazette, Issue: 28149, Page:4483, 19 June 1908.]</ref> thereafter it was listed as a dioptric light (i.e. equipped with [[Fresnel lens|lenses]] rather than reflectors).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pile Lighthouses. Typical Data. |journal=Marine Engineer and Naval Architect |date=February 1921 |volume=44 |page=230}}</ref>


The light and fog signal continued to be listed as active into the 1940s,<ref>{{cite journal |title=British Islands, English Channel and North Sea |journal=List of Lights and Fog Signals |date=1946 |issue=33 |page=76}}</ref> but by 1951 it had been decommissioned.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sailing Directions for the East Coast of England |date=1951 |publisher=United States Naval Oceanographic Office |page=214}}</ref>
The light and fog signal continued to be listed as active into the 1940s,<ref>{{cite journal |title=British Islands, English Channel and North Sea |journal=List of Lights and Fog Signals |date=1946 |issue=33 |page=76}}</ref> but by 1951 it had been decommissioned.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sailing Directions for the East Coast of England |date=1951 |publisher=United States Naval Oceanographic Office |page=214}}</ref>
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|url=http://www.pla.co.uk/assets/platidetables2014.pdf
|url=http://www.pla.co.uk/assets/platidetables2014.pdf
|title=Tide Tables and Port Information
|title=Tide Tables and Port Information
|format=PDF
|page=8
|page=8
|publisher=Port of London Authority
|publisher=Port of London Authority
|access-date=7 July 2014
|access-date=7 July 2014
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


In 1974 an attempt was made to use the lighthouse as a base for the pirate radio station [[Radio Atlantis]] but this was thwarted by the authorities.<ref name=holman>
In 1974 an attempt was made to use the lighthouse as a base for the pirate radio station [[Radio Atlantis]] but this was thwarted by the authorities.<ref name=holman>
Line 67: Line 58:
|website=Offshore Radio Museum
|website=Offshore Radio Museum
|access-date=2016-12-20
|access-date=2016-12-20
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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* [[List of lighthouses in England]]
* [[List of lighthouses in England]]
* [[Maplin Sands]]
* [[Maplin Sands]]
*[[screw-pile lighthouse]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page151.html 2005 tour of the lighthouse (including internal photographs)]
*[http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page151.html 2005 tour of the lighthouse (including internal photographs)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325142444/http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page151.html |date=25 March 2012 }}
*[http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page109.html More external photographs from 2005]
*[http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page109.html More external photographs from 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325142451/http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page109.html |date=25 March 2012 }}
*[http://www.roachriver.org.uk/rsa/newsletter/visit_gunfleet_lighthouse.htm Day-trip to Gunfleet Lighthouse]
*[http://www.roachriver.org.uk/rsa/newsletter/visit_gunfleet_lighthouse.htm Day-trip to Gunfleet Lighthouse]
*{{commons category-inline|Gunfleet Lighthouse}}
*{{commons category-inline|Gunfleet Lighthouse}}


{{Lighthouses in England}}
{{Lighthouses in England}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1850]]
[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1850]]
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[[Category:1921 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:1921 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Essex]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Essex]]
[[Category:Abandoned buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Unused buildings in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Unused buildings in the United Kingdom]]


Latest revision as of 13:34, 9 June 2024

Gunfleet Lighthouse
Distant view taken in 2010
Map
Locationoffshore of Frinton-on-Sea
Essex
England
Coordinates51°46′08″N 1°20′30″E / 51.76889°N 1.34167°E / 51.76889; 1.34167
Tower
Constructed1850
Built byJames Walker Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionscrew-pile tower
Height72 metres (236 ft)
Shapehexagonal tower with keeper's quarter, balcony and lantern
OperatorGunfleet Sands Windfarm[1]
Light
First lit1856
Deactivated1921 Edit this on Wikidata

Gunfleet Lighthouse[2] is a derelict screw-pile lighthouse lying in the North Sea, six miles off the coast at Frinton-on-Sea in Essex, constructed in 1850 by James Walker of Trinity House. George Henry Saunders was the contractor. Walker and Burges were the Engineers.[3] It is 74 feet (23 m) in height and hexagonal in plan; mounted on seven piles forming a steel lattice and originally painted red.[4] It was first lit on 1 May 1856, replacing a light vessel which had been on station there since 1850.[5]

When in use, the lighthouse was staffed by two keepers. They were accommodated in a single-storey dwelling, immediately below the lantern, which was divided into a living room (also used as a kitchen), a bed room and an oil room (in which the fuel for the lamps was stored). The walls and roof were of corrugated iron, with wrought iron angle plates. Additional storage space was provided in the 'inverted pyramid' beneath the dwelling, which was accessed by a ladder from the gallery.[6]

The light flashed red once every 30 seconds; it was lit using Argand lamps and reflectors mounted on a revolving triangular frame, with a pane of red glass mounted in front of each reflector. Initially nine lamps and reflectors were used (three groups of three),[7] but the number was later increased to fifteen (three groups of five).[6] It also had a fog bell, which sounded once every ten seconds in bad weather; like the lamp mechanism, it was driven by clockwork.[8]

In 1908 the light was upgraded to flash red once every fifteen seconds;[9] thereafter it was listed as a dioptric light (i.e. equipped with lenses rather than reflectors).[10]

The light and fog signal continued to be listed as active into the 1940s,[11] but by 1951 it had been decommissioned.[12]

It remains in use as an automated weather station by the Port of London Authority,[4] and marks the northern limit of their jurisdiction.[13]

In 1974 an attempt was made to use the lighthouse as a base for the pirate radio station Radio Atlantis but this was thwarted by the authorities.[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southeastern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Day".
  3. ^ "Gunfleet Lighthouse". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Gunfleet Lighthouse". Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Nautical Intelligence". The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review. 35 (1): 105. July 1856.
  6. ^ a b "Light-houses". Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine. XIV (LXXXVI): 102. February 1876.
  7. ^ "Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 1". 1861. p. 33.
  8. ^ "Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2". 1861. p. 77.
  9. ^ London Gazette, Issue: 28149, Page:4483, 19 June 1908.
  10. ^ "Pile Lighthouses. Typical Data". Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. 44: 230. February 1921.
  11. ^ "British Islands, English Channel and North Sea". List of Lights and Fog Signals (33): 76. 1946.
  12. ^ Sailing Directions for the East Coast of England. United States Naval Oceanographic Office. 1951. p. 214.
  13. ^ "Tide Tables and Port Information" (PDF). Port of London Authority. p. 8. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Gunfleet Lighthouse". Offshore Radio Museum. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
[edit]


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