Beachy Head Lighthouse
Iconic structure at a site where lighthouses have stood for over 400 years
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Beachy Head, Eastbourne BN20 7YA
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From as early as 1670 lights were shone from the top of the cliffs to guide passing ships. In 1828 James Walker erected Belle Toute Lighthouse, a 14 metre (46 ft) high circular tower, on the headland. This remained in operation till 1899 when it was abandoned due to being frequently shrouded in mist and threatened with collapse because of recurrent falls of chalk from the cliff.
The present lighthouse stands some 165 metres from the base of chalk cliffs which, at their highest, rise 162 metres (541 ft) above sea level. Beachy Head lighthouse was brought into service in 1920 by Sir Thomas Matthews, the Trinity House Engineer-in-Chief. it took two years to complete and involved building a coffer-dam and a cableway from the top of the cliffs to carry materials down to the site. 3,660 tons of Cornish granite were used in the construction of the tower.
The lighthouse was automated and de-manned in June 1983. it is monitored 24 hours a day from the Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich in Essex.
Visitors, particularly those susceptible to vertigo, should be aware that in many places the cliff edge is unprotected and walkers may come suddenly and unexpectedly upon a sheer fall to the sea. The height and sheer drop of the cliffs at Beachy Head have made it a notorious spot for suicides.
By road: Off B2103
By rail: 4.5 km from Eastbourne Station
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Woodman, Richard & Wilson, Jane, The Lighthouses of Trinity House, ISBN 1 904050 00 X (2002)
Jones, Richard - An analysis of deaths at Beachy Head
Lantern Room - Beachy Head
Subterranea Britannica - RAF Beachy Head
Trinity House - Beachy Head