Blacknore Point Lighthouse
The lighthouse in 2010
LocationPortishead
Somerset
England
OS gridST4450376499
Coordinates51°29′05″N 2°48′02″W / 51.484719°N 2.800655°W / 51.484719; -2.800655
Tower
Constructed1894
Constructioncast iron skeletal tower
Automated1941
Height11 metres (36 ft)
Shapetapered cylindrical skeletal tower with observation room, balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower and lantern
OperatorBlacknore Lighthouse Trust[1]
HeritageGrade II listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Deactivated2010
Lensfourth-order 250 mm biform
Range15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi)
CharacteristicFl (2) W 10 s.

Black Nore Lighthouse (also known as Blacknore Point Lighthouse) at Portishead, Somerset, England, was built in 1894.[2] It is a Grade II listed building.[3]

Description

The metal white-painted lighthouse[4] was built by Trinity House to guide shipping in the Severn Estuary as it made its way in and out of Bristol Harbour. Before the light was decommissioned the lens array (a rotating fourth-order 250 mm biform optic) flashed twice every ten seconds.[5]

History

The light was first lit on 19 April 1894.[6] Up until World War II the lighthouse was lit by gas, supplied from the gas main and stored in adjacent tanks.[3] To begin with it displayed an occulting light (eclipsed twice in quick succession every twenty seconds) with a visible range of 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi).[7] The rotating optic was installed in 1908 when the light characteristic was changed to group flashing (twice every ten seconds).[8] Its drive mechanism was wound daily by the Ashford Family, on whose land it was built, until 1941 when the light was converted to automatic electric operation.[3] In 2000 the winding and drive mechanisms were replaced by electric motors.[9]

Decommissioning and preservation

After it was judged to be no longer needed for navigational purposes, the light was decommissioned on 27 September 2010. Set to be demolished,[10] the structure was instead sold to a trust for preservation at a cost of £1 in October 2011.[11] The official handover took place the following January,[10] and later that year the lenses (which had been removed along with other equipment as part of the decommissioning) were returned to the lantern on a ten-year loan from Trinity House.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Western England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Black Nore Point". Lighthouse Duo. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Black Nore Lighthouse". Heritage Gateway. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "Guide to English and Welsh Lights". Mycetes. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "Blacknore Point Lighthouse". Worldwide lighthouses. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  6. ↑ London Gazette, Issue 26462, Page 6994, 28 November 1893.
  7. ↑ "Monthly Abstract of Nautical Notices". The Nautical Magazine. LXIII (VI): 553. June 1894.
  8. ↑ [London Gazette, Issue 28182, Page 7129, 2 October 1908.]
  9. ↑ "Black Nore Lighthouse". Fedden Village. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Blacknore Point lighthouse taken over by community group". BBC News. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Fowler, Tracey (25 January 2012). "Bought for £1 – residents preserve historic lighthouse". Weston, Worle and Somerset Mercury. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Blacknore lighthouse in Portishead gets its lamp back". BBC News. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
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